Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna 6 crossed the finish line at Cowes on Monday to become the second monohull home in the 50th anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, as tight battles for class honours developed among the 27 boats still racing.
Varuna 6 completed the 1,805-nautical-mile course in 8 days, 7 minutes and 19 seconds, arriving at 13:37:19 BST. After IRC time correction, the yacht did not threaten the time set by line honours winner Pace, leaving Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 in a commanding position for IRC Zero and overall victory.
"It is a long race with a huge amount of navigation, so we are very happy to be back in Cowes," said navigator Mike Broughton, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot. "Full credit to the whole team, especially our owner Jens Kellinghusen. At 79 years young, Jens is the oldest sailor in the race and this is a tremendous achievement."
Broughton described the physical toll on the carbon-hulled yacht: "The boat has been wet since the very first night and down below is like a black hole. But that is all part of the challenge."
Antoine Magre's Mach 50 Palanad 4 is expected to finish later on Monday, with projections placing her second in IRC Zero. Palanad 4's design by Sam Manuard has already won the RORC Transatlantic Race overall and IRC Zero in the RORC Caribbean 600.
The Class40 title remains undecided and subject to a protest lodged against provisional leader Pierre Le Boucher's Penfret. At 1300 BST, Penfret had 168 miles remaining, with Swift one mile back on 169 and Gambit eight miles adrift on 176. Results will remain provisional until the protest is resolved.
In IRC One, Sam Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra leads with 371 miles remaining, though navigator Jules White admitted to "finger-tenting" over exclusion zones and unstable weather in the southern North Sea. The double-handed Frida is projected second.
The closest contest is in IRC Two, where Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino leads Sky Business - Game On by just one minute and 40 seconds on projected corrected time. Bellino endured a torn A0 sail requiring overnight repairs by crew member Joe Griffiths before resuming racing.
For the bulk of the fleet, rounding Muckle Flugga and Out Stack off Unst marks the northernmost point of the course at almost 61 degrees north. Among them was the double-handed Tigris, whose crew Maggie Adamson hails from Cunningsburgh in Shetland. Friends sailed out to greet her despite strict rules prohibiting her mother's offer of a Sunday roast.
