ICAP Leopard, the 100ft super-maxi racing yacht owned by Helical Bar PLC chief executive Mike Slade, has ended her transatlantic record attempt. After a fantastic start, ICAP Leopard found herself in a windless high pressure at 02:00 UTC on Saturday 420 nm from the finish. With the record looking less and less achievable, Skipper and Boat Captain Chris Sherlock took the decision to abandon the attempt.

Having started on Saturday 29th May in New York, ICAP Leopard has had to contend with variable conditions from the start. The crew worked hard in the first few hours to position themselves correctly to pick up a weather front with enough breeze to get them up to record speed. Having achieved this, the crew were then able to keep the boat going fast through a cold and wet few days mid-Atlantic. With a record attempt of this nature the weather has to be consistently good for the entire voyage, which is hard to predict 9 or 10 days in advance. On this occasion a high pressure system on the approach to the UK blocked ICAP Leopard’s path and ended any hope of breaking the record.

ICAP Leopard Owner, Mike Slade, commented: ”We have a great yacht which has now proven itself over the last three years to be physically fast enough and powerful enough to easily churn out 500+ miles day after day and could have broken this record. However, on this occasion it materialised that the weather was not on our side and after a fantastic run at the start, the crew were forced to gybe all the way home during the latter part of the race. It just goes to prove how difficult this record is to beat and what a great boat Mari Cha IV was.”

Chris Sherlock also commented: “The crew did a phenomenal job to put us in such a great position during the first 5 days of the attempt, it is just a real shame that the forecast didn’t work out for us on this occasion. When we started we always knew that there may be a ridge of high pressure blocking our route to the finish, but we hoped that we would be able to navigate our way through without slowing too much. It is really disappointing that our record attempt was thwarted by the wind gods but no doubt we’ll be back to take on the mighty Atlantic again next year.”

ICAP Leopard was the most high-profile racing yacht to take part in the last Round Ireland, but this time around she will compete in the JP Morgan Round the Island Race on 19th June followed by a large number of corporate charters and sponsor commitments in the UK. Her next record breaking adventure will see Slade and his crew attempt to take on the Sevenstar Round Great Britain & Ireland Race starting on August 23rd this year.

Once again they will be equipped with a tracker and their adventures can be followed at www.leopard3.com. Following this ICAP Leopard will head to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean for further racing on the International circuit.

Planning to do this year's Round Ireland Yacht Race? You could do a lot worse than listen in to how Galway's Aodhan Fitzgerald put together a team of friends to win the 2008 race. Also on Afloat.ie are navigation tips from tactician Brian Mathews. There is little over a fortnight to the race start in Wicklow. Notice of race here. Get your crew together now for the 16th circumnavigation!

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Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

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If you're heading offshore this season with ISORA or navigating Round Ireland this month don't forget your 2010 Irish Almanac. It offers the racing yachtsman ready access to essential information by virtue of its clear information and user friendly format. Its available online here or at major chandleries

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There is only one week to go to enter the Round Ireland Race before a 50% late entry fee penalty applies. Wicklow Organisers are hoping for a fleet in excess of 40 boats to mark the 30th anniversary of the event and so far the east coast club are recording 19 entries. In a further initiative to bring in entries from across the Irish Sea and beyond, the Royal Ocean Racing Club fixture is offering a two for one deal for all overseas entries. The deal has been made possible through the Inter-reg project, Irish-Sea.org. Wicklow SC remind entrants that they are required to have a completed “RORC Checklist” prior to arriving for the event. A 50% Late Entry Fee will be applied to entries received after 8th June 2008

No entry will be accepted after Thursday 17th June 2010.

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Round Ireland race record holder ICAP Leopard, the 100ft super-maxi racing yacht owned by Mike Slade, crossed the start line at Ambrose Light on Saturday to begin her attempt on the 2,925 nautical mile monohull transatlantic speed record. ICAP Leopard will need to cross the finish line at Lizard Point before 12h 37m UTC on Saturday 5th June to break the current record held by Mari Cha IV of 6 days, 17 hours and 52 minutes.

Starting in 15 knots of wind, ICAP Leopard will head north to hook into a weather system developing over Nova Scotia this weekend. It is hoped that ICAP Leopard will be able to ride this weather system all the way across, however she may encounter some high pressure on the approach to the UK. It is hoped a fast start will give ICAP Leopard a good chance of getting through the high pressure and across the line in record time.

