Pata Negra completed a commanding double in Saturday's Musto ISORA Championship race from Pwllheli to Greystones, taking both line honours and IRC overall victory after a hard-fought beat across the Irish Sea.
Andrew Hall's Lombard 46 covered the 73-nautical-mile course in 9 hours 49 minutes 18 seconds, finishing almost an hour ahead of her nearest rival. The Welsh entry then comfortably retained top spot after IRC time correction to underline her dominance.
Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia secured second on the water in 10:42:54 and held that position on corrected time, while J122 sistership Mojito crossed the line just 23 seconds later to complete the IRC podium.
The race unfolded almost exactly as forecast. Fresh west to west-southwesterly winds turned the crossing into a sustained windward contest rather than the reaching conditions seen in earlier races this season. Boat handling, tacking strategy and finding the strongest pressure became the decisive factors over more than 70 miles.
Those conditions played directly to the strengths of the fleet's biggest boat. The powerful Lombard 46 relished the breeze, allowing Pata Negra to establish an early advantage and steadily extend it through the afternoon. Winning both on the water and on corrected time was a fitting reward for a polished performance in conditions that demanded speed, consistency and smart tactical decisions.
Behind the leading trio, the corrected-time results produced some notable changes. Hijacker climbed to fourth overall on IRC despite finishing fifth on elapsed time, highlighting the Ker 32's strong handicap performance in the heavy upwind conditions.
Finally and Crackajack completed the top six, while Prime Suspect from Kilmore Quay, fourth across the finish line, slipped to seventh after IRC correction. The tracker showed Loinnir retiring before the finish.
The provisional IRC overall results (from the race tracker) were:
- Pata Negra
- Aurelia
- Mojito
- Hijacker
- Finally
- Crackajack
- Prime Suspect
Pata Negra's latest victory strengthens her position in the 2026 ISORA Championship and confirms the Lombard 46 as one of the benchmark performers in this season's series.
