Following perhaps the longest drawn-out race for a prize in Irish sport, and perhaps the most valuable prize ever in Irish sailing, it is coming down to a matter of minutes and seconds in today's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race conclusion.

As Afloat previously reported, determined over the outcomes of the 2016, 2018 and 2022 Round Ireland Races, the main contenders for the Volvo V40 are Michael Boyd (Darkwood), Rob Craigie (Bellino), Ian Hickey (Cavatina) and Paul O'Higgins (Rockabill).

Boyd is in the clubhouse, waiting anxiously for the other three to complete the race.

Craigie is in the strongest challenging position as of 12 noon today (June 23rd), but he must finish by 15:30 or so to finish ahead of Boyd.

Rob Craigie's (Bellino) is in the race for the Round Ireland Volvo car prize Photo: Afloat

Boyd, however, has a three-place cushion and so Craigie will be relying on other finishers to reduce the gap.

Protest

The overall position is further complicated by a protest - according to Afloat sources - that has been lodged against Boyd over an alleged TSS violation, which may yet cost him two hours.

Weather forecasts suggest that a breeze has filled in providing hope for those still at sea.

Details on the protest result here

Round Ireland Race Day Six (Thursday) 0900 hrs - Although the Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka 3 and the Volvo 70 Green Dragon took first and second in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 in full daylight yesterday evening, an entire summer’s night - though admittedly the second-shortest one of the year - had elapsed before the next finisher, Andrea Fornaro’s Clas40 Influence (Italy) crossed at 05:05hrs this (Thursday) morning, having got the best of the race-long duel with sister-ship Kite (Greg Leonard) by an hour and nine minutes.

Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (Howth YC) got across the Wicklow finish line at 05:37 Photo: Afloat

With the boats only crawling along in the lightest of breezes, what had been relatively tight gaps were exaggerated in time, but in that Influence/Kite divide, Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (Howth YC) got across at 05:37, the first of the “orthodox” IRC boats to finish. But then with Kite across at 06:14 the way was clear for Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood (RIYC) to get in at 06:36, thereby correcting in to an IRC I win by 59 minutes over Samatom, a state of affairs in class which is likely to continue even with other IRC 1 boats getting to the line this morning, as many of them are higher-rated.

Michael Boyd's J121 Darkwood crew prepare to come ashore in Wicklow Harbour after finishing at 0636 hours on Thursday

In fact, it is an IRC 2 boat, the French J/111 SL Energies (Laurent Charmy) which will likely be across within the hour, for at 08:00 hrs she was just 4.8 miles from the finish and making good 6.8 knots. (She finished at 0845). However, although this will put her in a position of some certainty during a race in which sailing conditions cannot be relied on for any significant length of time, the morning-long (and more) ebb tide down the Wicklow Coast will aid boats still at sea on the final stage to get to the finish, and at 0800 the J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans, Howth YC) was still in the IRC Overall First Position she has held for some time, but now just 36 miles from the finish and sailing at 5.7 knots and south of Rockabill, racing in her home waters, and showing an hour in hand on the next batch of boats.

Ian Hickey’s veteran Granada 38 Cavatina from Cork

The Wednesday evening excitement of Ian Hickey’s veteran Granada 38 Cavatina from Cork moving into second overall proved cruelly short-lived, as the tidal gate at Rathlin slammed shot, and Cavatina and those about her went nowhere for five hours, whereas boats through the North Channel and into the less fiercely tidal waters of the Irish Sea were able to make progress, albeit at time very painfully slowly, and even then at very different speeds.

Thus another new name from Cork has come to the fore, but this is a Kinsale boat, Finbarr O’Regan’s J/109 Artful Dodjer, currently lying second to head a complete line of Cork boats as the Grand Soleil Nieulargo (Denis & Annamarie Murphy, RCYC) is now third with 42 miles to sail, while the astonishing two-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy & Sam Hunt, KYC) is fourth with a very short indicated lead over SL Energies.

Finbarr O’Regan’s J/109 Artful Dodjer Photo: Afloat

However, although regular contender Rockabill VI (Paul O’Higgins, RIYC) is currently indicated at 12th in IRC overall as the fleet make south in increasingly light airs, she has only 37 miles still to race, but the wind pattern suggests that it will be a slow and frustrating haul to the finish.

