Aug 10 (Reuters) - Twenty-four hours into the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, skippers face their first major tactical test on Monday as the fleet approaches Land's End and the Isles of Scilly.
Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace leads on the water, hugging the Cornish coast at around eight knots, while Jens Kellinghusen's German-flagged Ker 56 Varuna 6, and Frenchman Antoine Magre's Mach 50 Palanad 4, have taken an offshore route that appears to be paying off.
• The key decision ahead involves navigating Traffic Separation Scheme exclusion zones around the Isles of Scilly -- a system that keeps commercial vessels in designated shipping lanes. Pace is positioned for a route through the zones while rivals look set to head south of them.
• All three lead boats face a shared tactical problem: how to transit an incoming wind hole before reaching more consistent breeze in the Celtic Sea, crew member Joss Cresswell said from aboard Palanad 4.
• Palanad 4 was making exceptional use of light conditions, recording 13 knots of boat speed in 14 knots of wind after conditions improved overnight, Cresswell said.
• In IRC divisions, Sam and Andrew Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra leads IRC One on both water and corrected time, ahead of Stickleback and Espresso Martini Too.
• “Passing Salcombe and Prawle Point, it’s a beautiful day at sea," EspressoMartini's Cameron Davis said. "We’ve already seen dolphins, the rig and sails are looking great, and spirits are high even if the big boats in the fleet are out of sight. Cruise ships, fishing boats, and a whole lot of life on the water surround us. Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino tops IRC Two."
• The double-handed division is led on water and corrected time by Benjamin Grosman and Klaus Rasmussen's Danish JPK 1080 Ronin.
• Mark Brown's JPK 1010 Jetpack leads IRC Three after covering approximately 135 miles in the opening 24 hours.
• The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Round Britain & Ireland Race is a 1,800-nautical-mile non-stop offshore yacht race, held every four years, taking competitors around the coasts of Britain and Ireland from Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
• First staged in 1966, the 2026 edition marks the race’s 50th anniversary and is one of the world’s leading offshore sailing contests, attracting international professional and amateur crews.
