The Ailsa Craig race has for 62 years been the highlight of Royal Ulster’s offshore sailing programme. The 80-mile race from Bangor on the north down coast, round the Rock in the Firth of Clyde and back to Bangor, is colloquially known as Paddy's Milestone as it is roughly the halfway point of the sea journey from Belfast to Glasgow. This year there were seven starters.

A light air start for Temptress of Down (red spinnaker) leading Lofna off the Ailsa Craig Race line Photo: Fiona Hicks

The first boat home and winner of IRC 1 and YTC 1 unrestricted was Brian and Ryan Wilson’s Mat 1010 Elixir from Quoile YC and Carrickfergus SC. Lofna, Gill and Derek Fairley’s restored Swan 36 (After Four Years Work, Restored Swan 36 Lofna Sails Again in Northern Ireland (afloat.ie) topped the IRC 2 and YTC 2 class.

After several weeks of strong winds forcing the cancellation of two club points races and the annual Regatta, the breeze at the off was light and mostly southerly for the spinnaker leg from the Club line to Mark No 11 off Luke’s Point to the east, and then a gybe onto a course direct to the Craig. Ryan Wilson of Elixir encountered a real mix of weather conditions: “The weather was very interesting with everything from 0-30 knots, sun, hail and torrential rain leading to over 20 sail changes over the 13 hours”.

Hailstones in June on the Ailsa Craig Race! Photo: courtesy RUYC

The first boat round the Craig was Elixir and close with her for some time was Gareth Martel’s First 40.7, Pippa VI from the host club, but Elixir slipped away on a stronger line of breeze about midnight off Lough Ryan and rounded Ailsa Craig at 0155. In the same division, Michael Eames’s Sunfast 3200 from Strangford Lough YC, All or Nothing and Kevin and Susie Harris’s Sun Odyssey 47 Temptress of Down (RUYC) also suffered from the light airs. In IRC 2 it was the same story with Lofna, Terry Fair’s 31.7 Scotia and Martin and Victoria Dews’ Sigma 33 Elandra of Down all left with little wind.

Nearing the Craig in Royal Ulster's Ailsa Craig Race Photo: Gill Fairley

First to finish at RUYC line was Elixir shortly before 0900 on Saturday morning with Pippa VI just 27 minutes later. All or Nothing finished at 1120 and Temptress at 1230, both victims of the dying wind. Lofna finished at 1544 but unfortunately both Scotia and Elandra had to retire, Elandra, who won last year’s race, having blown out a spinnaker in the hailstorm – “Nothing left but the tapes” according to owner Martin Dews.

After a speedy turnaround, Elixir is on her way to Wicklow for the Round Ireland Race start on Saturday 22nd June. Ryan Wilson reflected on the Ailsa Craig race “It was great to take part in our fourth consecutive Ailsa Craig race, this time in our new boat as our final qualifying race in preparation for the Round Ireland. This was the first year we’ve got round the rock whilst still under darkness (one of the downsides of a faster boat), but we did make it back in time for breakfast!”

At what proved to be the end of a three-week spell of light weather, Royal Ulster Yacht Club’s Rollins Insurance supported traditional offshore Ailsa Craig race started at 8 pm on Friday, 16th June.

The fleet of seven wound its way 40 miles north to the Craig off the coast of the Mull of Galloway and back to the finish line at the Club.

The diverse fleet ranged from Alan Hannon’s new French-designed JPK 1030 Coquine to the more modest Elandra, Vicky and Martin Dews’ Sigma 33.

And it was Elandra that managed to stay in touch with the bigger boats all night and finished as the sun set on Belfast Lough with the IMX38 Excession (O’Tiarnaigh, Mullholland and Harrington).

Elandra (right) and Excession finish Ailsa Craig race. Photo courtesy RUYC via Facebook

On handicap, it was Elandra top and the distinctive Coquine second. The defending winner Gareth Martel’s Beneteau 40.7 Pippa VI was third. Three retired.

As boats in Class 1 finished within the 22.00 Time Limit, there was an extension of one hour for other boats in the class. It seemed that the wind delivered a cruel twist as the boats appeared to have been headed away from the finish as they crossed the Lough.

Results below

The light winds forecast for the Ailsa Craig Race from Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough on Friday night turned out to be at times 17 knots, which for Stuart Cranston’s Ker 32 Hijacker appeared just at the wrong time when the Bobstay on the bowsprit exploded. But for the eventual winner Gareth Martel in the First 40.7 Pippa VI things went rather more smoothly and he took line honours and the overall first prize.

The original four entries had risen to nine by the time of the start of the overnighter.

The 60th Ailsa Craig start Photo: Bob Torrens

Second overall was Michael Eames in the Sunfast 3200, All or Nothing from Strangford Lough Yacht Club with the Carrickfergus-based Corby 29 Elixir (Brian and Ryan Wilson) finished in third slot. Fourth was Russell McGovern of Sailschool NI in the Tripp 40, Infinity.

And despite Hijacker’s demise, it was a fifth for them. The question is now whether the damage and be fixed in time for the start of the Bangor Town Regatta on Wednesday next.

Royal Ulster’s Classic offshore overnight Ailsa Craig race will start from the club line at Bangor in Belfast Lough on Friday evening (17th) with the first warning signal at 19.00 hrs. On a good day, the Craig can be seen from the Club.

With a forecast of light winds, the course will probably be round the rock at the mouth of the Clyde and back to the club, about 80 miles.

At the moment there are four competitors, all of whom may be using it as a warm-up for the Bangor Town Regatta a week later, but given the unstable weather at present, some prospective entrants may be waiting until the last minute to make a decision.

On the other hand, they may be saving their energies for those four days of racing.

Brian and Ryan Wilson's Corby 29, Elixir

Johnny Ritchie’s Dufour Classic 41, Mingulay from the host club, will join on the starting line, visitors Michael Eames in his Sunfast 3200 All or Nothing from Strangford Lough Yacht Club, Stuart Cranston’s Ker 32 Hijacker from Down Cruising Club, and Bryan and Ryan Wilson’s Corby 29 Elixir from across the Lough at Carrickfergus.

Tyrena (Dr W E "Darty" Glover), winner of the first RUYC Ailsa Craig Race in 1962. She was a 39ft Charles A Nicholson design, built Berthon Boat Company of Lymington in 1959

Winner of the inaugural race in 1962 was the late Darty Glover in the 11-ton sloop, Tyrena and the late Dickie Brown of Portaferry was the winner the following year in the famous hard chine Black Soo, a van de Stadt design. Another memory is that of John Taylor who now lives in New Zealand, who recalls racing in the first race in what he describes as a “fair old southwesterly hammering in the channel”.

And the winner of the Fiftieth Anniversary event was Kenneth Halliwell’s She 31, She of the North. Many of those who had raced in 1962 turned out again for that event fifty years later. Among these was Darty Glover, then in his Eighties, who had travelled from Australia and John Taylor from New Zealand.

#RACING UPDATE - This summer the Royal Ulster Yacht Club will stage the 50th anniversary edition of the Ailsa Craig Race, one of the classics of the Northern Ireland offshore yacht racing calendar.

Many of the competitors from the inaugural race in 1962 - several of whom are now in their 80s - are expected to compete in the overnight challenge, which takes the fleet from Bangor to the rock at the mouth of the Clyde in Scotland.

The 2012 Ailsa Craig Race, sponsored by Hamilton Shipping, takes place on 15 June.