Powerboat crowds may surpass all predictions

Date Published: 10-Jun-2010

By Dara Bradley

THE organisers of the inaugural Galway Powerboating Festival have predicted the number of spectators for the week-long event will top the 200,000 mark – 50,000 more than had originally been forecast.

As of lunchtime Wednesday, 104,000 people had visited the festival village at the docks or viewed the action from the Promenade in Salthill since the event kicked-off on Saturday and Let’s do it Galway is predicting that if the fine weather returns this weekend – as it is forecast to do – the spectator numbers could almost double between now and Sunday.

Met Éireann is predicting a pleasant weekend of dry weather with temperatures expected to reach 20 degrees on Saturday and Sunday – ideal conditions for viewing the boating action from the Prom and the docks.

The on-water action will be provided by the P750 Cross-Border Racing Challenge on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm with live commentary in Salthill. Palmer’s Rock is the best viewing point to see the ten P750 boats in action, according to the organisers.

The Around Ireland competitors, who departed Galway on Bank Holiday Monday, are due in the docks on Saturday shortly before the prize giving ceremony at 5pm.

“We’ll definitely make the 150,000 mark and we’ll be hoping if the weather picks up that we will reach 200,000 spectators mainly through the docks and Salthill – that’s the aim now,” said Maria Moynihan Lee of Let’s do it Galway.

Ms Moynihan Lee said businesses based at the race village had been doing well although rain on Wednesday and Tuesday did keep the number of visitors down.

“If the good weather picks-up again they should do well again, which is what we want because they have supported the festival”.

The Black Magic Band and in particular Crystal Swing, who headlined last Sunday, were the main attractions.

“10,000 came to Crystal Swing alone – it was crazy. They had to be taken away from the docks by water because they would have been mobbed going through the crowd by all the fans trying to get autographs. It was good old-fashioned fun,” she said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune