No records are likely to be broken today but calls to some of the 1500 boats reveal the crews are enjoying the longest day of the year with good competitive racing in some fine repetitive weather.
Credit : OnEdition
Except that is, for the boats who were still on the other side of Hurst Narrows when the tide turned.
There were about 20 of them still in the Needles Channel and although most were making headway in the half knot of flooding tide, a few were running out of time and preparing to call it a day.
Bursts of good breeze were repeating across the race course and on the approach to Bembridge Ledge, the race leader Team Richard Mille was boasting 12 knots of wind.
Whats more, they were properly bragging about foiling at 19 knots which triggered some excited tweets from a few vantage points around the Island and put them around 40 minutes from the finish.
Close behind was Tokoloshe, then the other GC32 Spax Solution followed by Sir Ben Ainslie in the Farr 45 and the 63 foot trimaran Paradox which has record breaker Paul Larsen on board.
On 24 November 2012 Larsen sailed the Vestas Sailrocket 2 at 65.45 knots in Walvis Bay, Namibia to take the Speed Sailing Record and is believed to be planning another spectacular venture.
From Round The Island
