Kinsale Yacht Club's Inishtearaght Skelligs Race fleet has rounded Inishtearaght, and is now racing east toward Kinsale in a firm west to west-north-west breeze of 15 knots in blue skies and sunshine.
One of the race favourites, the former winner, the Sunfast 3300, Cinnamon Girl sailed two handed by Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt from the host club has retired into Dingle Harbour after dismasting.
John Treanor's NMD 43 Cristina, leads the fleet for line honours.
Tracker data at 16:55 BST on Saturday shows 18 of the 22 entries still competing as the fleet completes the western turning mark off the Kerry coast.
Dingle Stop — The Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, sailed two-handed by Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt of Kinsale Yacht Club, has retired from the Inishtearaght Skelligs Race into Dingle Harbour after a dismasting (below).
IRC Overall
John Malone's JPK 1030 Loinnir (1.022) leads IRC overall approaching the 24-hour point. She has posted one of the strongest 24-hour runs in the fleet, sailing more than 145 nautical miles with sustained VMG figures above six knots.
Stephen Lysaght's Elan 333 Reavra Too (0.956) is second on corrected time, converting her lower rating into a competitive position after tracking closely offshore.
David Riome's Sigma 33 Valfreya (0.906) lies third and remains firmly in contention on handicap as the fleet turns for home.
The J109 Artful Dodjer of Finbarr O'Regan (1.002) and Ian Hickey's Granada 38 Cavatina (0.921) complete the top five at this stage.
Defending champion Chris Power Smith’s J122 Aurelia (1.077) sits seventh overall. She continues to make steady progress but is conceding time to lower-rated rivals ahead.
IRC Two-Handed
In the two-handed division, Valfreya leads from Katanca (0.918) and Mach 2 (1.002).
Shindig (0.937) and Cinnamon Girl (1.030) round out the top five, with the division closely grouped after the turn.
Tracker overlays show limited lateral separation among the leaders, suggesting incremental gains in pressure and angle will determine the final standings.
Wind And Race Shape
The wind overlay indicates a steady W to WNW gradient across the course area. Offshore routing south of the rhumb line appears to have offered more consistent pressure than tighter coastal tracks.
No decisive break occurred at the rounding. The fleet remains compact as it begins the return leg along the West Cork and Kerry coastline toward the Kinsale Yacht Club finish.
With roughly 80 to 100 nautical miles remaining for the leaders, the holding pattern of the westerly breeze is likely to prove decisive.
