It’s only four weeks since the Irish team, due to race in the 2024 SB20 World Championships, packed up their boats and shipped to Dubai, but already they are back on Irish soil.
The three teams, Ger Dempsey, RIYC, Colin Galavan, RIYC and Tadgh Donnelly, NYC, were shocked to receive an email on 27th December informing them that the container ship their boats were on would not enter the Red Sea and therefore, could not make Dubai in time for the February championship.
The necessary re-routing around Cape Horn would mean the container and their boats would not arrive until the week of the 10th of February, right the in the middle of the event they had hoped to campaign.
The crews are now preparing to unload the boats in Dublin
At the time the boats were in Le Harve and the advice was to turn them around, with only 24 hours to make a decision the three teams concurred with the experts.
The crews are now preparing to unload the container this weekend in a cold, bleak Dublin, a stark contrast to the sunny experience they were anticipating in Dubai next month, however they remain philosophical despite the disappointment.
‘It’s hard to dwell on our misfortune in the context of why it has occurred’ said crew member Chris Nolan. ‘There will be other opportunities for us, and we are glad to have our boats back home safely.’