Live Race Tracker & Data below

Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 1830 hrs - The Cookson 50 Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) took line honours in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 at 18:09 hrs this evening off the Wicklow pierhead, after closing in on the finish in a local breeze which had the canting-keel sloop sailing over the final miles at 8.4 knots.

It was a welcome reversal of circumstances for her crew – which includes Tom McWilliam of Crosshaven sail-making connections - as the light winds and total calms experienced for much of today had seen her covering only 92 miles in the last 24 hours, frustrating going for a boat which can easily put 250 miles astern in a day when conditions suit.

The current overall IRC leader on handicap continues to be Mike & Richie Evans’ J/99 Snapshot (Howth YC)

For the rest of the fleet, light winds continue to dictate progress, but progress is being made. The current overall IRC leader on handicap continues to be Mike & Richie Evans’ J/99 Snapshot (Howth YC), but a new name has come to the fore in second place in the form of Ian Hickey’s Cavatina (Royal Cork YC).

Ian Hickey’s Cavatina (Royal Cork YC) Photo: Afloat

Former overall winner Cavatina had a good day in getting along the North Coast and into the North Channel, as did other boats in the lower-rated part of the fleet, such that Snapshot’s closest rivals for much of the day – the French J/111 SL Energies and the JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Paul O’Higgins, RIYC) are currently lying 5th and 6th.

JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Paul O’Higgins, RIYC) Photo: Afloat

French J/111 SL Energies Photo: Afloat

Race Tracker & Data below

Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 1500 hrs - Time was when most crews thought they’d had a crisp and efficient Round Ireland Race if they were finished by the Thursday evening. But George David’s sensational circuit with Rambler 88 in 2016 seems to have changed everyone’s perceptions and expectations in an enduring way, and people start getting restless if somebody isn’t back across the Wicklow finishing line by Tuesday morning.

Yet here we are, well into Wednesday afternoon, but there’s no finisher yet, and over much of the course between Malin Head and the finish, the seas are so windless and flat, with the skies so monochrome grey, that exhausted sailors are losing their bearings - and their sense of what is up and down - to such an extent that there’s talk of this all being a trial run for the Ending of Days.

Which way is up? In the ultra light airs it is hard to know which is sky and which is sea! This shot from the Round Ireland race course was taken just below Belfast Lough off the Skulmartin rocks

As it is, today at various times we’ve seen both the leader on the water and the IRC overall leader lose steerage way to such an extent that they were pointed in exactly the opposite direction to that intended.

It happened first to the IRC leader SL Energies, the French J/11I, to the southeast of the entrance to Strangford Lough, and an hour or so ago it happened to line honours leader Kuka3 off Greystones, just 10.5 miles from the finish and already in the disagreeable position of battling an adverse tide until around 19:00 hrs this evening.

But meanwhile, other boats have been taking full advantage of private zephyrs, and back in the North Channel Mike & Richie Evans’ J/99 Snapshot (HYC) has been hanging in like a limpet to maintain her IRC lead, with SL Energies on the go again to lie second, while Rockabill VI (Paul O’Higgins RIYC) is staying well in touch in third.

And there are of course intriguing inter-boat races all down the line, with few as fascinating as the match between the Class40s Kite and Infuence which – after going their separate and sometimes eccentric ways at earlier stages of the race – have now come together again to be neck and neck as they make best use of the south to the southeast breeze which can currently be found in the big bight in Ireland’s East Coast between Howth Head and St John’s Point.

Race Tracker & Data below. Live Dublin Bay webcams here

Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 0800 hrs - Despite the continuing prospect of light north to northeast winds, this morning’s south-going ebb tide off the Wicklow coast should speed up the progress of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow, helping on-water leader Kuka3 (Cookson 50, Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) towards the finish before lunchtime today (Wednesday).

Crosshaven native Tom McWilliam (third from right) is part of the international Kuka3 crew

Towards 0800hrs, Kuka was gliding along at 4.0 knots, well at sea off Dublin Bay, (see live Dublin Bay webcams here - Ed) with 20 miles still to sail to the Wicklow pierhead. After two days of light air sailing while dealing with the many challenges of the tide-riven north and northeast coasts of Ireland, the diverse fleet is now spread along almost 200 miles of the Irish coastline, with the smallest boat in the race, Grzegorz Kalinecki’s First 310 More Mischief from Dun Laoghaire, in process of passing Tory Island in Donegal in the tail-ender position, but sailing at a good 6.2 knots in her own private westerly breeze.

