SAILING:Thanks to fresh conditions on the south coast, the first finishers in the Dún Laoghaire to Dingle Race were finally able to pick up their skirts and complete the 300-mile course yesterday morning. The corrected time waiting game is under way to determine which of the fleet will win overall on handicap.
As expected, Phelim O'Connell's chartered Farr 52-footer Chernikeef, sailing as Deloitte for the National Yacht Club, was first home shortly before 8am yesterday, securing line honours but still a full 12 hours outside Eamon Conneely's 2005 record of 32 hours 33 minutes set on board his TP52 Patches.
Hard on O'Connell's heels was Stephen McCarthy's Nadie from the Royal Cork YC leading the pursuing pack into Dingle as the breeze held around 15 knots from the south.
Shortly after 6pm, Jim and Sheila Tyrells' Aquelina crossed the finishing, raising hopes that the Arklow crew might yet be celebrating a win by the X109. However, as the evening drew in, a third batch of boats separated by less than one hour began their final approach to the line.
Included in this was Mick Loughnane's Finnegan's Wake, a Grand Soleil 37-footer which has performed well and tipped by some as the winner overall.
Meanwhile, Conneely begins a new campaign on his newly-christened Patches, a latest generation TP52 that goes into action this afternoon in the first race of the Breitling MedCup in Alicante.
