Sunday (Day 2, 1930 hrs):  When the mighty Teasing Machine (Eric de Turckheim) put the Fastnet Rock astern at 1630 hrs this afternoon, she was not only leading the SSE Renewables Round Ireland IRC Fleet on the water by 15 miles from the next boat Searcher, but had made such a good job of short tacking along the West Cork coast that she’d drawn level with the previous all-types leader. This was and is the big trimaran Paradox (Adam Davis) which – like many of her type – wasn’t a happy budgie in that sort of windward sailing, particularly when shaping up against one of the best offshore racing crews in the world in a notably versatile boat.

Teasing Machine (Eric de Turckheim) put the Fastnet Rock astern at 1630 hrs this afternoon

WITH FASTNET ASTERN, SHEETS EASED AT LAST

After the Rock, with sheets slightly eased to sail on course for Mizen Head, they weren’t the first boats to have found an area of softness in the onshore breeze in towards that bluff headland. No longer constrained by struggling to windward, Paradox pulled ahead, and for a while the Machine astern was down at only 3.9 knots. But up ahead, brisker south to southwest winds are beckoning to power them both past the coast of Kerry and beyond, with Paradox inevitably pulling away unless the bottom falls out of the long-forecast fair wind.

Pete Smyth and his brothers and mates aboard the re-liveried Ker 46 Searcher for the 2024 Round Ireland Race Photo: Afloat

Astern, Pete Smyth and his brothers and mates aboard the re-liveried Ker 46 Searcher (ex-2010 Round Ireland winner Tonnere de Breskens) have been learning - with mutual benefit - how to make their newly-acquired mount go better and better, and have pulled away to such good effect from Mark Emerson’s A13 Phosphorus II (the former Teasing Machine) that when Searcher came past the Gascanane Sound northeast of Cape Clear Island at 1800 hrs, Phosphorous was all of ten miles astern and making only 5.8 knots compared to Searcher’s 6.5, with both of them slowed by the sea breeze accentuation becoming lessened in the sou’west breeze as evening drew on.

TEASING MACHINE’S WIDER OPTIONS

All of which is an unwelcome reminder for the rest of the fleet that Teasing Machine may now have more tactical choices in her downwind options as she gradually ticks off the great headlands of the southwestern seaboard, while knowing the better breeze is out to the west and northwest. But those still to the east of the Fastnet have no choice but to continue struggling along a coast which - as the dusk draws on - will be trying to serve up a classic night breeze off the land as the natural conclusion to such a perfect summer’s day.

BELLINO AND DESERT STAR SHOW WELL

Meanwhile, overall it’s now a case of Might Is Right in Line Honours, with a straight 1,2, 3 for Teasing Machine, Searcher and Phosphorus. But they all carry a ferocious rating, and back down the line, RORC Commodore Deb Fish and Rob Craigie racing two-handed in the Sunfast 3600 Bellino have been weaving in and out of that first place overall in IRC, while a suitably stellar performance is also being put in by Ronan O Siochru and his Irish Offshore Sailing trainee team on Desert Star, an old boat retrieved from a de-comissioning charter fleet in Greece more than twenty years ago, and now re-born and having the sail of her life.

RORC Commodore Deb Fish and Rob Craigie racing two-handed in the Sunfast 3600 Bellino (above) on the Wicklow startline on Saturday afternoon and (below) She has been here before, eleven months ago. Bellino at the Rock during the 2023 Fastnet Race, when she finished 18th in the 96-boat two-handed division. Photos: Afloat and Rolex

Either way, this is going to be one long night. Although Paradox and Teasing Machine had the Mizen astern of the beam by 1815 hrs, they were finding the southerly wind very soft indeed, and the thought of that brisker breeze tantalisingly beyond the horizon was if anything only adding to the frustration.

COASTAL CAPERS AN OVERNIGHT WINNER?

But those still along the coast know that last night (Saturday) the night breeze off the land did indeed appear in textbook style to drive everyone on their way. It could well be that in this exceptional spell of true summer weather, coastal capers are currently the only way to go.

The Royal St. George Yacht Club J122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) pictured off the Cork Buoy on Sunday afternoon. The Dublin crew were the May winners of Kinsale's Inistearaght Race, a stretch of coast they will encounter again tonight in this Round Ireland Race Photo: Bob Bateman