On the Saturday 21st of June Dublin Bay Sailing Club halted its weekly Saturday racing program to honour a 100 year celebration of when Conor O'Brien aboard 42ft Ketch 'Saoirse' returned to Dublin Bay after two years circumnavigating the globe by the Cape of Good Hope.
As the 42ft Ketch 'Saoirse' is a retired vessel, the O'Brien-designed bigger sister - the 56ft Falklands Island trading ketch 'Ilen', managed by James Lyons of Sailing into Wellness stood in for this centenary celebration.
She was met by a guard of honour sailing into the Royal Irish Yacht Club where O'Brien similarly returned after his two year sail, he had made the first yacht circumnavigation of the world south of the great capes of Good Hope and the "Everest of Voyaging", Cape Horn on June 20th 1925.
The Ilen had lead and taken part in a Cruise in Company sailing from Baltimore to Dun Laoghaire before it reached the harbour mouth of Dun Laoghaire for this celebration. The event organised by Irish Cruising Club Rear Commodore Sally Cudmore of Crosshaven.
This article was sourced with information from Afloat.ie