The strongest winds of the race were sweeping Cavatina to a faster than expected finish after midnight (Sat).
Headwinds of 15 knots but a favourable tide meant the 27-year old yacht was expected to reach Dublin bay by 10pm leaving just over 20 miles to the Wicklow finish.
12 hours earlier Crosbie's Teng tools ran out of wind crossing the same stretch of waterway and this wind hole alone may have added an hour to the the defending champions corrected time.
Crosbie's crew finished in Wicklow at 09.14 yesterday morning cheered on by club mates from the National Yacht Club including it's commodore Con Murphy.
After five nights at sea, conditions crossing Dublin bay were tortuous with patchy, light winds on the Kish bank but stronger winds inshore for most of the day.
In an effort to keep boats moving skippers moved crew and gear forward to keep transoms clear of the water.
Ireland's West, who had raced boat on boat with Teng Tools since Cork harbour, escaped the hole at the Baily lighthouse and finished an hour ahead but not sufficient to tip the handicap leaderboard.
Others such as the French entry Inismor and George Radley's Imp, each with a chance of a win with a noon finish, made slow progress south to Wicklow relying at times only on a south going tide for progress yesterday lunchtime.
22 boats from a fleet of 39 had finished and rafted up in Wicklow harbour during the course of yesterday evening to toast the achievement of Eamon Crosbie's eight man crew in making the top of the leader board again.
But Crosbie himself was playing a waiting game as he knows the Royal Cork entry – with the third lowest handicap in the fleet – has a habit of upsetting the party.
"We've done all we can do. Now we sit and wait" Crosbie told the Irish Times from the Wicklow club house last night.
Out at sea Eric Lisson was on track for a finish in Wicklow sometime after midnight. He had 38 miles to go from Rockabill and unofficial reckonings had it that if he crossed the line before 3am this morning the 2002 winner is assured of the title again.
Royal Cork club mates gathered at the Wicklow pier from early evening in anticipation of a second Round Ireland win for the 38-foot yacht that claimed second overall in last year's Fastnet race.
Crosbie, on the other hand can match the late Denis Doyle's consecutive wins of 1982 and 1984 if his time holds.
Yet in spite of this claim on a little piece of offshore sailing history Crosbie maintains that this is not a priority. Instead he prefers to focus on the last five days: "Regardless of the outcome we've had a fantastic race and that's what really matters to me".
Other boats not in the running for the overall lead but still racing will finish during the course of the weekend. Mick Creedon, the skipper of the oldest and slowest boat in the fleet, Sarnia, radioed in from Innistrahull at 5pm yesterday, still an estimated 48 hour sail to Wicklow.