The winner of last month's RORC Cervantes Trophy, Black Sheep, the UK-based Sun Fast 3600 skippered by Trevor Middleton, has become the latest entry into next month's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race, adding further excitement to an already exotic fleet.
The boat's recent victory at the 40-boat Cervantes Trophy last month makes it one of the on-form boats for the biennial 700-mile circumnavigation, with its crew well-practised in mastering the vagaries of the Irish race.
The Round Ireland Race is almost seven times the distance of the RORC trophy fixture that races from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes and finishes in Le Havre, Normandy, France. However, the early season win for Middleton and his crew means they are in top form to take on the challenge.
Jake Carter, a crew member on Black Sheep, spoke about the team's determination after securing their recent win. "At the end of the race, we got further east than the competition; the tide had changed, and we were not fighting it as much. We made a late gain there for sure," he said.
Black Sheep is just one of four Sun Fast 3600s set to participate in the race, with Ashley Field's Panache from Pwllheli Sailing Club, Steve Berry's Marco Polo from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, and Rob Craigie and Deb Fish in Bellino of RORC also entered for the June 22nd Irish race.