An international Irish sailing event called the “Saoirse Rally”, organized by the Irish Cruising Club, launched in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland, on the 17th of June 2023, aiming to “commemorate the heroic achievements 100 years ago of the legendary Irish sailor Conor O’Brien of Foynes, Co. Limerick”, heads to Funchal at this time.
In a press release, the organization states that “Conor O’Brien was the first sailor to circumnavigate the world in a small yacht by the three great capes, a remarkable achievement and one that many contemporary sailors want to follow”s.
The Irish navigator “designed and commissioned the ‘Saoirse’, a 42-foot circumnavigation ketch which was built in Baltimore, West Cork, in 1922. Conor O’Brien’s circumnavigation began at Dun Laoghaire on 20 June 1923”.
The curiosity is that “Port of Funchal in Madeira was his first stopover, where he arrived on July 3, 1923”.
Thus, this will be “an international meeting of yachts traveling from various locations that started from Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland, on June 17, 2023 and will sail to the Madeira Islands, Portugal”, forecasting to arrive precisely on on the 3rd of July 2023 to Porto do Funchal, in the capital, to mark the centenary of Conor O’Brien’s circumnavigation of the world.
During a planning meeting for the ‘Saoirse Rally’ Irish Cruising Club, Commodore David Beattie noted that “this rally is a great example of modern Irish sailors being inspired by the adventures and achievements of innovators like Conor O’Brien a century ago. Such was his inspiration and influence that Irish sailors have experience on all oceans, with club members enthusiastically sailing the world over, including Arctic and Antarctic waters.”
The ‘Ilen’ will be the lead ship of the ‘Saoirse Rally’ and will be skippered by Conall Morrison, assisted by crews of 14 members from the Irish Cruising Club, now en route to Madeira.
The event will be a great attraction, including in terms of tourism, as it has the support of Turismo da Madeira, and the organization on land will be the Clube Naval do Funchal and the Administration of the Ports of Madeira. The maritime rally will be based at the Funchal marina, which receives yachts of various nationalities and countries throughout the year.
In addition to the sailing exhibition, there will be land based tourist activities for Irish sailors, a regatta and a closing event on July 8, 2023.