ICAP Leopard will be carrying a GPS tracker during her record attempt, to follow her progress online go to: www.leopard3.com 

The latest entrants in the 2010 Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race include boats from Dublin, Cork, Northern Ireland, Wales and England.  “Joker” from Kinsale Yacht Club is a Sigma 38 which has entered the race before but is this time sailed by Michael Broderick and David Gibbons.  Derek Gilmore from Kircubbin Sailing Club in Strangford Lough has entered “Gumdrop”, a Contessa 35.   Dominic O’Keeffe of the Royal Irish Yacht Club has entered a Beneteau 44 “Water Logic” for the first time.   “Minstral of St Helier” a Sigma 38 sailed by Keith Mander, is a first entrant from the Royal Welsh Yacht Club,   “Psipina” from RORC will be sailed this year by John Loden and Paddy Cronin who won the two handed class in 2008 with Mumbo.ie,  a J35.

Among the entrants for the 2010 race are two identical yachts from Sailing Logic, based in the Solent, the leading yacht racing charter company in the UK. These are “Visit Malta Puma” (aka Puma Logic RORC Yacht of the Year 2009), skippered by Philippe Falle, with eight crew plus skipper and mate. The oldest member of the crew is Brian Philipps who is 70!  The second Sailing Logic boat is “Jaguar Logic” skippered by James Allen who skippered ‘Me to You’ on the Challenge 2000 Race, and is Training Manager for Clipper Ventures.  Again there is a crew of eight plus skipper and mate.

Enquiries from possible entrants in the race are welcome. Application forms and further details are available from [email protected] or Dennis Noonan Telephone: 01-2819459.

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The rule is simple; Keep Ireland and all her islands to starboard. For the captain and crews undertaking the Round Ireland Yacht race this summer with Sailing West on their Sunfast 37 and Reflex 38, one can add the following rules: Keep everyone safe, Keep to the Rhumb line and Get back on the Rhumb Line!

The sailing school - based from Dun Laoghaire - aims to include up to 20 Irish sailors in the key event. The crews will be made up of sailors from all backgrounds and disciplines who have a passion for sailing.

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John Sheehy remains Ireland's top-ranked match racer, jumping twelve slots in the international rankings to 73rd in the world. Closing the gap considerably, clubmate Andrew Fowler's win in the most recent Investec Dublin Match Racing Open takes him 55 places higher to 164th, with North Sails helm Maurice O'Connell moving from 285th in the world to number 190, a jump of 95 ranking places.

The Irish rankings can be seen in full here.

From an entry list of 30 sailing boats, 19 boats came to the line in Holyhead for the 3rd ISORA race – 75 miles to Dun Laoghaire. The fleet, that was missing many of their “regulars” had four newcomers to ISORA - “Mojito”, Peter Dunlop, “Poppy of St. Helier”, John Roberts (another John Roberts), “Intuiition” and “One Life”, both of Sailing West Sailing School.

There were two significant predicted factors affecting the race – the extremely strong Spring Tides and a wind shift from northwest to southwest during the race. As forecast the wind was 12knots northwest at the start and immediately the fleet split into two halves. The main fleet headed south plugging the north going tide while a small bunch headed north using the strong tide.

The wind followed its forecast and backed south-west although the north part of the fleet were lifted onto Rockabill, the wind was stronger for the south fleet who arrived under spinnaker.

Despite this the entire fleet, closely bunched met again at Rockabill. “Tsunami”, Vincent Farrell, who was part of the north fleet, round first, followed closely by “Raging Bull” Matt Davis and “Intuition”, Sailing West Sailing School, both of whom were part of the south fleet. The strong tide had just turned to go north as the fleet rounded and made their way to Kish.

The wind, that had been very fickle at Rockabill increased to 20 knots shortly after the leaders rounded Rockabill and it was a beat to Kish. The wind had not finished its gyrations and the fleet experienced a huge wind shift off Lambay. This shift enabled those who had gone towards the coast to crack off and reach to Kish while those who stayed out fetched to the mark.

Despite this the leader order of rounding the Kish was the same as rounding of Rockabill. The new wind direction produced a beat from Kish to the finish with the wind reducing to 7 knots at the finish. The first boat to cross the finish line was “Tsunami”, who only managed to take 2nd in Class 1. It was followed closely by Matt Davis’s “Raging Bull” who won Class 1. “Intuition”,

Sailing West Sailing School, crossed the line 3rd to take 3rd in Class 1. Class 2 was won by “Poppy” followed by “Mojito” and “Just Enough”, Stephen Tudor.

Class 2 boats dominated the overall results with the same boats winning the overall positions.

As newcomers to ISORA, “Poppy” and “Mojito” have really made a huge impact in their inaugural race and ISORA's hope is their presence can be repeated on the ISORA start line in the future. The next race is next weekend 5th June from Pwllheli to Wicklow. It is another 75- mile race.