{"id":81245,"date":"2025-03-24T09:56:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T13:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=81245"},"modified":"2025-03-24T12:24:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:24:02","slug":"the-craic-of-the-round-ireland-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/the-craic-of-the-round-ireland-race\/","title":{"rendered":"The Craic of the Round Ireland Race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2024\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_33242.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The opening salvo of the \u00ad700-plus-mile Round Ireland Race was a long beat down the \u00adcountry\u2019s southeast shore. When all was said and done, the overall IRC winner was Eric De Turckheim\u2019s \u00adNivelt-Muratet Yacht Design 54, Teasing Machine.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">David Branigan<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Conor Fogerty was feeling it. Aboard the husky, well-prepared Beneteau 44.7 <em>Black Magic<\/em>, with Fogerty on the wheel, we were closing in on the fifth day of the 700-plus-nautical-mile SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race. Having just passed Thor Rock, we were fast approaching Rathlin Island, the northeast corner of the Emerald Isle\u2019s rugged, wild coastline. The lights of Scotland blinked on the far horizon. The next 24&nbsp;hours would unfold like a fever dream. But first we had to negotiate dark, craggy Rathlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>The island marks the crossroads between two converging ocean currents, where the North Atlantic jumps the Irish Sea. It was more than a bit messy. Before the race, I\u2019d heard many a Rathlin horror story; boats had been known to park there, anchor deployed, for double-digit hours if they happened upon it when the tide was foul. Rathlin has converted many race leaders into race losers. It\u2019s not something for which you can plan ahead: You get there when you get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, we nailed it perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was grateful that Fogerty was at the helm. Just before the start, I\u2019d been informed that I\u2019d be sharing both watch and driving duties with him, which was daunting. A professional delivery skipper, he had 35 transatlantic voyages to his credit, including a victory in the grueling 2017 edition of the OSTAR singlehanded race aboard his Jeanneau Sunfast 3600, for which he was named Irish Sailor of the Year. For the most part, I\u2019d hoped I\u2019d held my own, but something had also been made \u00adcrystal clear: I\u2019m no Conor Fogerty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Herb with Jack Cummins\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DJI_20240628045940_0096_D.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The conditions meant plenty of rail time for the author and young Irish mate Jack Cummins.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Herb McCormick<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>As we passed the blinking \u00adlighthouse off Rathlin\u2019s headland, the speedo \u00adregistered a modest 4 or 5 knots, but the adjacent GPS numbers told the larger story of the favorable escalator on which we rode: 12.5 knots. At that moment, under Fogerty\u2019s steady hand, <em>Black Magic <\/em>creamed into a cauldron of swirling current, the intersection of boat meeting sea putting us briefly into submarine mode. A drenching wall of water swept the decks and filled the cockpit. I remember thinking, <em>This is June, and that effing wave is too damn cold.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few hours later, at dawn, we were once again in open waters. With roughly 75 nautical miles to the finish line off the town of Wicklow, and 35-knot gusts right on the button, the northern shoreline was behind us. It was the home stretch. The good news? We were back in the Irish Sea. The bad news? We were back in the Irish Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My unlikely tale of scoring a ride on <em>Black Magic <\/em>began almost a year earlier and in an unlikely place\u2014at the annual Fleet 50 J\/24 awards ceremony in my hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. Earlier that summer, with the same knuckleheads I\u2019ve raced J\/24s with for decades, we snagged for our fifth man a bright, savvy Irish kid named Jack Cummins, who was teaching sailing at the Sail Newport community sailing center for the summer. I mentioned to Cummins that, despite my Irish surname and ancestry, I\u2019d never visited Ireland. If I ever made it, I wondered, might he show me around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Conor Fogerty\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0631.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Black Magic crewmate Conor Fogerty takes a turn at the helm.