Fleet grows to 52 teams for SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022

The 1973 French ketch Pen Duick VI skippered by Marie Tabarly is confirmed for the 705 nautical-mile SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race starting at 1300hrs on Saturday 18th June 2022 at Wicklow Sailing Club © Martin Keruzoré / Elemen'Terre

With less than three weeks before the start of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race (Saturday 18th June 2022, 1300 hrs IST), the fleet has grown to 52 boats and includes the official entry of Pen Duick VI, the largest boat in the race at 73-feet.

The French yacht is almost 50 years old and was famously sailed by the late Eric Tabarly, the legendary French ocean racing sailor whose daughter Marie will skipper the entry in the 705 nautical miles race around Ireland.

Two other additions to the fleet include Jackknife skippered by Andrew Hall, a regular offshore sailor and race veteran who won last weekend's Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) race from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead.

The latest update to the entry list also includes one of the smallest boats expected on the starting-line Ian Morton's Pogo 30 Bijou as the 52 boat.

"As usual, there are always some late entries and over the next week or so we expected the fleet to come close to or match the 2018 edition of 56 entries," said Wicklow Sailing Club Commodore Kyran O'Grady. "Considering the impact of the pandemic and all the uncertainty it brought, that is a very welcome turnout for our race."

Meanwhile, representatives of the wider Wicklow marine and shoreside communities will gather this Friday at an event hosted by race sponsor SSE Renewables to mark the two-week countdown to the starting-gun being fired. More details of the public activities and race festival will be announced at the reception.

Find out more at roundireland.ie.