Smallest boat in the race - Grzegorz Kalinecki’s First 310 More Mischief from Dun Laoghaire Photo: Afloat

Meanwhile, the key boats in the current battle for the overall IRC Handicap win have spent a night of little wind in the North Channel and the North Irish Sea. The 0800 leader, the French J/111 SL Energies, was off the entrance to Strangford Lough and showing a speed of only 1.8 knots, but while the now second-placed J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans, Howth YC) is making 5.5 knots off Red Bay on the Antrim coast, she is aided by the locally stronger fair tide in addition to a slightly firmer nor’west breeze.

The 0800 leader, the French J/111 SL Energies Photo: Afloat

Up to second oiverall - J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans, Howth YC) Photo: Afloat

Third on IRC overall is Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC), making 4.6 knots off Belfast Lough, though well out in the middle of the North Channel.

In the north Irish Sea - Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood (RIYC) Photo: Afloat

The two on-water leaders in the main IRC Division, Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (HYC) and Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood (RIYC) are in the north Irish Sea in close proximity, with Samatom ahead boat-for-boat, but Darkwoood, at sixth overall, the better placed on handicap.

Back in the hunt - The two handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt) Photo: Afloat

In fact, it’s one of the smaller boats, the gallant two-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt) which is back in the frame at fourth overall in IRC, and currently off the Antrim coast at 130 miles from the finish, racing in close proximity with Snapshot.

Race Tracker & Data below

Round Ireland Race Day four (Tuesday) 2100 With the tides of the North Channel running favourably southwards for the Round Ireland fleet from around 16:30hrs today, the state of play for the leaders in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race has been akin to windless riding on a roller-coaster that terminates at the South Rock Light off the County Down coast, where the flood tide loses speed and power as it dissipates into the Irish Sea

This is all-too-vividly illustrated by the progress of line honours leader Kuka3, the Swiss Cookson 50, which at 1730 was merrily making her way southward at 7.3 knots, yet an hour later with the South Rock astern, it was all she could do to keep the needle pushing towards 4 knots.

But her closest contender, the Volvo 70 Green Dragon, was having an even less agreeable time of it off Belfast Lough, so we learn yet again that anyone who thinks they understand the effect of the tides of the North Channel may never have been there, while being there only adds to the bewilderment.

Green Dragon - second in line honours Photo: Afloat

That said, away to the north Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom – having re-found her mojo once the navigator Richie Fearon was back in his home waters around Inishowen and Malin Head – has done remarkable things to come south from Rathlin now clearly ahead of Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood.

It gets stranger than that. The American Class40 Kite has been sailing an exemplary race for the past 24 hours, and was well ahead coming into the North Channel. But now her Italian rival Influence has thrown caution to the winds (such as they are) and has been making her way south at 9.6 knots close west of the Mull of Kintyre.

Meanwhile, the emerging French star, the J/111 SL Energies (Laurent Charmy) has continued to make significant dents in what had seemed the pre-ordained order of things, and is close east of Rathlin making 6.7 knots in a light following breeze. But this has been good enough to put her into the overall lead in IRC, where second is held by Darkwood while Rockabill VI (Paul O’Higgins) stays in contention in third.

The current charts indicate an almost complete absence of wind between the South Rock and the finish at Wicklow, but a new nor’easter seems to be filling into the North Channel, and it may in time spread further along the course. Nevertheless, Maritime Mystic Meg’s most recent statement is that currently it’s a lottery, so we’ll leave it at that for tonight and see how things have been going first thing tomorrow morning.

Race tracker and data below

Round Ireland Race Day Four (Tuesday) 1500 hrs  Down Wicklow way, they sell their SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race as the Race With Everything. They can say that again. After some ferocious sailing through Sunday off the Kerry coast, when the Commodore RORC had to retire his thoroughbred boat because those weird Kerry waves – all fronts and no backs – had caused the hull to begin de-laminating, the leaders are now at the other end of the island, and are little more than playthings of the tides on a flat sea as the wind fades and weaves in an increasingly maddening manner.

Yet with the tide past Rathlin Island and on down the North Channel running favourably for the fleet until about 16:30hrs or perhaps a little later this afternoon, the last 150 miles towards the finish at Wicklow are gradually being chipped away. But far from being conditions in which crew can restore their energy levels, we’re now in the kind of sailing where a new kind of stamina is required if every last ounce of benefit is going to be squeezed out of each and every little line of wind.

