For the Irish entry it has been 24 hours of mixed fortunes as the team finds the weather going from one extreme to the other.

Itís been 24 hours of tricky navigation and careful helming in thick fogas the Clipper 68s continue to pursue Cork across the Atlantic to herhome port on the Emerald Isle. Not only that but fast downwindconditions have taken their toll on spinnakers and there have beenseveral reports of kite damage across the fleet. 
Corkís skipper Hannah Jenner says, ìAfter a wild night last night withwinds gusting to 34 knots, we eventually dropped the heavyweight kite asthe sea state had built to a point that made the ride a little too onedge. We spent the rest of the night maintaining great speeds and verymuch enjoying the sailing and were ecstatic to see that we had actuallymade some gains on the fleet. 
ìUnfortunately the GRIB files told a little porky (lie) today and thecentre of a low passing over us was further south so we went on a goslow. Still, not ones to be easily disheartened we took thedisappointing sched news in our stride and celebrated the fact that sixof the round the world crew members on Cork have become the first in thefleet to cross all lines of longitude and therefore technically havecircumnavigated the globe.î
Skipper Chris Stanmore-Major says, ìToday has been a curious journeythrough an eerie half-light world out here on Newfoundlandís GrandBanks. The heavy fog which descended over the entire fleet last nightpersisted throughout the day, focussing the Qingdao helmís concentrationfurther than possibly ever before. With no defining marks to aim for,only the feel of the wheel in their hands and the information from theshipís systems to guide them they have taken their kite driving to newheights.
ìBelow Qingdaoís decks the sail loft has been hard at work repairing atear to the medium weight kite which happened a few days ago. We haveBarbara Grant and Becky Block to thank once more for heading a team whohave repeatedly performed miracles with a suit of sails that are nowover 30,000 nautical miles old and feeling a little tired.î
The Chinese teamís Asian competitors have also suffered kite damage,both to their mid-weight and lightweight spinnakers and this coupledwith light winds has led to Uniquely Singapore slipping into tenthplace.
ìItís frustrating being at the back and itís a position we havenít beenused to for a few races,î reports skipper Jim Dobie. ìHowever the windgods are with us and with the forecast predicting stronger winds withthe approach of a low pressure system we should be able to put ourheavyweight kite to good use. We now look to reclaiming the miles lostand working up the fleet and, as ever, we have that ëcan doí Keppelspirit motivating us.î
Also flying their heavyweight spinnaker due to the demise of theirmedium weight is the team on board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, as theScottish entry clears the thick fog and heads out into open ocean.  ìThe Grand Banks are always foggy and they havenít disappointed,î saysskipper Matt Pike. ìA stiff breeze, flat sea, visibility down to threeor four boat lengths and a spinnaker up! Unfortunately not the mediumweight as that decided to end its days in spectacular style. So we areflying the heavyweight and playing trim to maximise our speed. 
ìThe fleet has been sailing in a line straighter than we can manage in aLe Mans start. Now as the fog clears, we are spreading out again and oneby one disappearing off the AIS (Automatic Identification System) soplotting positions every six hours becomes vital to see which course isproving to be the best.î
Just ahead of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital and trying to make gains onthe boats further north is Cape Breton Island, a task that isnít provingto be that easy, especially as the team has also suffered sail damage.Like Chris on board Qingdao, skipper Jan Ridd was also full of praisefor his chief sail repairer in his report to the race office. 
ìHere on the Big Blue Canoe we have been working very hard to try andmove to the front of the fleet but with all the crews now so evenlymatched it is really hard to make any significant gains. Unfortunatelywe had a setback yesterday as we noticed a two foot split in ourmainsail. We can think of no reason this happened except for the sailjust wearing out after the extreme use it has been put through over thepast nine months. Whilst still sailing under spinnaker we struggled tolower and detach the mainsail and flake it on the deck to allowKatharine, who is in charge of our sail repairs and has worked miraclesall the way round world, to set to work. In the cold and damp of the fogshe worked tirelessly for four hours all the way through her off watchwhilst various crew members assisted her. 
