Round Ireland Race Day Two (Sunday) 1300hrs - The majestic coast of West Kerry is a tumbling undulation of unexpected peaks and sudden steep cliffs, a seaboard for heroes. And when the wind is fresh to strong or worse from the north, and you’re trying to get north, the seas off West Kerry are a tumbling undulation of unexpected peaks and sudden steep cliffs, a seascape for heroes.

It may be because the North Atlantic Drift divides at Mizen Head, and sends a distinct stream against any northerly wind which makes conditions markedly more hostile than beating against a southerly in the same area. Whatever, the seas have an added steepness, but to make matters worse, they’re all fronts and no backs.

You may well helm your boat up the approaching face at just the right angle to maintain optimum progress and the expectation – or the hope at least - of a reasonably non-stopping continuation on down the other side. But then you crash through the breaking top, and lo and behold - there is no other side. You’re airborne.

That’s what it’s like right now down off the coast of West Kerry, when the wind is full of vim and vigour and the waves are all fronts and no backs. No backs at all. So although we should be marvelling at the fact that – just 24 hours on from the start at Wicklow – fourteen of the Round Ireland fleet have already passed the Fastnet Rock, it’s difficult not to refocus again and again on the on-water leader, the Swiss-owned Cookson 50 Kuka3.

She has already put the Skelligs astern and is now in the full throes of serious windward in very open water to get herself past the Blaskets, and has found some easing in the going by tacking onto port and finding a more comfortable angle on the generally quite confused sea.

Kuka 3 on port gybe and INO HH42 InoXXX on starboard, duelling after Saturday's race start Photo: Bob Bateman

But as it is, with the leverage of her canting keel she had been powering along at 9 knots, almost a clear knot faster than her closest challenger, the HH42 InoXXX, which is still close to the Skelligs. There is no way that 9 knots dead to windward in these conditions is anything other than extremely rugged, yet over their many years in the forefront of international offshore racing success, the Cookson 50s have shown they’re able for it provided their crew can stick the pace, which is what Ger O’Rourke of Kilrush and his team achieved in 2007 when they won the Fastnet Race overall in the Cookson 50 Chieftain.

Whether or not all the fleet has to contend with a windward slugfest off Kerry remains to be seen, as some weather gurus suggest that tomorrow (Monday) will see the winds all over the place, sometimes with complete calms in between.

That’s as may be, but as the great Denis Doyle was wont to observe, you have to sail and race with the wind you’ve got, and in truth it’s like watching a gladiatorial contest to trace Kuka 3 and InoXXX as they punch their way north.

With the bulk of the fleet starting to feel the reality of the Western Ocean this afternoon and evening, we’ll undoubtedly see changes in the positions as the old “horses for courses” truism comes into play.

Chris Power Smith's Royal St George Yacht Club J122, Aurelia has made her second trip past Inishtearaght Island this season Photo: Afloat

The French entry J111 Fastwave Photo: Afloat

But meanwhile after an absolute blinder of drag racing along the south coast during the night, the two-handed Kinsale Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy & Sam Hunt) has zapped into the overall handicap lead and IRC 3 with it, Rockabill VI is right there with her.

ISORA champion Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI is well placed on IRC overall 24 hours into the race at lunchtime on Sunday Photo: Afloat

Kuka lead IRC Z, Darkwoood and Samatom are battling it for IRC1, Aurelia is fighting SL Energies for IRC 2, and Shindig stays in front in IRC 4.

Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil 44 Samatom powering along the Wicklow coast on Saturday after the Round Ireland Race start Photo: Afloat

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