Sailing: Even though O2 Team Spirit will be half way round Ireland by lunchtime today, her skipper, David Nixon, is painfully aware that a Royal Cork entry half the size of his chartered, water-ballasted yacht and nearly 60 miles behind is the de facto leader of the Round Ireland race.
Three times Laser champion Peter O'Leary, who jokingly indicated he would like to jump ship as helmsman from Royal Cork entry Mini the Moocher when gale-force winds lashed Wicklow harbour and forced the postponement of Saturday's start, now finds himself in the lead of the Round Ireland fleet, which has been reduced from 49 to 44 through retirements, as it rounded the Fastnet last night.
Interim corrected handicap time results produced by Wicklow Sailing Club indicated Mini the Moocher was continuing down the south coast rhumb line to the Fastnet at 8.5 knots, aiming to be at the rock by 1 a.m. and confident of maintaining her lead.
02 Team Spirit, on course to break the elapsed time record, reached the rock at 6.15 p.m. last night, was listed as fourth at the Tuskar - a turning point now some 160 miles behind the fleet.
Irish Commodore's Cup entry Fidessa Fastwave (Chris Brown), after deck gear trouble lies second.
Surprisingly, a double-handed entry, Thunder II, was third at Tuskar, when the fleet started rounding it after midnight on Saturday.
Far from being an inauspicious move, the four-hour postponement produced the most spectacular race in its 24-year history in a strong but manageable force 5 southerly breezes and steep seas at tea time on Saturday.
In an orderly departure, the 47 starters (there were two no shows) were all clear at the 6 p.m. gun. Within minutes it became clear that the heaviest boat in the fleet at 13 tonnes, 02 Team Spirit, was the fastest off the line upwind.
As they approached Arklow Bank, bows crashing through steep waves, the two 60s split tacks, Chomette carrying on out into the Irish Sea, after first blood went to Spirit and Nixon, opting for a tack inshore to take advantage of a 180 wind tending right by 10 degrees.
The balance of the 49-boat fleet had little choice to follow her - in a starboard tack procession - with the smaller boats soaking up the worst of wind against tide seas.
02 Team Spirit rounded the Tuskar at 23.42, more or less low water, on Saturday night, taking six hours to complete the 50-mile stretch to the south east corner of Ireland. The slowest boat took 14.
In so doing Nixon closed an important tidal gate behind him. Having rounded the rock in a favourable south-going tide, he left the rest of the 49-boat fleet stemming a north going current.
Predictably, next round was CityJet Solune at 12.40 a.m., but already suffering a one-hour deficit on her main rival and to be ranked 23rd on handicap.
By Saturday evening phone navigator Chris Tibbs admitted the upwind sailing had shown the five-tonne advantage of the Volvo 60 design over the French canting keel.
"They have preferred conditions. If we get the right conditions (reaching under spinnaker) on the west coast we can get right back at them," he said.
