The Celtic Challenge is a biennial Rowing Race across the Irish Sea from Arklow in Ireland to Aberystwyth in Wales – a distance of over 90 miles. The 2016 race unfortunately had to be cancelled a few days before the event because of a spell of unrelenting bad weather. The boats taking part this year are Celtic Longboats and Irish skiffs, which are all four oared traditional fixed seat rowing boats.
The 2017 event takes place over the weekend Friday of 28th April to Monday 1st May. It starts in Arklow and ends when boats cross the harbour entrance in Aberystwyth.
This year entries are expected from both sides of the Irish Sea, as well as from Shrewsbury, London and Berlin. Many of the teams raise money for their own choice of charity and one of the newest trophies will recognize this achievement. There will be trophies for Men’s, Women’s, Mixed and Veteran’s teams, as well as the Timekeepers Trophy and a new Mixed Veteran’s trophy. The event will be the first since the town twinning partnership between Aberystwyth and Arklow was formalised last year, reflecting a long established connection between the two communities facing each other across the Irish Sea.The fastest boats are expected to take about 15 hours and the slowest up to 26 hours to complete the crossing. The race and start times are dependent on the weather.
Updates on the progress of the race can be viewed at http://yb.tl/cc2017 on a computer or by downloading an app for your mobile. For more details see www.ybtracking.com. Details will be updated on the Facebook page at: Celtic Challenge 2017, 28th April-1st May.
We would love to see as many supporters as possible at both the start and finish of this exciting event.
