#roundireland – Afloat's Round Ireland Race 2014 free to enter competition offers a great prize of a McWilliam Sailing Bag to the person who is closest to predicting the elapsed time of the winning yacht.

Last year, Inis Mor won the race, taking 4 days, 8 hours, 16 minutes and 7 seconds to complete the 704–mile course. The fastest elapsed time by a winner is the 3 days, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 57 seconds it took Jeep Cherokee to complete in 1998. In 2006, Cavatina won with the slowest elapsed time to date of 6 days, 9 hours, 20 minutes and 20 seconds, taking 1 day and 18 hours longer than she did when winning in 2002.

Please note the predicted time elapsed time is not the time taken by the first to finish, it is the time taken by the boat that is the overall winner of the race. This is the boat with the lowest corrected time (elapsed time x TCF).

A full list of the historical elapsed times can be found here.

To enter click HERE

Competition Rules

1. Entries must be received by email by 14.00 on Saturday, 28th June 2014.

2. There can be only one entry for each e-mail address

3. Each entry must be complete with valid e-mail 

4. Times will be those supplied by the race organisers.

5. The winner will be the person whose predicted time is closest in time to the elapsed time of the winner in the IRC Overall category.

7. The Judges decisions is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Fancy a free McWilliams bag? Easy! All you have to do is head to Afloat's Facebook page, hit the 'Like' button, and post the answer to the following question on our wall: Who was the overall winner of the 2010 Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, run by Wicklow Sailing Club?

Winners picked Midday Wednesday, and more competitions to come on both Facebook (facebook.com/Afloatmagazine) and Twitter (twitter.com/AfloatMagazine) - stay tuned!

Markham Nolan spoke with South African Matt Trautman, boat captain of clubhouse leader Tonnerre de Breskens 3. Matt tells Afloat.ie about the crucial factors in Tonnerre's total domination of the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, which they led from start to finish.

Club house leader: Tonnerre at the start of the Race last Sunday. Photos: Bob Bateman

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

Round Ireland Yacht Race, Ireland's top offshore fixture

Reports from Wicklow suggest that the crew of Tonnerre de Breskens 3, the line honours winner, have decamped to their hotel for some well-deserved rest. The ease with which they sleep will be telling.

Only two boats in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race have finished, and tradition dictates that it's a race rarely decided by first-past-the-post. With 34 of the 36 boats still on the race course, a handicap finisher can always put a fly in the ointment. One boat with potential to do that is Cavatina.

Her handicap means that she has until 10.27 on Friday morning, which gives Tonnerre enough time to have a lie-in and and Irish breakfast before watching the clock count down to an assured victory.

Inis Mor's target time has come and gone so they are no longer an issue for Tonnerre, and it will take a boat with a big handicap to cause them a sleepless night. 

It will also take a lot of wind, something that's in short supply. Back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest Cavatina need to be moving at an average of 8.7 knots for the remainder of their race to win. Cavatina is currently located at Rathlin Island, says the tracker, doing exactly zero knots, with not much more than eight knots of wind forecast over the next 18 hours. Even sailing downstream in spring tides all the way, Cavatina would still need a divine intervention.

One big remaining question is whether or not Psipsina can retain her double-handed title. She's currently caught in the narrows off Strangford making just two knots while Daft.com heads into the Irish Sea at more than 7 knots. Psipsina has held the lead for the majority of the race, and the good money would back her to retain it at this stage.

Still a lot to play for, however, and tomorrow morning should see the rankings finalised in most classes.

For tracker-addicts and those with friends and relations battling in the pack, it's another evening of F5 refreshes and twitching fingers. 

Tonnerre de Bresken took line honours in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race early this morning, tying up in Wicklow harbour just after 4am. The Dutch entry held off the Open 60 Spirit of Rosslare Europort in a light airs beat down the Irish Sea, but all eyes will now scan the horizon for the main challenger for the overall title, Inis Mor. Bernard Guoy's Clifden-registered Ker 39 has until 14.13 to finish if they want to claim overall honours. This is a tall order, with the Frenchman just south of the mouth of Strangord Lough, making seven knots on a fetch to Wicklow.

