Day #2 1330: “Neither fog nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds….”.
Okay, so we’ve substituted fog for snow in a misappropriation of the US Mail’s gallant motto in our celebration of the onward progress of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle fleet along the south coast today. But when you find you’re racing at full chat through banks of sea fog off the shores of Cork, with visibility reduced to 300 metres or less, any inspirational quotation is a help.
This is so even if the original came from some poetry rejoicing in the achievements of the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire, whose descendants today in modern Iran aren’t quite the flavour of the month in western democratic circles. But whereas in ancient times it was common for ships to get lost in a fog - the Irish Rover out of Cork (where else?) being a prime example - modern electronics mean you press on regardless with a fairly accurate idea of where you are, sustained by the hope that radar will show other boats at risk of collision.
Visibility is improving as the day makes on, but the wind is veering and freshening, possibly to the point where its power is a hindrance rather than a help. Fleet leader Freya (Xp50 Conor Doyle KYC) has passed the entrance to Cork Harbour, but misses out on the hopes of getting past the Old Head of Kinsale without tacking, as the veering re-shaped her course in towards the entrance to Kinsale.
Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (HYC) Photo: Michael Chester
Around ten miles astern, the group led by Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (HYC) is also significantly headed, but the Murphy family on overall leader Nieulargo were located in such a way that this wind shift has left them even better placed, and they’re looking good as usual – as SCORA Commodore Darragh Connolly puts it, “on Nieulargo, the only thing they know is fast”.
It’s all in detail in the Tracker Chart – the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2021 may have seen little change in relative positions for the last twelve hours, but there’s a lot of racing to be done yet.
