Pintia noses ahead of the JPK duellists
As the frontrunners of IRC One approach the halfway point in the race it’s incredibly close between the top three. In fact it’s pretty darn close between the top eight, but the battle for the lead is the most fascinating of all. Pintia, Sunrise III and Dawn Treader - who’s going to get round the Fastnet Rock in first? We should find out later this afternoon or early evening.
Currently the J/133 Pintia, co-skippered by Gilles Fournier and his daughter Corinne Migraine, are flying the French flag at the front of the fleet and keeping the two British boats, the sistership JPK 1180s at bay. For a while it was Ed Bell’s Dawn Treader who was getting the better of Tom Kneen’s Sunrise III, but in the last few hours Sunrise - overall winner of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race - has slipped ahead in the match race between these two regular rivals.
Just another few miles back from the British battle are yet more JPK 1180s. Richard Fromentin’s Cocody is following six miles in the wake of Dawn Treader, while further to the east and 17 miles behind Sunrise III is the Swedish entry Garm skippered by Per Roman. Looking to muscle in on the JPK love-in is Codiam, the Grand Soleil 43 campaigned by Fastnet veterans Nicolas Loday et Jean-Claude Nicoleau.
Also going very well and certainly in contention for a top three are Ginkgo, a Humphreys 39 with a German crew skippered by Dirk Clasen, and L’Ange de Milon, a Milon 41 skippered by Jacques Pelletier who first took part in this race exactly 50 years ago.
