In my opinion it's Inis Mor this year for overall honours in the Conway Media Round Ireland Race.  If there isn’t a parking lot after Rathlin, they should hold their time on the guys ahead.  It seems to me that they have sailed very smartly - less distance by keeping close to the rhumbline.  While Tonnerre is making good speed they are getting too far west and any southwesterly in the wind will slow them down.  I think that Spirit is all over the place.  Closest to Inis Mor is Fujitsu and may challenge up the west coast but Inis Mor know the course well and are savvy sailors. PS Dont rule out Cavatina Just yet!

Add your own prediction,  join our forum thread here or comment below!

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Bernard & Laurent Guoy lead the standings after a full day's racing in the Round Ireland Yacht Race on corrected time in their boat Inis Mor, which is currently second on the water behind Tonnerre de Breskens. The Race Office has issued a provisional listings at midday, with Inis More leading overall and in class 1, with Eric Lisson's Cavatina ieading IRC 3, and both the cruisers class 4 and classics class 5. The Class 40 of Daft.com leads the double-handers.

Dutch entry Tonnere de Breskens has opened up a 13-mile gap on the chasers, and that is likely to widen if they can get cleanly around the Fastnet and into freer breeze that would allow them hoist spinnaker and begin a long downwind leg up the west coast. Another boat dying for some downwind action will be the Open 60 Spirit of Rosslare Europort, which is hurting in the light airs upwind and close hauled sailing to date, which forces them to sail big angles.

Inis Mor has taken an inshore line and may well lose some ground against the leading pack if forced to tack out, which is highly likely unless there is a major swing left. Following her line are a pack of three boats, Aquelina, Pride of Wicklow and Visit Malta Puma. 

Fujitsu is one of the few boats that may not have to put in any major maneoevres ahead of the Fastnet, having gone far offshore early on. It looks like they can now straight-line to the corner, which may allow them gain some good ground on the boats closer to the Cork/Kerry coast.They are currently placed eight on the water, but depending on angles, they may leapfrog ahead of Inis Mor and the three boats in pursuit of her when those boats tack out to clear the land.

We're keen to get comment and feedback on our forum thread started this morning HERE.

The race tracker is HERE, and the official site is HERE.

RESULTS:

Overall                                                 Inis Mor

IRC  1                                                 Inis Mor

IRC  2                                                 Lula Belle

IRC  3                                                 Cavatina

Class 4                  Cruisers                 Cavatina

Class 5                  Classics                 Cavatina

Class 6                  Sigma 38               Persistance

Class 7                 Two Handed         Daft.com

Organisers say over ten thousand people flocked to Wicklow Town this weekend to celebrate the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, the longest race in the Royal Ocean Racing Club calendar.

With the 2010  race marking the landmark 30th anniversary of the country’s most gruelling sailing challenge, there was a lot of excitement across the country as the yachts set sail from Wicklow Bay today (Sunday 20th June 2010) at noon.

While the splendid weather and 36 yachts setting sail from Wicklow Harbour made for excellent viewing conditions, the light winds could mean the race will take longer than last year.

The fastest yacht completed the 704-mile, non-stop race in less than three days last year; this year race organisers believe it is more likely to be closer to four days.

25% of entrants this year are returning contestants hoping to make history on this milestone occasion.  With boats from France, Netherlands, UK as well as from all coasts of Ireland already signed up, Race organiser Denis Noonan, running his sixth event, is confident this promises to be an interesting race.

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Photographer Bob Bateman was in among the fleet for the start of this afternoon's Wicklow's Round Ireland Race. A perfect start in light conditions across Wicklow Bay. His photos below and also on the gallery here.

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Dutch race veteran Piet Vroon's Tonerre de Breskens III made the most of the light northerlies at start time to take the advantage in the opening minutes of this year's Round Ireland race at Wicklow today. The fleet are sailing south now to the Tuskar rock and only one of the 37 boats has gone offshore, presumably in search of stronger wind. The bulk are tightly bunched along the Wicklow shoreline to escape the worse of an adverse tide with an expectation that winds are to turn southerly this evening. Start photos on afloat.ie gallery shortly. Tracker here (and screen grab below taken three hours after the start). Mike Broughton's race forecast here.

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Stronger winds will bring the Round Ireland 2010 fleet home earlier than expected and it will be a fascinating, tactical race, says Wind guru Mike Broughton. The Irish Commodore's Cup team weather specialist says the 37 competitors in today's Round Ireland race will get a close hauled course along the south coast to the Fastnet tomorrow. After light northerly winds for the start at 12 noon today the fleet can expect winds to go southwest by 8pm. Mike's podcast prediction is below. Listen in!

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What size the Round Ireland fleet might be on the startline tomorrow is still in the air as the last entries attend to scuttineering requirements this afternoon. It is unlikely though the fleet will reach 40 because at least two potential entries may have issues with their IRC-handicap certificates that are required for the event, according to David Branigan in yesterday's Irish Times. Also a previously-confirmed entry, Calves Week 2010, has also withdrawn due to a family bereavement. Meanwhile Wicklow Sailing Club has issued the entry list below, attached for download.

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Twenty fours hours out from the start of the Round Ireland Yacht Race and the prediction that the 2010 fixture will be a small boat race is gaining ground as a high pressure settles over the Irish Sea today. In a fleet of 36 entries there are several small boats to choose a likely winner but in any line up it is hard to ignore the record of double race winner Eric Lisson's Cavatina, the veteran yacht from the Royal Cork Yacht Club with the lowest handicap of the entire fleet. The smallest boat is from the north, the First 31.7 Twister campaigned by Terry Fair and David Fletcher. The line up includes plenty of other choices but if it is small boat race it means any overall result many not be known for a week.

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Wicklow Commodore Charlie Kavanagh might be right, tomorrow's Round Ireland start might be like 'watching paint dry'. Lets hope not but an adverse tide flooding northwards all afternoon plus a forecasted light wind means little progress down the East coast for hours tomorrow after the noon start. Wind guru Mike Broughton brings afloat.ie readers up to date with the best prospects for wind tomorrow on our podcast here.

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The start of the 2010 Round Ireland Yacht Race is this Sunday 20th June at 12 noon. Watch the biennial race unfold as up to 35 yachts set sail from Wicklow Bay, with entertainment before and after, including live music in Wicklow Sailing Club and aeroplane display. Click here for a full timetable of entertainment events for the weekend. We'll be following the fleet Round Ireland right here on Afloat.ie, you can view all our posts on the race here.

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

Round Ireland Yacht Race, Ireland's top offshore fixture

A Round up of 80 stories on the 2010 Round Ireland Yacht Race