Light airs and strong tides either side of midnight meant that the anchors came out for some boats off Rathlin Island.

Gloom continues to be the prevailing mood on the beleagured double-hander Daft.com, operating with no electronics or autohelm. Their latest online missive read: "Rage! Wind has disappeared and we are anchored just after Rathlin Island. Very keen for the finish now. Bruised, blistered, cut, tired, sore and ready to get moving into the finish line."

Conditions are getting to Hanna White aboard Dinah, also, who tweeted: "No sleep, rubbish food, peeing in a bucket, remind me again why I do this sport?"

Two packs of three are duelling down the Northern Irish coast behind Inis Mor. Visit Malta Puma, Pride of Wicklow and Fujitsu are all within 2.5 miles of each other, and then twelve miles back, Daft.com, Aquelina and Bejaysus are battling it out.

The fleet are stretched like a swimming cap over the head of the country in a line from Strangford Lough to Bloody Foreland.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

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

Celtic Spirit has become the first retiral in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, with a broken pole meaning they have no effective means for sailing downwind. A report on the official race site says: "Owner Michael Holland tells us crew member, Joe, had a very lucky escape as the broken pole flew across deck and knocked him down - fortunately it was just a glancing blow and the only damage was a torn jacket. All is not lost - they are closeby Inishboffin and know a nice deep hole to anchor in to enable them drown their sorrows."

Meanwhile the hobbled Daft.com has lost ground to the chasing pack with a cracked spreader, and are being caught gradually by Pride of Wicklow, Fujistu and Visit Malta Puma as they round Malin Head. A broken alternator has resulted in no electrics aboard the double-hander, which has meant that Mick Liddy on Daft.com has had to helm non-stop. His blind co-skipper, Mark Pollock, was reliant on technology to allow him steer, and the two are suffering from sleep deprivation (see video below).

From Pride of Wicklow's shore crew via their Twitter feed: "Edging their way ahead in a game of wits...ETA 2-4 pm Thursday... but they are working hard to improve that.come on Powwwwwww"

Inis Mor still holds the lead overall and third on the water, and the tide should turn soon to suck her around into the Irish Sea. Tonnerre de Breskens continues to hold off the Open 60 at the front, with Alan McGettigan's crew having to make some slow angles in light beating conditions.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

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

The latest results in the Conway Media Round Ireland show that Inis Mor had managed to sneak back in front as the fleet began to round the north coast. A 6am report from the race office puts Tonnerre in second, with Inis Mor leading the standings and Class Zero. 

More as we have it.

FROM THE RACE OFFICE;

Race Office Update 23/06/2010 @ 06.30 hours

Provisional results for leaders of each class Wednesday 23rd at 06.00 hours.

Overall
1st Inis Mor 
2nd Tonnerre de Breskens3 
3rd Visit Malta Puma

IRC 0 Inis Mor
IRC 1 Visit Malta Puma 
IRC 2 Psipsina 
IRC 3 Alchimiste 
Class 4 Cruisers Cavatina 
Class 5 Classics Cavatina 
Class 6 Sigma 38 Persistance 
Class 7 Two Handed Psipsina

“Pride of Wicklow “ currently lying 6th in overall fleet and 3rd in Class 0.

The lead boat “Tonnerre de Breskens3” is approx 150 miles from the finish.

Barry Hurley, co-skipper of double-handed entry Dinah (along with Hannah White) has phoned in a quick podcast update describing conditions up the west coast of Ireland for the fleet in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race. Dinah's division is still being led by Psipsina, who also lead Class 2, with Daft.com struggling to make speed off the coast of Galway, losing some ground to the boats that stayed closer to shore.

