Challenge - round Ireland

Chay Blyth announces new race for 2006

Challenge Business today announced a brand new event to add to its portfolio - the Round Ireland Challenge 2006.

This unique event will set sail next Easter and a fleet of 72ft Global Challenge race yachts will race non-stop around the Emerald Isle from Dublin to Dublin.

As with all Challenge events, training and safety will figure highly and crews will have to complete a three-day training sail, to be completed over a weekend, before the race.

This new adventure will then start for the crews on Good Friday (14 April 2005) in Plymouth where they will learn who their crew and skippers will be during a special crew announcement. Over the next few days they will then complete their training with their race crews by sailing to Dublin from Plymouth where they will be welcomed by a ceremonial arrival in the exuberant Irish capital.

Teams will have a couple of days to finish off getting to know their fellow crew, planning their tactics and no doubt spending some time getting to know the local Dublin hostelries! The race then starts on Saturday 22 April 2005.

The waters around Ireland can be challenging - one only needs to think of the Fastnet Rock in the Irish Sea, which the crews will have to navigate around as a mark of the race. Plus, there are the tidal conditions present on the west of Ireland with the powerful Atlantic.

Sir Chay Blyth CBE, BEM, Executive Chairman of race organiser, Challenge Business, comments: “Our shorter races are extremely popular as crew can generally train and complete the race within their annual holiday - the Round Ireland Challenge requiring just 10 days of holiday. However, they’re still taking on a full-on challenge, learning something new, whilst meeting people along the way, many becoming life long friends.

“The Round Ireland Challenge 2006 will be a very exciting and dynamic deep sea experience. They’ll also be guaranteed a fabulous party at the start and an even more fantastic one on their return! If someone’s not experienced the hospitality in Dublin it’s worth going for that alone!”

The overall cost for the event is £2,750 and is payable in installments. This fee includes full training (including an initial three day weekend training session prior to joining in Plymouth), food during training and racing, accommodation on board the yachts while in port, training and race insurance, race branded shore clothing, a training pack and of course invitations to the all important farewell and prize giving parties.