Defending champion Chris Power Smith’s J/122 Aurelia leads the Inishtearaght Skelligs Race after the opening hour of racing from Kinsale.
Nineteen of the 22 entries are currently competing, with three boats not appearing on the live tracker.
The Cantor Fitzgerald-sponsored offshore race started at 19:30 and is bound west along the coast of Cork and Kerry, with the rounding mark set for either Inishtearaght or the Great Skellig depending on conditions.
Westbound Start — The Inishtearaght Skelligs Race fleet heads west from Kinsale at sunset, with 19 boats racing along the Cork coast in the Cantor Fitzgerald-sponsored offshore fixture. Photo: Bob Bateman
Tracker Analysis – 21:15 Update
Early Split — The leading group compresses off the Cork coast, with Blue Oyster, Mach 2 and White Tiger closest to shore while Reavra Too tracks slightly south in the opening hours.
After approximately one hour at sea, Aurelia holds first place on IRC handicap (1.077) and is making 6.2 knots.
The J/122 has sailed 10 nautical miles and has 212 nautical miles remaining to the turning mark.
Her estimated finish time is 07:22 on 31 May, with an elapsed time projection of 1 day 11 hours 52 minutes.
White Tiger (Beneteau First 44.7, handicap 1.084) sits second, sailing at 5.7 knots with 213 nautical miles to run. Her projected finish is 10:10 on 31 May.
Rail Ride — The crew of White Tiger (First 44.7) hike on the rail during the early stages of the Inishtearaght Skelligs Race from Kinsale Photo: Bob Bateman
John Treanor’s NMD43 Cristina (handicap 1.203) is third overall, averaging 5.6 knots with an estimated arrival of 10:57 on 31 May.
Further down the leaderboard, Valfreya (Sigma 33, 0.906) and Prime Suspect (Mills 36 Custom, 1.054) complete the top five on corrected standings after the first hour.
Close Quarters — Katanca (Elan 31) races in tight formation with the leading group shortly after the Kinsale start, as the offshore fleet settles into early handicap positions.
Average fleet speeds range between 4.7 and 6.2 knots in the early stages.
The race remains tightly grouped, with only one nautical mile separating much of the leading pack on distance sailed.
Conditions appear moderate along the south coast, with tactical positioning likely to become more decisive overnight as the fleet stretches west.
