RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race 2026 - Day 4
by Louay Habib / RORC 12 Aug 18:04 BST
From 9 August 2026
PredictWind weather expert Arnaud Monges at the skippers briefing © Rick Tomlinson / RORC
Seventy-two hours after the start of the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace is charging north off the Hebrides, with the Atlantic low pressure system providing a fast lane towards the top of the 1,805-nautical-mile course.
Pace has covered around 428 nautical miles in the past 24 hours, an extraordinary day's run averaging close to 18 knots. At the latest tracker update, the Volvo 70 had 932 nautical miles to go and had opened a commanding lead on the water over Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna 6, with Antoine Magre's Mach 50 Palanad 4 in third.
The same three boats occupy the provisional podium places in IRC Overall and IRC Zero. Pace leads both rankings, with Varuna 6 second and Palanad 4 third. On estimated IRC corrected time Pace holds an advantage of almost 24 hours over Varuna 6.
Behind the leaders, the fleet is spread over a huge area. The front runners are enjoying strong southerly winds off Scotland, while the second half of the fleet is still negotiating lighter and more variable conditions. Whatsmore, the fleet south west of Ireland approaching the Dingle Peninsular are experiencing sea fog. Maggie Adamason on Tigris reported: "We can hear the fog horns of the big ships and we can only see them on AIS."
Anthony Haines reports in 320 miles from Muckle Flugga on Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace - leading on the water:
Atlantic low takes control
PredictWind Weather Expert Arnaud Monges says the large Atlantic low pressure system, around
999 hPa, is now the dominant feature controlling the race.
For Wednesday, consistent southerly winds of 15-20 knots are driving the leaders rapidly north along the Irish and Scottish coasts. Further south, boats between England and Ireland remain in light and variable conditions, but Monges expects them to accelerate as they round the south-west of Ireland and connect with the southerly flow.
On Thursday the low remains in control, although the southerly wind is expected to ease to around 10-15 knots. The leading boats should also reach the northern turning point and begin the long passage south, changing from fast downwind sailing to upwind conditions.
For most of the fleet, a secondary low is forecast to bring a front and rain, with stronger gusts possible in showers.
By Friday, the wind is forecast to veer towards the west at around 15 knots as high pressure moves in from the Atlantic. For boats still climbing the west coast of Ireland, winds may become north-west or north-north-west, producing less favourable angles. With the high expected to remain influential for several days, the timing of each boat's progress north could become increasingly important.
Pace powers towards the North
For Pace, the transition into stronger Atlantic breeze has produced some of the fastest sailing of the race. Boat Captain Anthony Haines reported after a fast and physical night.
"Out here off the Hebrides, Pace is thundering along in a solid 25 knots of breeze from the south. We spent the night in 20-25 knots downwind, the boat averaging 17 to 25 knots, with plenty of water sweeping the deck and keeping everyone honest.
"It's wet, it's noisy, and it's physical, but the crew is settling into life at sea - finding their own ways to stay comfortable, grabbing rest when they can, and even starting to enjoy the freeze-dried meals. The frantic sail changes of the opening days have eased into a more settled rhythm, and with that comes a quiet confidence on board.
"We're all thoroughly enjoying being out here on Pace, pushing hard and looking forward to turning the bow around the top end of the course."
Pablo Santurde del Arco reports in from Antoine Magre's Mach 50 Palanad 4 (FRA):
Palanad 4 has also settled into the offshore rhythm after a demanding opening phase. Antoine Magre reported more than 70 tacks around the Isle of Wight before the French team worked through light and unstable conditions further west.
"Thanks to our super navigator Pablo, we managed to get out of the first part of the high pressure fairly well, always staying in the wind and never coming to a full stop," said Magre. "Pace and Varuna have taken advantage of their larger size and sail area to get away but we are doing all we can to keep up and stay within reach for when the breeze comes in."
That breeze has now arrived, it will be interesting to see how Palanad 4 does, especially on IRC corrected time.
Penfret leads Class40
Pierre Le Boucher's Penfret leads the Class40 division, with Swift second and Gambit third.
"It's Wednesday morning on board Class40 Penfret and we're fully in the rhythm of ocean racing now," reported William Hill from on board. "We've had a wet, windy night with 20 to 25 knots over the deck; the boat charging along in the high teens and low twenties. The Class40 pack is right on our heels, but we're still ahead, pushing hard and looking forward to rounding the top of the course."
