Entry details here
The Great British RIB Rally has enjoyed a positive response and organisers are urging anyone interested to get their entry in soon.
The entry deadline is 30 June but places are filling up fast for the June 2010 event.
The rally is a 12-day event that circumnavigates mainland Great Britain and Ireland, a challenging route with a timetable that allows for exploration and fuel-efficient travel between stopovers.
Patrick Byrne, the innovator of the rally and veteran of the 1999 Round Britain Rally, says entries now number almost 20 from all over the UK as well as mainland Europe and Scandinavia.
Patrick says: “On a trip like this, one of the biggest problems is the availability of plentiful supplies of the right type of fuel and diesel is definitely more readily available especially in Ireland and Scotland. It makes sense therefore to encourage diesel powered RIBs to sign up.”
Although being run as a non-competitive event, one of the opportunities the rally throws up is for the raising of substantial funds for charity.
Entrants are free to choose their own charity, but the organisers have nominated the Hospice movement as the event’s official cause. They are keen to see every entrant raise money for the Hospice movement, with each boat entering on behalf of a specific Hospice.
Any excess funds raised by the rally from entrance fees or sponsorship will be given to Help the Hospices.
RIBsters are encouraged to sell space on their hull, or have paying punters on board for some legs.
Patrick Byrne says he has linked his boat to the Trinity Hospice in South London, for whom he is aiming to raise £10,000.
Meanwhile, the new Port Falmouth Marina, which is due to open in April 2010 and is located in the old commercial dock of Falmouth, has offered the Rally fleet free mooring for its first night stop-over.
Marina spokesman Dryston Jones says: “We are delighted to host the Great British RIB Rally fleet and this will probably be the first of many events held at our new marina.”
Entry Criteria
Entry is open to RIBs only and measuring at least 7.5m, capable of cruising at speeds in excess of 30 knots, with a minimum of two crew. All entrants must be members of BIBOA in order to participate in the rally. The safety of each boat is the responsibility of each Skipper, so boats will not be expected to go through a formal scrutineering process but BIBOA will issue recommended guidelines on the equipment, capability and conditions of boats for such a trip, drawn from the experiences of its members. The organisers of the Rally reserve the right to reject a boat from entry either before or during the event, if they feel that an entry poses a risk to themselves or others.
Buddy System
To enhance safety, the fleet will operate a floating buddy system. Each day boats must have a buddy boat to look out for each other and buddies may change as they wish. At the start of each leg. i.e. day break, boats are free to depart when they wish as long as they are not travelling alone.
Entry Fees and Expenses
The entry fee is £500 per boat, of which £100 should be paid with application and £400 on close of application on 30th June 2009. Fees are non-refundable. The fees will be used to cover reasonable expenses to organise the event; no member of the organising committee is receiving any payment. Scorpion RIBs is supporting the event with the design and implementation of the official website, the launch, initial PR and secretarial support.
How to Enter
The dates for The Great British RIB Rally 2010 are 11th June to 23rd June 2010. The entry fee is £500 payable by 30th June 2009. Interested parties can apply by letter, giving the details of their intended RIB entry, contact information and a £100 deposit payable to: The Great British RIB Rally.
Post to: The Great British RIB Rally, c/o Scorpion, Haven Quay, Mill Lane, Lymington, Hants SO41 9AZ, UK. Entries will only be opened and accepted from 5 January 2009 on a first received basis.
BIBOA
BIBOA British Inflatable Boat Owners Association was formed in 1990 and is recognised by both the RYA and the UIM as the UK National Authority for Rigid Inflatable Boats. The Association represents the views of RIB users throughout the UK and has members and associates throughout Europe.
General Enquiries:
Miranda Knowles
Tel: 44 (0) 1590 677805
Email: miranda@greatbritishribrally.co.uk
www.greatbritishribrally.co.uk