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Herb McCormick<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou should come do the Round Ireland Race,\u201d he replied. \u201cMy mom used to be the commodore of the Wicklow Sailing Club that runs the race. I can get you on the boat I\u2019m sailing on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rum was flowing and, I reckoned, likely doing the talking too. All of which led up to this past April, when I received this email from <em>Black Magic<\/em>\u2019s owner, skipper and navigator, \u00adseasoned Irish yachtsman Barry O\u2019Donovan: \u201cJack Cummins has mentioned that you are interested in doing the Round Ireland Race this June. We have a good, energetic crew lined up and would be delighted if you would join us. Let us know your thoughts?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was an offer too good to pass up. Now I just had to figure out exactly what the Round Ireland Race was all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first edition was in 1980, with a fleet of 16 boats, and it has run biennially ever since (with the exception of the COVID cancellation in 2020). It generally draws a strong UK entry list, though George David\u2019s <em>Rambler 88<\/em> represented the US in 2016 and set a monohull course record of just over two days. These days, it\u2019s sponsored by SSE Renewables, an operator of onshore and offshore wind farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Labhaoise O\u2019Donovan\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0672.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Crew boss Labhaoise O\u2019Donovan is dressed for the classic conditions of the Celtic Sea. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Herb McCormick<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Those are the hard numbers, but the heart of the event\u2014and I\u2019d soon learn that, as with everything Irish, soul and spirit are paramount\u2014comes from the funky little grassroots club that runs it. There are far more prestigious yacht clubs in Ireland, such as the Royal Cork, that would love to host the country\u2019s premier offshore race. But it\u2019s the biggest undertaking by far for the unpretentious sailing club and the cool little town of Wicklow (St. Patrick himself is said to have landed on its shores). It seems that practically every member volunteers in some capacity, and once the race is underway, the clubhouse remains open 24\/7. No matter when you finish, frothy Guinness awaits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEnergetic\u201d was an apt description of the <em>Black Magic <\/em>crew. Ciaran Finnegan was the de facto boat captain, who\u2019d been sailing since he was a wee lad. His right-hand man was his fellow Round Ireland vet, Robert Kerley, who could impressively hand-roll cigarettes in a small gale. Joss Walsh was a 6\u20194\u201d all-around waterman built like a linebacker (always good to have one of those dudes on hand). My J\/24 mate Cummins fit right in with this tight band of Celtic brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, O\u2019Donovan, Fogerty and I constituted the geriatric over-60 set. We were accorded respect from the young brothers as the elders we were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Round Ireland start\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RIR2024_DBR_BR_34022.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Of the Round Ireland Race\u2019s 48 starters, including Black Magic (right), there were 41 IRC entries, five multihulls and two Class 40s. Most teams finished within five to seven days, and 13 retired.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">David Branigan<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Surfer Peter Connolly and Dominic O\u2019Keefe, who kept everyone well-fed, rounded out the male majority. The lone woman on the team was O\u2019Donovan\u2019s daughter, Labhaoise (pronounced <em>LEE-S<\/em>huh), an excellent sailor who also served as the no-nonsense crew chief. I was told at the outset to stay on her good side, and I tried my best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a tight, good-natured and often hilarious bunch; I often felt like I\u2019d been beamed onto the set of an Irish boating sitcom. And, as I was soon to learn, they were some badass sailors too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Emerald Isle\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0541.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Wicklow Sailing Club on Ireland\u2019s east coast hosts an eclectic fleet for its biennial lap around the Emerald Isle.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Herb McCormick<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The sailing instructions for the 704-nautical-mile contest are deceptively simple: \u201cLeave Ireland and all its islands excluding Rockall to starboard.