Some crews are better at this intense-focus type of long haul than others. The Fastnet Race-proven French J/111 SL Energies (Laurent Charmy) has never been out of the top ten overall since the race got into its stride, but never – until now – had she been in and out of the top three frame. Yet after a particularly effective performance off the Donegal coast, she is very much a force to be reckoned with in IRC CT overall, and is almost within striking distance of the leaders on the water, Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood and Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom.

Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom Photo: Afloat

Samatom had slipped slightly behind Darkwood going up the west coast, but knowing that the North Coast around Malin Head is home waters for navigator Richie Fearon of Lough Swilly, her performance getting past Inishtrahull had been watched with special interest, and the Rendell boat duly obliged by getting back in the hunt.

Way down the North Channel after sitting paralysed off Red Bay for longer than was comfortable as the Volvo 70 Green Dragon closed up from astern, the on-water leading Cookson 50 Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) is off Mew Island, almost entirely reliant on tide for her 5 knots SOG, but she’s making a little more speed than Green Dragon which is now ten miles astern.

Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) Photo: Afloat

Meanwhile in the big picture, up on the north coast Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) is approaching Malin Head on a very soft broad reach, making 5.5 knots but currently showing a formidable set of statistics. She’s First in IRC Overall, First in IRC 3, First in ISORA entries, and First in ICRA entries.

Six years ago, when making her debut in the 2016 Round Ireland Race, Rockabill VI was similarly listed in the overall rankings. But immediately east of Iniishtahull, she and two other boats sailed into a local and very total blank spot in the wind. And there they sat for three hours while what seemed like half the fleet sailed past them simply by keeping a couple of miles further out at sea, and Rockabill’s huge lead melted away. So while we ashore sit watching screens and giving out all sorts of pseudo-wisdom, out there off the north coast of Donegal, Rockabill VI is entering haunted territory, and only she alone can find her own way through it.

Race tracker below

Round Ireland Race Day Four (Tuesday) 0830 hours: When the on-water leader, the Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler), came past Rathlin Island at 03:00 hrs this morning, her crew knew that they had barely two hours of tide still in their favour at this most notorious of the Round Ireland Race’s tidal gates, and that as they made southing into the North Channel along the impressive Antrim coast, they’d be sailing into an area of much lighter breezes than the moderate westerly they’d enjoyed through the night along the North Coast.

The Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler) pictured right in a downwind duel with the now retired INO XXX (James Neville) in Saturday's Round Ireland race start Photo: Bob Bateman

And so it has come to pass. At 0800 hrs Kuka3 was making barely 2 knots off Red Bay, knowing that it will be 1100hrs before the tide shows signs of turning in their favour. But meanwhile, the Volvo 70 Green Dragon (Enda O Coineen & Conor Ferguson), which had been all of 30 miles astern west of Donegal, has been taking full advantage of Kuka’s inevitable stop and has closed up to just 12 miles astern, making a slightly better speed of 5 knots off Fair Head, though steadily slowing to 1.5 knots as she got more completely into the condition which has brought Kuka to an effective halt.

Volvo 70 Green Dragon (Enda O Coineen & Conor Ferguson) Photo: Bob Bateman

With light winds, the turn of the tide may not see a dramatic change in progress over the remaining 140 miles to the finish at Wicklow. But all is relative in these conditions, and the full surge of the new south-going flood in the North Channel may encourage some local breezes to liven up the sailing.

Michael Boyd’s J121 Darkwood

Meanwhile astern, only the leading Class40 Kite (Greg Leonard, USA) has managed to get past Inishtrahull in the westerly wind, and having tacked to lee in towards the coast, they are now off Lough Foyle and managing to make 5.8 knots over the ground as the ebb continues to pour westward.

Eagle Island off the County Mayo coast shrouded in mist as seen by the crew of the Sunfast 3600 Yoyo on the evening of day three of the 2022 Round Ireland Race Photo: Maurice O'Connell

The two leading “normal” IRC boats, Michael Boyd’s J121 Darkwood and Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom are still west of Malin Head and due north of the Lough Swilly, with Darkwood leading Samatom on the water while being second on IRC Overall, where Paul O’Higgins’ Rockabill VI – currently making the turn at Tory Island while registering a respectable 6.9 knots – is narrowly leading overall on Corrected Time.

