#galwaybaycruise – The keenly-anticipated three-day assembly of boats from all around Galway Bay, planned for this coming weekend at Kilronan in the Aran Islands, has been postponed at least to Saturday. A vigorous depression tracking along Ireland's western seaboard will cause strong easterly winds to gale force today with much rain, while tomorrow - as the centre of the low moves on northeastward - a westerly gale is expected
The 300-boat Galway Bay Cruising Group reckoned that, if conditions had suited, a diverse fleet of up to 50 of their boats would have headed tomorrow afternoon or early Saturday morning towards Kilronan from ports large and small all round the famous bay.
But co-ordinator Pierce Purcell is in no doubt about the severity of the weather expected in the next 48 hours, and he admits that even when conditions ease significantly some time after mid-day Saturday, only the more determined will still be prepared to go.
He emphasises that it is solely a matter for each skipper whether or not they should go, but will welcome phone enquiries about the decision, and can be reached at 087-279 3821, or landline 091 796927.
While it is a major disappointment that the event cannot go according to plan after the Aran Islands Hotel and Kilronan Harbour Master Patrick McDonagh had taken great trouble to put proper welcoming arrangements in place out on the islands, Purcell is philosophical abut the situation.
"When sailing conditions are good on Ireland's Atlantic seaboard" he said this morning, "it's the best place to be afloat in the world. But every so often we get a reminder that part of its attraction is that this is indeed the Atlantic in all its power and glory, and that's what's happening during the next two days".