\u201d The mileage suggests a distance race, but the weird fact of the matter is, you\u2019re never all that far from shore. That\u2019s not the only confounding issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the club before the start, I asked \u00adthree-time race veteran Tim Welden for his take on the racecourse. \u201cIn fact,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s 13 different races, from headland to headland. There\u2019s different breeze and currents at each one, and you restart every time. You get a taste of everything, all points of sail. Light winds, heavy weather. Night and day. Dozens of watch changes. Don\u2019t let anyone tell you it\u2019s a pretty race. It\u2019s really hard. Then there\u2019s the elation of finishing. You know you\u2019ve done something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 45-knot gale in the open Atlantic was the miserable lowlight of the 2022 race; Kerley sailed it on <em>Black Magic<\/em> and recalled it vividly. \u201cIt was humbling,\u201d he said, with a faraway gaze. \u201cThat\u2019s what offshore sailing does. It humbles you. What you thought you were good at\u2026\u201d His voice trailed away, leaving me with my own humbled thoughts: <em>What the hell had I gotten myself into?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that, on June 22, we were outbound from Wicklow Harbor. It was a gorgeous day, with bright sunshine and 14 knots of southerly breeze, and the Irish naval patrol ship <em>George Bernard Shaw <\/em>on station at the starting line. Over half of the 48-boat fleet flew foreign flags, a point of pride to the Irish, who are keen on hosting an international event. Spectators were perched on the rolling, emerald hills above Wicklow, the sort of scenery that inspired Johnny Cash to croon about the \u201c40&nbsp;Shades of Green.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was glad that I took it all in because the world around us would soon close down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first 150 miles or so were largely a light-air beat, much of it in heavy mist that made steering a challenge; with zero visibility, the horizon vanished, with no clean demarcation between the sea and the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\"><em>There\u2019s one word to describe the Irish Sea: ghastly. The edgy seas are short and angry. There\u2019s no carving through it; you just pound into it.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I had but one bucket-list wish for the entire race: to get a close look at iconic, legendary Fastnet Rock. O\u2019Donovan had whetted my appetite further by saying that the stretch from Fastnet around the coast of Kerry\u2014past Mizen Head; the Bull and Calf Rocks; the Great Skellig Rock, where monks built beehive huts centuries ago; and the Blasket Islands\u2014was his country\u2019s most scenic coastline. Alas, we passed within a mile of Fastnet, socked in by heavy fog (I may as well have stayed in Newport), and never saw a bloody thing, nor any of the other landmarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust the sound of the sea breaking on them,\u201d O\u2019Donovan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d Cummins said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a rock. The important one to see is back off Wicklow. That\u2019s where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a while, it seemed as though we\u2019d never get there; soon the breeze disappeared entirely. We watched in dismay as several boats, just a mile or so away, did end runs around us. \u201cWe are in the hole from hell,\u201d Fogerty said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"sailboat in the fog\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0681.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Five days delivered the full gamut of conditions: dense fog, glass calms, fast currents, sharp waves and gales on the nose.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Herb McCormick<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Eventually we escaped into the&nbsp;Atlantic. Historically, this is the juncture where the ocean swells begin to appear, accompanied by a fresh southerly, promoting a spinnaker run northward up the west coast. For a while, we had just that, with 25 knots of favorable breeze as we downshifted kites from the A1 to the A2, and for a spell registered speeds of 10s and 11s. We still couldn\u2019t see a damn thing, steering by \u00adinstruments. But at least we were finally moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At long last, sliding past the coast to Galway, the sun made an appearance, and we enjoyed some of the prettiest sailing of the entire trip. Happily, I could now see what we\u2019d been missing. Even at midnight, it never really got dark, with a \u00adglowing red sky juxtaposed against the green, green coast. Unfortunately, the breeze had swung north, and we were back charging upwind into it. Getting dressed to come on deck was a stumbling dance, and once on the wheel, it was hard to get into a groove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like having sex for the first time,\u201d Walsh said, when I asked if he had any steering tips. \u201cYou have to feel around in the dark for a bit. But at least now you know why so many Irishmen move to the States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, it occurred to me, why they love golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once along the northern shore, it was one sail change after another, and we got to see the whole inventory: kites, jib, genoa, code zero. Though none of them were up very long. Also, we were lucky; we\u2019d missed a nasty low-pressure system that had formed behind us, a full-fledged gale. Nearly a dozen boats retired, bailing into the many little sheltered harbors dotted along the Atlantic coast. At least <em>Black Magic <\/em>was still a going concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Round Ireland map\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/round-ireland-map.