Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 0800 hrs - Despite the continuing prospect of light north to northeast winds, this morning’s south-going ebb tide off the Wicklow coast should speed up the progress of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow, helping on-water leader Kuka3 (Cookson 50, Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) towards the finish before lunchtime today (Wednesday).
Towards 0800hrs, Kuka was gliding along at 4.0 knots, well at sea off Dublin Bay, (see live Dublin Bay webcams here - Ed) with 20 miles still to sail to the Wicklow pierhead. After two days of light air sailing while dealing with the many challenges of the tide-riven north and northeast coasts of Ireland, the diverse fleet is now spread along almost 200 miles of the Irish coastline, with the smallest boat in the race, Grzegorz Kalinecki’s First 310 More Mischief from Dun Laoghaire, in process of passing Tory Island in Donegal in the tail-ender position, but sailing at a good 6.2 knots in her own private westerly breeze.
Meanwhile, the key boats in the current battle for the overall IRC Handicap win have spent a night of little wind in the North Channel and the North Irish Sea. The 0800 leader, the French J/111 SL Energies, was off the entrance to Strangford Lough and showing a speed of only 1.8 knots, but while the now second-placed J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans, Howth YC) is making 5.5 knots off Red Bay on the Antrim coast, she is aided by the locally stronger fair tide in addition to a slightly firmer nor’west breeze.
Third on IRC overall is Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC), making 4.6 knots off Belfast Lough, though well out in the middle of the North Channel.
The two on-water leaders in the main IRC Division, Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (HYC) and Michael Boyd’s J/121 Darkwood (RIYC) are in the north Irish Sea in close proximity, with Samatom ahead boat-for-boat, but Darkwoood, at sixth overall, the better placed on handicap.
In fact, it’s one of the smaller boats, the gallant two-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt) which is back in the frame at fourth overall in IRC, and currently off the Antrim coast at 130 miles from the finish, racing in close proximity with Snapshot.
Race Tracker & Data below