Round Ireland Race Day Six (Thursday) 1700 hrs -  In the end, it was just about two miles of the Wicklow coast that did for them. Mike and Richie Evans with the J/99 Snapshot knew they’d to be at the finish on the Wicklow Harbour pierheads at 16.33 hrs to hold their overall SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race lead in IRC which – if added to their overall victory last year in the Sovereigns at Kinsale – would have made for two years of mega-achievement.

But even though in the final ten miles of flukey windward work they made mincemeat of all the boats around them, it wasn’t quite enough, 16:33 came and went, but though the finish line was clearly in sight, it was a case of oh so very near, but oh so very far. And now it looks very much as though the French J/111 SL Energies skippered by Laurent Charmy is going to be the overall winner. (Wicklow organisers confirmed on Thursday at 10 pm the Clubhouse winner is French J/111 SL Energies -Ed).

So how did she do it? Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon we referred to the better southeast breeze that seemed in evidence deep into in the big bight on Ireland’s east coast between Howth Head and St John’s Point. Which was all very well if you happened to be in a position to avail of it. But the only boat properly placed to do so was SL Energies, and it enabled her to go from zero to hero.

It looks very much as though the French J/111 SL Energies is going to be the overall winner Photo: Afloat

As had been pointed out in our previous report, she was so becalmed off the County Down coast in the region of the entrance to Strangford Lough that at one stage she’d lost steerage way completely, and was pointing in the opposite direction to her intended course. But once she got the properly into the edge of this handy little breeze, she held on and stayed on port tack going well, and going further west than any other boat in the fleet, only finally tacking south of Drogheda in order to leave Rockabill to starboard.

It was the second time during the race that SL Energies had made such a remarkable recovery from being in the crabgrass. But this time she was near enough to the finish to carry the benefit of it all the way to Wicklow, and when she crossed the line at 0845 this (Thursday) morning, we knew that we were looking at a time which was going to take a lot of beating.

It was all put into perspective with Afloat.ie’s subsequent publishing later this morning of the times SL Energie’s challengers had to beat at Wicklow to topple her from her perch. And it has made for an excruciating day as boats from one’s own port have been putting in a performance which could do the job, but then faded again as the life went out of some temporarily helpful breeze.

So now at least the agony of watching and waiting is over. How on earth do people do this every week with their favourite football team? About once a year is enough for civilised folk. But my goodness, what a race it has been, and still is as the final stages of the drama are played out. A race which broke people’s boats off the west coast, and broke their hearts off the east coast. Time for over-involved observers to lie down in a darkened room…….

Race Tracker & Data below