#fastnet – Current Round Ireland race champion Inis Mor, sailed by French skipper Laurent Gouy with connections to Clifden Boat Club in Connemara in County Galway, leads the prestigious Rolex Fastnet race this morning in the approach to the famous rock turning point off the south west coast of Ireland.
Although multihulls completed the course in the early hours of this morning no less than 300–boats are still racing at the mid–point of the 605–mile course for the overall handicap prize.
This morning's leaderboard (at 0730) on the race tracker showed the Irish champion leading, heading 340 degrees and making a speed of 6.10 knots. In 2012, in another race off the Irish coast, Gouy produced a magnificent final leg in the Irish Sea to win the Round Ireland race off Wicklow.
In a race that has so far featured many challenges and changes in wind conditions, it is the second time Inismor has taken the lead in the massive offshore fleet.
In a further boost for Irish fans, Inismor's sistership, the Ker 39, Antix skippered by Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary lies fifth overall in class and mounting a serious challenge for the lead this morning.
Meanwhile David Kenefick and Olaf Sorensen are ninth in class in the Figaro double–handers.