Thousands pour into city for Ocean Race festival

Galway is gearing up for one of the most exciting weekends in living memory, as the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover action revs up a notch this weekend.

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Following on from the 10,000-strong crowd that lined the Docks in the early hours of Sunday morning to welcome the seven-strong fleet to Galway, thousands of spectators are expected to flock to the city this weekend for the in-port racing on Saturday.

The in-port racing is generally regarded as the highlight of the event and will feature all seven teams vying for every inch around the course off the Salthill Promenade.

The action will be preceded at 12pm by the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic display, who return to Galway following their appearances at previous Salthill Air Shows.

Thousands of sailing enthusiasts rubbed shoulders with marine novices deep into the wee hours of Sunday morning in the Galway Harbour to welcome the winning boat Ericsson 4 across the line.

A special welcome was reserved for the Green Dragon, who finished the leg in third place after a mammoth effort across the Atlantic. The team pulled into dock to the cheers of the approximately 10,000 people in attendance.