Record cruiser-racer fleet all set for upwind slog to Dingle

If last weekend’s gale-battered ICRA National Championships in Cork Harbour wasn’t punishment enough, another fleet of cruiser-racers last night departed Dun Laoghaire heading for Dingle on the 275-mile Volvo D2D race.

Most of the record 45 boat entry can expect to be a sea for at least 48 hours, probably longer for the slower boats but for all concerned, the race is set to be an upwind slog almost the entire distance.

Starting out from Dun Laoghaire, the boats had an easy stretch of sorts as far as Dalkey Island but immediately afterwards split tacks to begin the leg southwards to the Tuskar Rock.