Volvo Ocean Race Galway - It’s not ‘just’ about the racing

The Volvo Ocean Race came back in Galway – for the second time running. This time Galway hosted the finale, and what a festival it was.

The First Boat Arriving at 2AM

Yes, it was ‘only’ six seventy foot racing machines crossing the finish line on June 1st, 2012 from 2 to 5 in the morning. What makes this the biggest festival in Ireland and as well as one of the biggest sailing events in the world, is that these mere six boats were greeted by 163 yachts and traditional boats as well as nearly 100 RIBs jammed into Galway harbour along with an estimated 34,000 people on shore. During the course of the ten day festival over 800,000 people joined in on this celebration of sailing. This was a truly amazing (sailing) event – surpassing even the 2009 stop-over.

34,000 People Greeting the Crews

Galway Harbour full of boats – with 21 from Mayo Sailing Club

The yachts, most of them cruisers, came from all over Ireland and beyond, doing some pretty significant offshore sailing in the process. A fleet of 21 boats belonging to Mayo Sailing Club set off from Clew Bay for a three day passage through some fairly heavy weather with steep cross seas off the very rugged coast of the West of Ireland. Although one can do this passage in one long hop (and we have done this), everyone chose to stop on two islands along the way; Adding to the camaraderie and ‘craic’.

 

Inis Bofin, Island of the White Cow

The first stop for most of the boats travelling south to Galway from Clew Bay was Inis Bofin, off the coast of Connemara, County Galway. There are some moorings available, and the holding is good for anchoring if you have the right tackle. Ashore there are pubs and restaurants where stories about sailing this coast abound. Inis Bofin is a great place to walk or cycle – or to simply ‘chill’ for a while. Click here for more on Inishbofin

Inis Mor, one of the Aran Islands off Galway Bay

The second stop for the Mayo fleet was Inis Mór, (or Inishmore in English). Inishmore is famous for its spectacular stone and iron age forts, which are indeed a must see. Cycling there is thus an excellent means of transport. Click here for more on Inis Mor

Galway

Coming in to Galway from the sea is oh so different from arriving there by car, train or bus. Once you pull into the harbour you are right in the middle of the city with all its amenities and facilities on your doorstep – remember that coming in on a boat you have brought your accommodation with you, much like a camper. Click here for more on Galway

And then there was the Volvo Ocean Race festival…

If it is not about the Racing , then what brought everyone to Galway?

Mighty Craic with free concerts every night on three stages

While in Galway we had the opportunity of speaking with many of the sailors (including power boaters) and their crew, as well as with local shop owners. We also hooked up with the racing crews and were given the opportunity of touring the Green Dragon, Ireland’s entry in the 2009 VOR. Skippered by Alistair Moore, the Green Dragon is now part of the Ocean Youth Trust Ireland, which believes that young people from all walks of life should have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Ocean Youth Trust use ‘Adventure under Sail’ as a means to help young people gain knowledge about themselves and others. Together with Cillian McGovern, Alistair, who has a deep love for the sea and sailing and has a degree in Youth Development, runs their big boat program. Their aim is to take young adults from Ireland and elsewhere, who would otherwise drop out of competitive sailing to take up a ‘job’, and give them the opportunity to gain experience in big boat/offshore racing. The object is to bring in the new generation of serious sailors. Co-sponsored by the UAE 2020 world Expo initiative, Green Dragon is about to embark on an ambassadorial circumnavigation of the globe to garner support for the UAE bid. While underway she will be ‘manned’ in the most part by male and female trainee racing sailors gaining huge experience in the process.

Galway Bay Sailing Club hosted a three day racing series during the VOR festival, which attracted very good attendance. What was interesting was that it was not necessarily the racing that attracted the participants to Galway. The consensus among all the boaters, racers, cruisers and power boaters alike was that they were there for the ‘craic’, the atmosphere, and also the challenge of trip there.

“Attitude = the Difference between Ordeal and Adventure”

Green Dragon Under Sail

One family with children described it this way: They arrived on Sunday in the rain and celebrated their achievement with friends on their boat. The conditions for the sail to Galway had been quite challenging. Strong winds, rain and high choppy seas made the trip an ordeal even for the biggest boats of the fleet. It was with a sense of relief and some amazing attitude that everyone arrived safe and sound in Galway harbour. So the celebration ensued. Parents and children toured the ‘global village’ and the ‘race village’ lapping up the excitement for the next two days. On Tuesday, the day the Volvo boats were to arrive, the kids were put to bed at 9PM, while the parents enjoyed the evening. With the arrival imminent, they woke their kids at 1:30AM and joined the 34,000 strong crowd until 6:15AM to welcome the racing crews as they came into port. The parents cleared up the boat and retired a while after that. At 8:00, the kids were wide awake and ready for action, so the fun continued.

Every boat crew has their own story about the trip. There was gear failure, and assistance by fellow boaters, sore muscles, frayed nerves from the passage, but the consensus is that it was well worth it – and we will all do it again!

 

Groupama and Puma racing

The VOR boats racing

The Volvo Boats in the Harbour