Tribute to Round Ireland Yacht Race

My mural of the Round Ireland Yacht Race was created in 2022, a few weeks before the biennial race organised by the Wicklow Sailing Club (WSC) in June of that year. The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland's premier offshore yacht race. The 704 nautical mile course is the second longest race in the Royal Ocean Racing Club calendar.

Micharl Jones of the WSC first put forward the idea of a non-stop race around the coast of Ireland, starting and finishing in Wicklow harbour. The inaugural race took place in 1980 with 16 pioneer boats, with Brian Coad’s 'Raasay of Melfort' returning home after six days at sea to win.

The race still retains the original course: "leave Ireland and all its islands excluding Rockall to starboard". Since then, the fleet has grown steadily, attracting a record of 64 entrants from all over the world across various classes of sailing vessels.

My circular mural is dedicated to the WSC as the home of the yacht race. Painted in the centre of the map of Ireland is a symbolic yacht in recognition of a remarkable achievement over a period of 45 years by a relatively small sailing club. 

In September 2022, I included on the mural a dedication to "Wicklow Town and Harbour" to reflect, what I believe to be, the inclusive nature of this biennial event, incorporating as it does the collective efforts of the WSC, the harbour authorities, the townspeople, and the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Yacht Club which enabled the participation of more and larger competing yachts to be hosted in the race.

In September 2024, following a meeting of the WSC members, Karen Kissane, Commodore of the Club presented me with a very generous donation towards the cost of my paints in recognition of my tribute mural of the Round Ireland Yacht Race. Following this, I was delighted to add the inscription "Wicklow Sailing Club" in the blue section of the mural.

My mural also depicts some of the main lighthouses and headlands which formed part of a series of waypoints around the Irish coast that, prior to the introduction of GPS tracking, competitors used to report their position and time.

Coincidentally, another of my murals on the pier wall has a connection to the Round Ireland Yacht Race: namely, the yacht, the 'Moonduster', guided by her legendary captain, Denis Doyle, which won the race in 1984 in a record time of 88hrs and 15mins. This record was held for a number of years.

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