Today at the Southampton Boat Show Challenge Business announced a new event to add to its portfolio – the Round Ireland Challenge 2006.

This unique event will set sail next Easter and a fleet of 72ft Global Challenge race yachts will race non-stop around the Emerald Isle from Dublin to Dublin.

As with all Challenge events, training and safety will figure highly and crews will have to complete a three-day training sail, to be completed over a weekend, before the race.

Crews will then, on Good Friday (14 April 2005), head to Plymouth where they will learn who their crew and skippers will be during a special crew announcement. Over the following few days they will then complete their training with their race crews by sailing to Dublin.

Teams will have a couple of days to finish off getting to know their fellow crew, planning their tactics before the race start on Saturday 22 April 2005.

Sir Chay Blyth CBE, BEM, executive chairman of race organiser, Challenge Business, commented: “Our shorter races are extremely popular as crew can generally train and complete the race within their annual holiday – the Round Ireland Challenge requiring just 10 days of holiday. However, they’re still taking on a full-on challenge, learning something new, whilst meeting people along the way, many becoming life long friends.

“The Round Ireland Challenge 2006 will be a very exciting and dynamic deep sea experience. They’ll also be guaranteed a fabulous party at the start and an even more fantastic one on their return! If someone’s not experienced the hospitality in Dublin it’s worth going for that alone!”

The overall cost for the event is £2,750 and is payable in installments. This fee includes full training (including an initial three day weekend training session prior to joining in Plymouth), food during training and racing, accommodation on board the yachts whilst in port, training and race insurance, race branded shore clothing, a training pack and of course invitations to the all important farewell and prize giving parties.