SAILINGA CRUCIAL, overnight race which starts this morning at 10.30 is set to determine Irish hopes for success at the Rolex Commodore's Cup in Cowes. Yesterday saw Ireland Green consolidate a top-three overall position after two further inshore races split the 15 teams into two distinct groups of leaders and followers.
Today's long race will begin on the Royal Yacht Squadron line at West Cowes and send the fleet west on the ebb tide towards Hurst Castle and then to open sea past the Needles channel.
A series of legs, lasting more than 24 hours, will test the crews. Race officials privately estimate that a lull in the light winds already forecast could turn this race in favour of the lower handicapped boats.
Of vital importance for Ireland Green is that this race, which counts for 50 per cent additional points, has been switched to the middle of the series instead of the finale, as in previous events.
Even a bad result from today's race could yet be turned around by Sunday.
Ireland Green lie in third place, still just half-a-point behind defending title-holder Gery Trentesaux's France Blue, but in turn three points behind Britain Red as the new leaders.
The three leaders are separated from the remainder of the fleet by a 24-point gulf.
A win, plus a third place, for Eamonn Rohan's Blondie IV from the Royal Cork YC put his team in good stead, and this was capped off by a third and a fifth by Andrew Allen's Royal North of Ireland boat No Naked Flames.
Tim Costello's Tiamat from the the Dun Laoghaire Motor YC produced a fourth in the morning race and another sixth place by the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Ireland White moved up to fifth place in the standings, some 25 points adrift of Ireland Green, but could potentially turn this around with a good result from the offshore race.
Eamon Crosbie's Teng Tools from the National YC had a superb opening race win, and followed this by leading the class across the starting-line in the afternoon before a spinnaker wrap ended the dream result with an eighth place.
Anthony O'Leary's Antix Eile from the RCYC had two neat third places in the demanding Class One for the big boats, while Conor Phelan's Jump Juice had a disappointing day with seventh and ninth placings.
