The Round Ireland Yacht Race is considered to be one of the classic sprint ocean races, sitting alongside the Fastnet Race, the Sydney to Hobart and the Newport to Bermuda Race in terms of stature.
The race is a 1,400km clockwise loop of Ireland and all its rocks and islands, starting from its traditional home at Wicklow every second year.
Along the route are dotted some iconic Irish Landmarks, with turning points at Tuskar Rock, the Fastnet Rock, the Skelligs and Rathlin Island in the north.
The prevailing South-westerly winds often mean that the leg up the west coast of Ireland is a high-speed wind sprint, seeing boats reach their maximum speeds under spinnaker in dramatic Atlantic swells. Waves often exceed the height of a two-storey house, and winds in excess of 100km/h have battered the fleet in recent editions of the race. Not all crews that start the race will reach the finish line.
The race is as demanding tactically as it is physically. Often the race will change completely in the last quarter, as the boats re-enter the northern end of the Irish Sea. Succesful navigation of a tidal 'gate' at Rathlin Island of the north Antrim coast can often spell the diference between victory anddefeat, and the race is nearly always decided in the final stretch of facing southwards past Dublin in the Irish Sea.
For double-handed teams like Mark and Mick, there are the added challenges of sleep deprivation, with the crew operating in alternating two hour shifts for seven days or more at a time.
Starting on Sunday 20th June 2010 in Wicklow, Mark Pollock and Mick Liddy will take on that challenge, racing non-stop around Ireland in the Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010.