AS VOLVO Ocean race crews began preparing yesterday for tomorrow’s in-port racing, their children enrolled in the “Volvo School” had far more important business to attend to on the Galway shoreline.
Like counting mermaid’s purses, starfish, and small shrimps in rockpools at Grattan Beach, Salthill.
“And finding crab and bits of mussels!”, New Zealander Cole Jackson (6), whose father is attached to winning yacht Ericsson 4, proclaimed proudly.
Cole is one of 22 children following their parents around the world during the nine-month international yacht race, which is on its first-ever Irish stopover in Galway.
Children of 11 nationalities, aged between four and 13 years, have registered with the race school run by teacher Bryony Kent for the Volvo race management team.
They attend during the 11 stopovers, with most registered at home-based schools while their parents are at sea.
Some are also the children of the shore-based teams which have to service the yachts and crew in port.
Kent, who is an Olympic-level sailor, normally bases her classroom in the race village.
Accommodation in Ireland was provided by GTI, and yesterday’s shore safari was hosted by Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill.
Other participants in yesterday’s beach safari included Edward Salter (6), whose British father Jules and uncle, Guy, are also on Ericsson 4, and Nicklas Verbraak (“almost 5”), whose Dutch father Wouter Verbraak is navigator on Team Delta Lloyd. Ms Kent says that the school is a “rolling geography lesson”, and one which the children take in their stride.
“When we were in China, it was during the new year and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about Chinese culture,” she explained, “Currently,we are very busy with projects on Galway, and hope to get out to learn about the Celtic festivals in Brigit’s Garden, Roscahill, next week.”
Last night, racing teams from the two Ericsson yacht entries were invited to Pearse Stadium, also in Salthill, home of the Galway hurling team. They were taught the basics of pick-ups, pucks down the field, poc-fada, with tests in who could hit the furthest sliotar.
Thousands of visitors are attending the Volvo race village in the docklands daily, with free music events each night, and it is expected that crowds – as well as traffic congestion – will swell considerably over the bank holiday weekend.
