Two county Clare businessmen will undertake a unique challenge next month hoping to circumnavigate Ireland on jet-skis to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI) and hopefully create a new world record at the same time.
Ennis car dealers Darren Hayes and Liam Cleary will set off from Lahinch in Co Clare on Sunday June 6th hoping to be become the first ever to travel around the whole of Ireland on jetskis. Both men, who are avid jetskiers, have been in training in recent months for the event and have undergone a special K38 Water Safety training course with an instructor from the UK. The pair, who operate separate businesses in Ennis, are confident that they can complete the challenge in about a week and set a new Guinness World Record.
Several attempts have been made to travel around the Irish coast line in RIB’s (rigid inflatable boats) with one person completing the challenge some years ago in 21 days. It is hoped however that Mr Hayes and Mr Cleary will become the first to circumnavigate Ireland on jetskis and raise funds TLC4CF (Tipperary, Limerick, Clare for Cystic Fibrosis). The pair expect to spend up to 10 hours a day riding the waves off the Irish coast under the watchful eye of their safety team lead by a qualified skipper.
While the pair consider safety as their primary concern and hope they can create a work record, they say raising money for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is what it is really all about.
“I had done a 100 mile cycle for CF before and was looking for another challenge. I met Seamus Clancy (former Clare footballer) and I mentioned to him that we wanted to do something else for CF and we came up with this idea. We had toyed with just going from Malin Head to Loop Head but it developed from there and now we are going the whole hog and go right around the country,” Darren Hayes said.
The men, along with their water and land-based support teams, will leave Lahinch in Co Clare on Sunday June 6th and will stop off in Galway for the night. As many as 300,000 people are expected to visit Galway during the event where the 2010 Round Ireland Offshore Powerboat Race will also make a stop. The team will also be allowed hold collections during the event.
Liam Cleary said: “This is going to be a serious challenge. Physically we are well able for it but mentally, we know it will be tough. It will be hard to keep the mind focused when all you can see in front of you is wave after wave.”
From Galway the pair will travel to Killybegs on Monday (7th) and on to Bangor Co Down on the Tuesday. Following a rest day on Wednesday, the two will travel south to Dunmore in Waterford where they will take another well deserved break before continuing on to Fenit on Friday. The challenge will finish back in Galway on Saturday (12th) with the pair hoping to make stops at Kilkee and Lahinch in Co Clare en route. Personnel will also be on hand at all the stops to collect funds for the charity.
The total journey has been estimated to be around 1,500 kilometres and the men will come ashore every few hours to refuel. They expect to use up to 5,000 litres of petrol which they hope will be sponsored.
The money the pair hope to raise will go to TLC4CF (Tipperary, Limerick, Clare for Cystic Fibrosis) which is involved in a drive to collect €4.2m to construct an in-patient and out-patient facility at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle in Limerick. €1.5m has already been collected for the unit.
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