Fujifilm sets off on second Round Britain and Ireland leg

At 7.21pm on Wednesday 9th June, exactly 48 hours after arriving, professional yachtsman Alex Bennett from Plymouth and his co skipper Malcolm Dickinson set sail on the second leg of the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race from Kinsale, Southern Ireland.

The forecast suggests the fleet can expect some challenging sailing into the wind and waves until the yachts reach the north western tip of Scotland. Alex’s Class 40 yacht Fujifilm finished the first leg in sixth place and will restart in that position but only a few minutes separate each boat in the class.

Alex said”It is great to be going back to sea on Fujifilm. Going into the 2nd leg, the fleet is bunched tightly together so it is going to be very competitive from the outset.”

This 12th RBI had a record entry of 56 yachts. Most of the sailors have been spending the 48 hour stopover in Kinsale making repairs. The second stopover is in Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, which is roughly a three day sail for the faster boats.

For this race Alex and Malcolm have chosen to support the charity Hospiscare. Based in Devon it provides expert care and support for terminally ill people. Both Alex and Malcolm are veterans of the RBI. In 1998 Alex skippered Modi Khola, securing third place monohull in Class 5 and setting a record for the youngest team to ever complete the arduous course. This is the third time Malcolm has competed in the RBI, he was second in his class in the 2006 event.