Conor O’Brien, the Irish circumnavigator, is acknowledged as a pioneer in International ocean sailing. His voyage around the globe south of the Great Capes in 1923-1925, in the 42ft Ketch, ‘Saoirse’, set new standards of sea-going competence for amateur sailors in small ships. The Falkland Islands company, impressed by this vessel and her capabilities to navigate their challenging sailing environment, ordered the building of a 56ft Ketch, ‘A.K. Ilen’, for their use as a service boat between the islands.
Built in Baltimore Co. Cork in 1926, and designed by Conor O’Brien and Tom Moynihan, she spent the next 70 years, as a transport vessel hauling livestock, people and supplies to various island farm communities.
In 1997, repatriated to Ireland for renovation, A.K. Ilen spent the next 10 years being re-built by Hegarty’s Boatyard, in Baltimore Co Cork, by descendants of her original builders. Since 2018, 40,000 man-hours later and at a cost of €1.3million, she now sails the seas with Sailing Into Wellness, her proud custodians. As part of the fleet of this sea-based charity, she is now in service for educational, inclusive and therapeutic voyages delivered to a wide range of communities across Ireland.
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