Johnny Vincent’s Volvo 70 Pace has surged clear at the front of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, clocking up around 428 nautical miles in 24 hours as an Atlantic low propels the leaders north towards the top of the 1,805-nautical-mile course.
Seventy-two hours after the fleet left Cowes, Pace was racing off the Hebrides with 932 nautical miles remaining and had established a commanding advantage on the water over Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 56 Varuna 6. Antoine Magre’s Mach 50 Palanad 4 was lying third.
Leading Charge: Pace powers on at the front of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, stretching her advantage as the fleet tackles the demanding offshore course. Photo: James Tomlinson
The trio also occupied the top three positions provisionally in IRC Overall and IRC Zero, with Pace leading Varuna 6 and Palanad 4. On the estimated IRC-corrected time, Pace held an advantage of almost 24 hours over Varuna 6.
Atlantic Low Opens Fast Lane North
The leading boats have benefited from a large Atlantic low-pressure system, with southerly winds of 15 to 20 knots helping drive them rapidly along the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland.
The conditions have produced an increasingly divided race. While the leaders are enjoying powerful following winds, boats further south have faced lighter and more variable conditions across the Celtic Sea. Sea fog has added another complication for crews south-west of Ireland as they approach the Dingle Peninsula.
Maggie Adamson, racing aboard Tigris, reported hearing the foghorns of large ships but detecting the vessels only on AIS.
PredictWind weather expert Arnaud Monges said the Atlantic low, at around 999 hPa, had become the dominant weather feature influencing the race.
Conditions are expected to change again as the leaders reach the northern turning point. Southerly winds are forecast to ease on Thursday, when the front runners should begin the long passage south and swap their rapid downwind conditions for an upwind test. By Friday, winds are expected to veer west as high pressure pushes in from the Atlantic, potentially leaving boats still heading north along Ireland facing less favourable angles.
Pace Clocks Up 428-Mile Day
For Pace, the arrival of stronger breeze has resulted in some of the quickest sailing of the race so far. Boat captain Anthony Haines reported 20 to 25 knots of southerly breeze off the Hebrides, with the Volvo 70 regularly travelling at between 17 and 25 knots during the night.
After a demanding opening phase characterised by frequent sail changes, Haines said the crew had settled into a more established offshore routine as they continued towards the northern end of the course.
Behind them, Palanad 4 has also emerged from the lighter conditions after negotiating an especially busy opening section which included more than 70 tacks around the Isle of Wight. Magre said navigator Pablo Santurde del Arco had helped the French team avoid becoming completely becalmed through the high-pressure zone, although the greater size and sail area of Pace and Varuna 6 had allowed both boats to break away.
Penfret Sets Class40 Pace
Pierre Le Boucher’s Penfret held the lead in Class40, ahead of Swift and Gambit, after another wet and windy night.
Ocean Flyer: Penfret slices across the water under black sails, part of a fleet facing a major test of speed, routing and endurance around Britain and Ireland. Photo: James Tomlinson
William Hill reported from Penfret that the boat had been reaching speeds in the high teens and low 20s in 20 to 25 knots of wind, while its Class40 rivals remained close behind.
The division has also recorded a retirement, with Dutch Class40 Tjoba withdrawing because of technical problems. All crew were reported safe and well.
Tight Battles Across IRC Divisions
Sam and Andrew Hall’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra led IRC One on provisional corrected time, ahead of Stickleback and double-handed JPK 1180 Frida.
In IRC Two, Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino held the provisional corrected-time lead from Mzungu! and Sky Business – Game On. RORC Commodore Deb Fish, co-skipper aboard Bellino, reported an intense tactical battle as the boat passed the Skellig Islands with several rivals nearby.
Northern Mission: Bellino heads offshore as the Round Britain and Ireland fleet races north, with changing conditions and a developing Atlantic weather system shaping the contest. Photo: James Tomlinson
The double-handed contest remained similarly close. Sam White and Nathan Steffenoni’s JPK 1080 Mzungu! led the provisional IRC Two-Handed standings, followed by Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland aboard Sky Business – Game On, with Simon Bamford and Zeb Fellows’ Kestrel third.
Hoddle said the racing had remained extremely close since the start, with small gains and losses in the light conditions having repeatedly reshuffled the contest.
Celtic Sea Tests Smaller Boats
IRC Three was being led provisionally on corrected time by Mark Brown’s JPK 1010 Jetpack, ahead of Sun Fast 3200 Zanzibar and Swan 44 Astrid. The smaller boats have endured some of the most variable conditions of the race, particularly across the Celtic Sea.
Miles Ahead: Jetpack presses on in the Round Britain and Ireland Race, with crews facing thousands of nautical miles and some of the most exposed waters on the course. Photo: James Tomlinson
Richard and Emma Breese’s double-handed J/105 Mojo was among those caught in a windless patch after previously making gains overnight, leaving the crew facing a patient search for stronger breeze further west.
Double Trouble: Mojo’s two-person crew settles into the long-haul rhythm of the Round Britain and Ireland Race, where double-handed teams face an exacting offshore challenge. Photo: James Tomlinson
Race of Contrasts
Four days into the race, two markedly different contests are developing around the British and Irish coastlines.
At the front, Pace is exploiting the Atlantic weather system to race rapidly towards Muckle Flugga. Hundreds of miles astern, much of the fleet is still trying to escape the lighter Celtic Sea conditions and connect with the stronger southerly airflow.
That transition could prove increasingly significant as high pressure develops behind the leaders.
For Pace, Varuna 6 and Palanad 4, meanwhile, the character of the race is about to change. Rounding the northern extremity will bring their high-speed downwind charge to an end and begin the long southbound leg — setting up another tactical and physical test on the road back to Cowes.