ìWith repaired mainsail re-hoisted we are now sailing in what I termgood English sailing weather - cold and wet!î 
The English sailing weather should be suiting English entry Hull &Humber as the team finds themselves in a neck and neck drag race withthree others. 
Skipper, Justin Taylor, says, ìThere are four of us line abreast racingas hard as we dare. Seven miles to the north of us is Spirit ofAustralia and just to the south is California and Qingdao. At dusk webroke through the dense fog as we came off the Grand Banks and intodeeper water and like Cork we were treated to the sight of humpbackwhales swimming slowly in the other direction.
ìI think itís going to be a long night as the weather has turned squallyand we are ready to reduce sails as soon as the wind starts toincrease.î
Alongside Hull & Humber, the team on board California is enjoying theintensity of racing in such close proximity. 
ìIt has been exhilarating reaching under the heavyweight spinnaker allday, with everyone totally focussed in the limited visibility,î saysskipper Pete Rollason. ìWe have just sighted our first Clipper yacht,Qingdao, off our starboard quarter and we know the rest of the fleet isalso pretty close by. This looks like it will be a close one all the wayacross to Cork and talking of Cork we are closing down the miles to thehare in this race. 
For the Irish entry it has been 24 hours of mixed fortunes as the teamfinds the weather going from one extreme to the other.
Corkís skipper Hannah Jenner says, ìAfter a wild night last night withwinds gusting to 34 knots, we eventually dropped the heavyweight kite asthe sea state had built to a point that made the ride a little too onedge. We spent the rest of the night maintaining great speeds and verymuch enjoying the sailing and were ecstatic to see that we had actuallymade some gains on the fleet. 
ìUnfortunately the GRIB files told a little porky (lie) today and thecentre of a low passing over us was further south so we went on a goslow. Still, not ones to be easily disheartened we took thedisappointing sched news in our stride and celebrated the fact that sixof the round the world crew members on Cork have become the first in thefleet to cross all lines of longitude and therefore technically havecircumnavigated the globe.î
The next crew which look set to celebrate this occasion are round theworlders on board Jamaica Lighting Bolt as the team moves to the frontof the chasing pack. 
ìThe fleet has spread out fan like across this small section of theNorth Atlantic with more than 60 miles separating Jamaica Lightning Boltfrom the most northerly yachts,î reports the skipper of the Caribbeanentry, Pete Stirling. ìDespite this we are all still very close to eachother in terms of distance to finish. 
ìAccording to the weather GRIB files we should be getting stronger windsby Thursday as a depression passes north of us. This is forecast todeliver winds from behind of 30 knots plus and since the GRIBs tend tounderestimate wind strength we could get quite a bit more.î
Having been at the front of the chasing pack yesterday, Spirit ofAustralia is pushing hard to re-establish themselves as the frontrunners but are also being careful not to push too hard. 
ìWe are cautioned by hearing other boats stories of blown and damagedspinnakers,î says skipper Brendan Hall. ìSo we are being veryconservative with our own and not pushing them past their limits.
ìNow weíre all just looking forward to finding the warm Gulf Streamcurrent and hopefully seeing some whales of our own!î
Although the boats to the north have escaped the fog, Team Finland stillfinds themselves with limited visibility much to the frustration ofskipper Rob McInally who is looking forward to sailing in sunnier climesonce more.  
ìThe Grand Banks of Newfoundland are now behind us, the Flemish Cap isunder us and still the fog surrounds us,î bemoans Rob. ìSoon we will beinto the more exposed North Atlantic, hopefully free of this fog, andinto the path of the continuous low pressure systems which are set toblow us across to Ireland. Our positioning in relation to these systemswill ultimately decide how much wind and for how long we will be withinthem. Already you can see the split in the fleet as the tactics for thelow pressure systems effects their course to steer.î
Positions at 0900 UTC, Tuesday 22 June

 

1 Cork 1282nm 2 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 1436nm 154nm 3 Spirit of Australia 1440nm 158nm 4 California 1441nm 159nm 5 Hull & Humber 1441nm 159nm 6 Qingdao 1443nm 161nm 7 Cape Breton Island 1445nm 163nm 8 Team Finland 1449nm 167nm 9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 1450nm 168nm 10 Uniquely Singapore 1470nm 188nm