On the morning of the 20^th of June at 07:30,11 Skippers and their crew mustered on the Western marina to begin the first RCYC Rib Run to Youghal and up the Blackwater River.
The weather was perfect and the sea condition could not not have been better.  We travelled together and made it to Youghal at 09:30. The tide was calculated and this was the correct time go under the bridge and enter the river.
This is a wide estuary meandering its way through the quiet countryside. Along the way you will find some fantastic water side homes and lots of nature.
We made our way up to Cappoquinn where we were welcomed by the Cappoquinn Rowing Club. Here we moored for an hour, time to grab a coffee. The rowers were due back, so it was time to leave their pontoon and head back down stream. 
Next stop was Villierstown. Here we tied up to an old pier where there is an adventure centre where canoes etc can be rented to explore the river. A friend of one of the skippers arrived with 11 punnets of amazing strawberries. One for each boat, nice touch and very well received.  We walked the 1.5 miles to the village where more refreshments were had. This is a beautiful village, deep in the countryside of west Waterford.
With the tide now ebbing we had to go. Making our way back down we decided to bypass Youghal and call to see Knockadoon Beach and pier. The sun was shining and all this coastline looked amazing well worth the visit.
Now it was time to go to Ballycotton. I had made contact with a local who was in the know. We put all the ribs on the moorings outside the harbour except one and used this to ferry all skippers to the harbour.  We were given a very warm welcome and our stay there was very enjoyable.
 Ballycotton has some lovely restaurants and pubs with fantastic offerings. Well worth the trip by sea or road. All are now welcome.
 It was now time to return to Cork Harbour and the RCYC where we wrapped up what was a great day on the water, exploring new locations and meeting up with fellow club members.
I would like to give a special thank you to Saki Curtin who put a lot of work into planning the trip and going on a reconnaissance mission prior to the main event.
We plan to do another Rib Run in August so keep an eye out for the information.