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><b>1.<\/b> Race start in Wicklow with a beat along the south coast. <b>2.<\/b>  Short-tacking along the spectacular Kinsale Heads in sunshine for maximum viewing pleasure. <b>3.<\/b>  Fastnet Rock rounding in the fog\u2014not sighting, just the sound of waves against the rocks. <b>4.<\/b>  Sun returns for a Galway  pass-by. <b>5.<\/b>  Past Rathlin Island and into the gale. <b>7.<\/b>  Homestretch slog from Dublin to Wicklow.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Sailing World<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Then, fortuitously, we slashed past Rathlin Island, and the end was nigh. Which is when O\u2019Donovan had one final, sobering announcement. Another potent low had cropped up, packing a punch. Dead ahead. In the Irish Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Rathlin astern, Cummins had an observation: \u201cChutes and ladders, that\u2019s what this race&nbsp;is about.\u201d Indeed, we\u2019d been shot with \u00addispatch into the Irish Sea. One more day to go. It turned into a long one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We were hard on a building southwest breeze, which would fill all day long. It occurred to me that we were five days into it and had enjoyed downwind sailing for perhaps 10 hours. On a day like this, there\u2019s but one word to describe the Irish Sea: ghastly. The edgy seas are short and angry. There\u2019s no carving through it; you just pound into it. Especially as the breeze mounts into the 20s and 30s. The first reef went in. Then the second. The bright spot was that we were on a \u00adstarboard-tack fetch to the finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, there was one more bit of drama. <em>Black Magic<\/em> was apparently as tired as we were. The mainsail battens started to pop, the leech line gave up the ghost, and it felt as if the whole sail might fail. Which is when the A-team\u2014Finnegan, Fogerty, Kerley and Walsh, which could be the name of an Irish law firm\u2014went into action, cracking off and basically nursing the whole shooting match onward. Later, O\u2019Donovan would say: \u201cWe had a following tide for most of it, which could have carried us past Wicklow if we\u2019d lost the main. It was the best crew work I have experienced in my long time at sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I spent the last few hours on the rail \u00adalongside Cummins, who offered a geography lesson as we slipped down the coast: Howth, Dublin Bay. Finally, up ahead: Wicklow. Then, just before midnight, after 5 days, 10 hours and change, the finish line. Our results were middling: fifth in IRC Two, 21st overall. No matter\u2014I remember what I\u2019d been told I\u2019d feel: elation. It was true. It all felt like victory to me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Four boats had finished within the hour, and the Wicklow clubhouse was rocking. The first Guinness was heaven. Next came a piping-hot full Irish breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, black pudding, thick toast and delicious Irish \u00adbutter. Easily one of my top all-time repasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was just one final mission: Before the race, the Cummins family had basically adopted me, and with its conclusion, Jack\u2019s parents granted my wish to take a quick road trip back down along the southern coast, to see from land where we\u2019d passed by sea. We paid a quick stop in Kinsale, a sister city to Newport, and scarfed down fish and chips at the Fifth Ward Bar, so named for an iconic local neighborhood. It felt like closing a circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the best part was driving up to the proud Kinsale Heads outside the city. Just a few days before, I\u2019d been at the wheel on one of the sunniest days of the race as we engaged in an inshore tacking duel with <em>Nieulargo<\/em>, a Grand Soleil 40. From high above, I replayed every tack, every cross of one of the most memorable sailing days of my life. With that, my Round Ireland Race \u00adadventure was officially in the books. What more can I say? It was all grand craic<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aboard the Beneteau 44.7 Black Magic in this past summer&#8217;s Round Ireland Race, the craic was savage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":81253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Herb McCormick","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[159],"tags":[329,250,2975,177,2991,178],"class_list":["post-81245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-europe","tag-offshore-racing","tag-print-winter-2025","tag-racing","tag-round-ireland-race","tag-sailboat-racing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}