SAILING/ROUND IRELAND RACE:LIKE A coiled spring, the 40-strong fleet in the BMW Round Ireland Race erupted across the starting-line off Wicklow Harbour yesterday, 20 hours behind schedule due to the severe weather but all eager to make the most of the strong conditions ahead of an expected overnight abatement.
Nobody was surprised when Mike Slade's 100-foot ICAP Leopard sprinted ahead but few could have expected its breath-taking pace towards the Arklow Bank that left the bulk of the fleet standing by comparison.
In reality though, all comers made good time southwards and by late afternoon yesterday, most of the pack had either rounded the Tuskar Rock off Carnsore Point or were about to do so.
Still, Slade and his 25-strong crew made impressive ground thanks to their 30-plus knot boatspeed that saw the super-maxi slice through the rough seas and turn spray into a gunsmoke-like mist.
Close behind were a clutch of the mid-sized boats of around 50 to 60 feet in length, led by Kenny McCullough and his team from Ballyholme Yacht Club on Alburn, a third generation Volvo 60-footer.
Astern of him was Adrian Lee on his Cookson 50 footer with its canting keel that delivered impressive power. However, his boat's previous owner had not made the starting-line in his latest swing-keel craft.
Ger O'Rourke's McConnells Chieftain had been a potential overall winner on handicap corrected time but, in the storm force conditions of yesterday morning at Dun Laoghaire, a bump against the marina resulted in a small hole just above the transom waterline and the 70-footer was out.
So too was Andres Soriano's brand new Mark Mills-designed 68-footer Alegre that included Brazilian Olympic legend Torben Grael and four of his team from his Ericsson campaign for this year's Round the World race on board.
An appointment in Sweden on Wednesday to launch their second team 70-footer saw them cry off yesterday morning as the weather obliged Wicklow Sailing Club and Royal Ocean Racing Club organisers to order a second, shorter postponement.
Starting at midday, the weather was still delivering fierce gusts at Wicklow but coming off the land took the worst of the sea conditions away provided the fleet stayed closer to the coast.
A strong ebb tide carried 40 boats, six less than the entered fleet, southwards and to the south-east corner of Ireland where new gale warnings were predicting a night of westerly gales before an abatement by the morning.
That abatement, to be followed tonight by another depression is likely to hand the smaller boats in this handicap decided event a distinct advantage. Should the leaders become becalmed, possibly on the north coast at the tidal gates of Rathlin and Mew Islands, then the small boats could gain time on the front-runners as they surf northwards along the Atlantic sea-board.
Nevertheless, regardless of the IRC handicap race for the overall trophy, Slade's pursuit of Colm Barrington's 1998 record time of 76 hours, 53 minutes and 57 seconds appears unstoppable thanks to the fully powered keel and winches on this, the largest yacht to ever compete in this event.
Meanwhile, race supporters can follow the fleet's progress online using the OC Tracker system on each of the boats that shows their positions and speed and is updated every 30 minutes by satellite. Visit: www.roundirelandrace.ie
branigan@indigo.ie