Tonnerre de Breskens is still in the lead on the water and on paper, ploughing a furrow towards Donegal and trailing Spirit of Rosslare Europort in her wake. Those two boats have maintained speed and looks like they should get the new breeze earlier than most, too, hurrying them around the top of Ireland.

Boats can now call in race reports from the water direct to our webmaster's voicemail for use as podcasts, just dial 08652570320 and leave your report after the beep, and we'll get it up online as soon as possible.

Results below are as at 12pm.

Overall

1st Tonnerre de Breskens3
2nd Inis Mor 
3rd Visit Malta Puma

IRC 0 Tonnerre de Breskens3
IRC 1 Visit Malta Puma 
IRC 2 Psipsina
IRC 3 Alchimiste

Class 4 Cruisers Cavatina
Class 5 Classics Cavatina
Class 6 Sigma 38 Persistence
Class 7 Two Handed Psipsina

It was all change on the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race leaderboard with on-the-water leader Tonnerre de Breskens taking pole, both elapsed and corrected, at the 9.30am check-in. Tonnerre led both Class Zero and the overall standings, and is at present holding off the Open 60 Spirit of Rosslare Europort as the breeze prepares to take a break, dying off before strengthening again later from a more westerly direction.

Inis Mor is in second, with IRC 1 leader Visit Malta Puma in third overall.

Daft.com have let their crown slip, with defending double-handed champion Paddy Cronin, sailing with John Loden, taking the lead in that class overall for the time being as the yachts chase up the west coast.

Cavatina still leads cruisers 4 and the classics, but her fate and those like her won't be known until the weather patters for the next three days play themselves out. There's still all to play for in an intriguing Round Ireland.

Overall 1st Tonnerre de Breskens3 
2nd Inis Mor 
3rd Visit Malta Puma

IRC 0 Tonnerre de Breskens3
IRC 1 Visit Malta Puma 
IRC 2 Psipsina 
IRC 3 Alchimiste

Class 4 Cruisers Cavatina 
Class 5 Classics Cavatina 
Class 6 Sigma 38 Persistance 
Class 7 Two Handed Psipsina

{form1}

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

Round Ireland Yacht Race, Ireland's top offshore fixture

Just over half the fleet have rounded the Fastnet Rock in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, with the leaders stretching their legs in plenty of breeze up the west coast. With between 14 and 20 knots of wind from an average direction of 200 degrees, those that have pointed their noses north up the west coast have been able to pull away, with Tonnerre de Breskens now 40 miles clear of the nearest challenger on the water, the Open 60 Spirit of Rosslare Europort. Tonnerre is off Slyne Head, with yesterday's overall leader, Inis Mor, 55 miles behind the leader and both are heading inshore, which would seem to be the smart thing to do, keeping them in the stronger band of wind for longer.

French Yacht Inis Mor is among the leaders at the halfway stage of this week's Round Ireland Race. Photo: Bob Bateman

The winds look like lightening and veering, which would mean the boats further inshore would not only be in stronger wind for longer, but when it does drop and veer, they will be on a hotter angle up the west coast than those further out.

The leader is now almost at the halfway point in terms of distance, while the boat bringing up the rear has covered approximately 25% of the total distance, a spread from top to bottom of 175 miles.

The top four are spread out over 70 miles, with fifth to eighth all within six miles of each other. From eleventh back, the fleet snakes from Dursey Island all the way back to Glandore.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

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

Results at 1500hrs yesterday are the most recent provided:

Overall 1st Inis Mor 
2nd Visit Malta Puma
3rd Tonnerre de Breskens 3

IRC 0 Inis Mor
IRC 1 Visit Malta Puma
IRC 2 Psipsina
IRC 3 Alchimiste
Class 4 Cruisers Cavatina 
Class 5 Classics Cavatina 
Class 6 Sigma 38 Persistance
Class 7 Two Handed Daft.com