The division has lost one contender, with Dutch Class40 Tjoba retiring because of technical issues, all crew are safe and well.
Pata Negra leads IRC One
Sam and Andrew Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra leads IRC One on provisional corrected time, with Stickleback second and the double-handed JPK 1180 Frida third. Pata Negra have broken away from the rest of IRC One and is into the fresh breeze, achieving close to 10 knots of boat speed.
For some of the boats, escaping the lighter winds has proved frustrating. Cameron Davis reported from Farr 40 Espresso Martini Too after a difficult spell close to Land's End on Day Three.
"Lovely day on the Celtic Sea following a frustrating night aboard Espresso Martini Too. Truly stuck in a shutdown off Land's End and frustratingly overtaken by much of the fleet who sailed the night much better than we did. Trying to catch up and enjoying the challenge."
Bellino holds IRC Two
Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino leads IRC Two on provisional corrected time, with Mzungu! second and Sky Business - Game On third.
RORC Commodore Deb Fish, co-skipper on Bellino, reported that the tactical pressure remains intense as several close rivals race nearby, as Bellino passed the Skellig Islands.
"After a long drag race across the Celtic Sea we are now VMG running with Mzungu, Griffin and Tigris on our heels, so a high potential for gains and losses. Our route choice will factor into account the differing forecasts, what our eyes tell us, the shifts we feel, and who, if anyone, we want to cover. Spirits are high on board, racing 4 up gives us lots of sleep!"
Joe Griffiths (RORC Griffin graduate) reports in whilst passing Skellig Islands on day 4 from Sun Fast 3600 Bellino © Joe Griffiths
Mzungu! leads IRC Two-Handed
Sam White and Nathan Steffenoni on JPK 1080 Mzungu! lead the provisional IRC Two-Handed ranking, with Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland's Sky Business - Game On second and Simon Bamford and Zeb Fellows' Kestrel third.
Sun Fast 3300 Game On has already had to fight back repeatedly after small losses in light air turned into several miles. "Very close racing since the start," reported Hoddle. "We had a big reset on the approach to the Scillies. It allowed us to regain three miles on the leaders and then a great night-time tuning battle with the Class Two fleet till dawn."
The physical side of double-handed racing is also beginning to tell. "I have been finding it tough to get any real deep sleep yet - the adrenaline levels must be too high," said Hoddle. "It's very hot onboard which is not helping, but soon we will complain it's too wet or too cold!"
Jetpack leads IRC Three
IRC Three continues to produce a fascinating contest, with Mark Brown's JPK 1010 Jetpack leading the class on provisional IRC corrected time. Sun Fast 3200 Zanzibar is second and Swan 44 Astrid third.
The smaller boats have experienced some of the biggest variations, particularly across the Celtic Sea where progress has depended on escaping local patches of very light wind.
Richard and Emma Breese's J/105 Mojo, racing double-handed, found itself becalmed alongside Astrid after previously making valuable gains.
"Good morning from Mojo, somewhere in the middle of the Celtic Sea. Sharing a patch of calm water with Astrid as they've quietly erased the miles we worked so hard to gain overnight," reported Richard Breese."We slipped from beautiful sailing into a dead windhole, forced to watch them slide up to our bow. We've swapped to the lighter A2 kite and now it's a slow, patient slog through this light stuff until we can push west and find real breeze again. Forget the forecasts - if you want to find no wind, just follow our track. That's where it'll be."
Two very different races
After the combined start from Cowes, the fleet is now experiencing two very different Round Britain and Ireland Races.
At the front, Pace is powering north at sustained high speed with Muckle Flugga and the northern extremity of the course coming rapidly into focus. Hundreds of miles behind, other teams are still fighting through the transition from the lighter Celtic Sea conditions into the stronger southerly flow.
The Atlantic low is providing opportunity, but the developing high pressure behind it could make the timing of that transition critical.
For the leaders, the next major test is already approaching. Once Pace, Varuna 6 and Palanad 4 round the top of the course, the fast downwind ride north will end and the boats will turn south into a completely different tactical and physical challenge.
Provisional rankings are based on the latest tracker standings available around the time of this report.
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