There were slower boats still arriving from Plymouth in Galway yesterday evening in the Round Britain and Ireland 2022 as the majority of the fleet threw themselves into party and feasting mode in the temporary but very effective dockside Genesys-sponsored Commander Bill King Club, with evidence that some crews hadn’t enjoyed a full meal since sailing away from Plymouth on Sunday.

It was time to relax among crews and hosts alike, with members and officers of Galway Bay SC and the Royal Western YC of E developing friendships which will doubtless lead on to cooperation in other events in the future. But in the meantime, the remorseless ticking of the clock means that on-water leader Morpheus, Andy Fennell’s 39ft Shuttleworth trimaran, will be shaping up at 1700hrs this evening (Thursday) to take her departure for the long leg to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, as her crew’s entertaining 48-hour introduction to Galway hospitality is coming to it mandatory conclusion.

Ross Hobson’s leading mono-hull Pegasus berthed right at the front door of the Commander Bill King Club on Galway Docks

Party time in the Bill King Club - it was clear that some crews hadn’t enjoyed a square meal since leaving Plymouth

Morpheus came up Galway Bay so quickly on Tuesday that the next to leave, the DazCat 45 Hissy Fit, won’t be going until 23.30hrs tonight. So already not only are the two leaders starting to have their individual separate races, but they’re now in a different sailing universe from the world of the tail-enders – the Contessa 32 White Knight from Wales (Lou Boorman) and the Italian Vertue 35 Mea - which are still off Ireland’s southwestern seaboard after some slow progress across the Celtic Sea.

Stripped-out racing machine – race leader Morpheus (39ft) has an all-up weight of less than three tons.

Longtime Connacht sailing mates Peirce Purcell, Donal Morrissey and Brian Sheridan join the throng to make the RB&I participants very welcome in Galway

As the course involved some deviating around the multiple TSS areas off Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly, almost inevitably there were some infringements with protests outstanding. Until they are resolved all we can currently say for certain is that Morpheus (as predicted here on Sunday) is the line honours winner for all divisions in Stage 1, with Hissy Fit second, while in the mono-hulls Ross Hobson’s Open 60 Pegasus was ahead as expected, but it was the Sunfast 3300 Orbit (Dominic Bowns) which provided something of a surprise for larger craft by coming second.

Galway Bay Sailing Club are looking forward to organising the first stopover for the enlarged four-stage Round Britain and Ireland Race, which starts from Plymouth on May 29th 2022. In time past, the race has been based on two-handed crews. But the interest from fully-crewed boats is such that, with nearly 30 entries already made for the two-handed division including eight multi-hulls, the organisers feel the time is right to add a fully-crewed vision, details from [email protected].

The course is Plymouth to Galway, Galway to Lerwick in the Shetland Isles, Lerwick to Blyth in Northumberland, and Blyth to Plymouth - a seriously demanding offshore and oceanic challenge by anyone’s standards.

As an added incentive, the fully-crewed boats can make crew changes of up to 50% in both Galway and Blyth, and the entry fee discount is available until March 1st.

With its new format and course recently announced, RWYC Round Britain & Ireland Race that calls to Galway Bay next summer entry opens this Friday.

Commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club, Chris Arscott, said, “The new format now allows for either double-Handed or four-handed crews. As the RWYC was the first club to introduce shorthanded offshore racing in the world, it is in our DNA to continue to develop and support this discipline. We are introducing a 4-handed class to offer a step-change from fully-crewed to perhaps tempt others to join the ever-growing double-handed and solo racing world. Partial crew changes are also allowed in each stopover, allowing for more crews to enjoy this amazing race, if not in its entirety but to be part of a Round Britain and Ireland team.”

The course has also been revised to three stopovers which will offer a more balanced, accessible race both to the sailors and supporters alike. From starting in Plymouth, the venues have been announced as Galway, Lerwick and Blyth. The compulsory stopovers will remain at a minimum of 48 hours, allowing crews to rest, repair, replace (whether that be kit or crew), refuel and finally return in top shape to take on their next leg. Lastly, the race will do away with IRC certified handicaps and will instead revert to class splits on length overall.

"The race will do away with IRC certified handicaps and will instead revert to class splits on length overall"

Race Director Adrian Gray said, “Besides crew work, navigation is key to success in these races, so we are moving away from the IRC mentality and returning to our original format of classes based on Length overall as well as multihull and of course monohull. It is a format that we feel will attract real interest. We are also balancing the course to make the race more accessible, more comfortable and less of a time draw to the teams generally.

We have also received some interest from the 2 handed Olympic offshore hopefuls to join us.

After all, this is a race of 4 stages, all of similar leg lengths to that which will be on offer in FRANCE2024.”

The race starts on the 29th May, 2022.

Spaces are limited so do not hesitate in getting in touch with the RWYC team and express your interest to enter here

#RB&I - The Royal Western Yacht Club of England is now taking entries for the latest Round Britain and Ireland two-handed race, which starts from Plymouth on Sunday 3 June.

This year marks the 14th running of the quadrennial yacht race, which was established in 1966 by the Cockershell hero Major Blondie Hasler.

The race comprises five legs totalling around 2,000 miles, sailed clockwise around the British Isles and Ireland leaving all islands and rocks to starboard.

The race is open to professional and amateur yachtsmen in mono and multi-hulls from 28ft to 55ft overall.

The Round Britain and Ireland race is essentially five races in one with the results decided on accumulated time (IRC corrected). The legs are relatively short stages of three or four days where time spent at the helm and minimum sleep has to be balanced with the need for solo watch keeping and precise navigation.

The race record stands at 15 days, 7 hours but sailors should allow about 23 days to complete the event, including the four 48-hour stopovers in Kinsale, Castle Bay, Lerwick and Lowestoft.

The first leg from Plymouth to Kinsale is 230 miles long, passing outside the Eddystone and Bishop Rock lights to finish at Bulman Rock. Kinsale Yacht Club is at the head of the accessible and safe harbour.

After the 48-hour stopover, competitors set sail on the second leg from Kinsale for Castle Bay on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. The boats keep the Fastnet Rock to starboard at the beginning of the 440-mile second leg past the South and West coasts of Ireland. On arrival, the fleet moors or anchors in Castle Bay.

Leg three covers a distance of 420 miles. The yachts round Barra Head and sail north northwest 70 miles out into the Atlantic, aiming for the isolated volcanic archipelago of St Kilda, after which the competitors round Muckle Flugga and head to Lerwick, 61 degrees north latitude, on the island of Shetland. The Lerwick Boating Club is the host for two days of jollity and warm hospitality.

The longest leg four is 470 miles south from Lerwick to Lowestoft, which is the most easterly point of the British Isles. The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club provides a very hospitable stopover. Family and friends find this port the most convenient to visit being the most accessible by land.

The final leg five of 305 miles is along the South Coast to Plymouth. This leg often proves to be where the podium places are decided due to the many tidal gates. The finish line is in Plymouth Sound off the RWYC Club House.

The Notice of Race and Entry Form can be found at the RWYC website. For further details, contact the race director David Searle at [email protected] or the RWYC secretariat at [email protected].

As reported earlier today on Afloat.ie, entries are also open for the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race 2018, marking the 40th year of the biennial race run by Wicklow Sailing Club.

Meanwhile, the RORC has posted its Pre Notice of Race for the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race run from Cowes on Sunday 12 August. The previous edition in 2014 was won by Irish duo Liam Coyne and Brian Flahive and their First 36.7 Lula Belle.