When I hear “Volvo Round ….” I immediately fill in the blank with “the World.” (OK, technically, the race is named the Volvo Ocean Race, not the Volvo Round the Word Race.)  I had never heard of the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race, which perhaps is not too surprising because Volvo only became a sponsor in 2015.  Nevertheless, I had also never heard of the Round Ireland Yacht Race either. The biennial race will be celebrating its 18th sailing this year when a record 60 yachts, from all over Ireland and the British Isles, cross the starting line in Wicklow Bay on Saturday, June 18, 2016. The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland’s premier offshore sailing race and is held every two years by Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The 704 nautical mile race was first held in 1980 and still retains the original course; “leave Ireland and all its islands excluding Rockall to starboard.” After the page break, a short video preview:

Round Ireland Race 2016 – Preview

Thanks to Cormac McGrane for passing the news along.