SAILING/Round Ireland record attempt: Paris yachtsman Jean-Phillippe Chomette makes his Round Ireland encore off the Kish this evening when he and his seven-man crew start their second record attempt in 11 months but already the Irish weather is playing its hand.
Yesterday the eight-man crew were making last-minute sail changes - including carrying an enormous spinnaker - for the 6pm start off the Kish lighthouse acutely aware it is circumstances outside their control that will ultimately seal their fate.
Chomette is already talking down the prospect of success and has warned that because he is starting in the tail of a depression even if he does break the record the result will only be marginal.
A numbers man on and off the water, the Paris financier smashed the Round Britain and Ireland record last year by three days and has worked out he needs to match an average speed of 9.38 knots to break the Irish record and be off the Kish again by 6pm on Friday.
"It is far from ideal but If I don't go tonight, there won't be another weather window for another two weeks" he told The Irish Times.
But what remains tantalisingly elusive for the Frenchman is the perfect forecast that would suit his 10-tonne canting keel yacht that has hit speeds of up to 26 knots. He got that type of breeze to demolish the Round Britain and Ireland record and if he got it again he thinks he could take 24 hours off the Irish record.
The problem identified by navigator Chris Tibbs is that a high pressure area with slack winds will move over Ireland from the Atlantic this week and Chomette, assisted by three weather routers, is betting they can get around the coast with favourable winds before the light winds prevail.
Last night two weather routers said it would be possible to be home before the wind dies, the third said it would be impossible. Although wind speed may yet be an issue, direction is favourable for their south-about attempt and Tibbs reckons that only 70 of the 704 miles will be close hauled, the slowest form of sailing. The majority of the course will be a fast angle under spinnaker.
Last June, as a competitor in the Round Ireland race Chomette and the crew of his 60-foot yacht arrived in Irish waters aiming to smash the Open Cork Dry Gin monohull record of three days, three hours 27 minutes and 45 seconds set in December 2002 by the Irish Independent challenger. Not only did he miss breaking the monohull record on that occasion but both he and rival 60-footer O2 team spirit were unable to eclipse the race record set in 1998 in a time three days, four hours, 23 minutes and 57 seconds.
Tibbs and Chomette will have a final weather briefing this morning and still have the option of pulling the plug on tonight's attempt.
Meanwhile, David Parker (22), from Bray Sailing Club is heading north-about following his start yesterday in search of the single-handed Round Ireland record in a 30-footer. The seven-day, 10-hour record is held by Peter Keig, set in 2001.
