Ten hours since the first gun was fired in the 2010 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, and finishing yachts are streaming into Cowes with half of the 1754 entries having completed the 50-mile marathon.
Unusually we have the winner of the Gold Roman Bowl, the top prize in the Race for the first overall on corrected time in IRC-rated classes. Nordic Bear is a Nordic Folkboat owned and raced by Brian Appleyard from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. He came second in IRC overall in 2009. This boat has beaten Madelaine who won the Gold Roman Bowl in 2007.
Since Francis Joyon’s IDEC claimed outright line honours as first multihull home in 04. 24.05 and first monohull ICAP Leopard completed her lap of the Isle of Wight half an hour later (05.0.06), the majority of the IRC fleets have also finished.
In IRC 0 the J-Class Velsheda is the provisional winner, with triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie second onboard J.P. Morgan Asset Management Prince’s Trust, and the Swan Desperado in third.
First overall in IRC1 is Willem Wester’s Grand Soleil 43 Antilope, ahead of the J/122 Jinja and Incognito. Antilope also heads up the IRC1A division, Incognito tops IRC1C, whilst IRC1B is led by Andy Iyer’s Beneteau First 40.7 Portia.
David Mcleman’s J/109 leads IRC2 and division 2B overall, with the Grand Soleil 37 Grand Slam topping IRC2A, the well travelled Dutch entry Winsome leading IRC2C, and Dave Cooke’s Sigma 38 Monet first in IRC2D.
Many of the larger ISC-rated boats have also finished their race, with first home the Bordeaux 60 Osprey of Nickolas Imregi, which also provisionally leads the ISC4 fleet on corrected time.
However, the winner of the 79th Round the Island Race could well still be racing – many of the Nordic Folkboats, Quarter Tonners and other classes traditionally successful in the competition for the famous Gold Roman Bowl IRC overall prize are currently sailing the final section of the race from Ryde to Cowes, and early indications are that 2010 could be another year when conditions favour the small boats.
Competitors have until 2200 to complete their race within the time limit, but winds in the Solent are still averaging 12-18 knots to speed the fleet home to the Island Sailing Club finish line.
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