All details and Race Tracker below

Round Ireland Race Day Three (Monday) 2000 hrs -  As the overnight northerly morphed unevenly into the new breeze from the west today with the fleet strung out between the latitudes of Kerry and the Aran Island, the tacticians in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 were faced with the dilemma of finding the optimum position for their own boat’s meeting with the slowly spreading new wind, while taking into account their position in the procession which stretched along the coasts of three counties.

Thus the leader on the water, the Swiss-flagged Cookson 50 Kuka3 with former Crosshavian Tom McWilliam on the strength, seemed to benefit from holding to the east until nearing Loop Head and then tacking onto a long port tack before getting up and going with the new wind.

But if you went to the east, the essence of a successful outcome seemed to lie in being quite well to the west once you’d got to the latitude of the Aran Islands. Boats that strayed too far in towards Galway Bay, while seeming to make good progress initially, found themselves significantly disadvantaged, with the added drawback of local soft spots as the wind pattern changed.

Andrea Fornaro's Class 40 Influence Photo: Bob Bateman

Meanwhile, American Greg Leonard with the Class40 Kite went the furthest west, actively looking for the new wind. But it spread in unevenly, and for a while his class rival Andrea Fornaro with Influence seemed to be doing better on a more easterly course.

American Greg Leonard with the Class40 Kite Photo: Bob Bateman

However, Fornaro - with Greystones’ Pam Lee in the crew - let himself get too far east, and when the new breeze finally found Kite she benefitted to such an extent that she’s now beyond Erris Head in northwest Mayo, and ten miles to the good on Influence.

The situation at 14:00 hrs today (Monday) showing how every option had been explored by boats trying to find the most effective routing while still beating north before the breeze finally settled in the west. The Class40 Kite (Greg Leonard, USA) went furthest west, while the Volvo 70 Green Dragon (Conor Ferguson, Ireland) went furthest east.  

But all these tactics were by the more isolated boats. The core group with the main contenders for the IRC overall lead were generally sailing in a conservative way, keeping touch in fleet racing style, and as the day wore on the usual suspects began swapping the lead among themselves.

The Murphy family’s Nieulargo from Royal Cork with Nin O'Leary onboard pictured left Photo: Bob Bateman

The Murphy family’s Nieulargo from Crosshaven with Nin O’Leary on board had it for a while, as too did the Evans brothers’ J/99 Snapshot from Howth with Shane Hughes giving that extra piece of input, while Michael Boyd (RIYC) with the J/121 Darkwood and the welcome skills of Kenneth Rumball had their time in the sun.

The Evans brothers’ J/99 Snapshot from Howth Photo: Bob Bateman

At the time of writing at 18:00 hrs Monday with the key group west of Clew Bay, the role of leader is bouncing between Snapshot and Paul O’Higgin’s JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC), the fleet going well on a pleasant reach with speeds better than 8 knots.

Michael Boyd (RIYC) with the J/121 Darkwood Photo: Afloat

How long those idyllic conditions will last is a matter of hope rather than expectation. Tomorrow is Midsummer’s Day, and after a cold and windy Spring, it rather looks as though the Irish weather is determined to treat us to an excess of mid-summery weather, but with the inevitable absence of a decent working breeze.

However, at the moment and still out in front with clearcut line honours, Kuka 3 is getting near Aranmore in Donegal with a private freshening of the breeze and 13 knots and more on the clock, while out at sea but 30 miles astern is the Volvo 70 Green Dragon lumbering along at a similar speed, and the leading Class40 Kite has put Mayo astern but is temporarily (we hope) in a softer patch, as she’s only managing ten knots.

The many ramifications of the various categories and their awards can be extracted from the data with this Race Tracker – the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 Results can be sliced every which way, and this year in particular there seems to be something for everyone in the audience 

Tracker below

Passing Blackrock Island on the County Mayo coast, a mark on the course of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race, leading skipper Michael Boyd has paid a moving tribute to the four air crew of Rescue 116 Irish Coast Guard helicopter who died at Blackrock in March 2017 during a rescue mission.

Boyd, who is the skipper of the J121 Darkwood, is a former Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London and a member of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

In the onboard tribute, Boyd says his crew pay a great thanks to them [Rescue 116] and all rescue personnel and to everyone who worked so hard to try and find them".

In day three of the race, the Darkwood crew are lying fourth overall in the race for handicap honours. 

(Above and below) The 2022 Round Ireland crew of the J121 Darkwood (Kenny Rumball not pictured) Photo: Afloat