SAILING:AS THE race-course basks in summer sunshine, final preparations and safety scrutinising is being completed ahead of Sunday's mid-day start to the Conway Media Round Ireland Race at Wicklow. A fleet of 36 boats is now expected to start the race.

Fine weather but with light winds appear set to dominate all or most of the 704-mile race that could take the smaller entries up to a week to complete.

However, at least two potential entries may have issues with their IRC-handicap certificates that are required for the event.

A previously-confirmed entry, Calves Week 2010, has also withdrawn due to a family bereavement.

Aside from this, the outcome of the race hinges on what happens with the wind. The absence of a super-maxi entry is certain to leave the course record intact and the unofficial contest for line honours is less certain.

“We passed our safety inspection with flying colours earlier today,” crew-member Paul O’Riain on Rosslare Europort said yesterday. “But we’re not as happy with the weather as we’d like to be, we expect very light and variable conditions.”

As the second biggest boat in the fleet, this Open 60-footer should in theory be first home. The team is skippered by Britain’s Steve White, who placed eighth in the last Vendee Globe, and includes Alan McGettigan and Declan Hayes, an avid inshore sailor in the Dragon class.

“If we get wind we would have expected to take just over three days, but the weather (charts) make it too hard to call,” said O’Riain.

“A massive high-pressure system looks set to shut down the breeze at night and possibly during the day as well.”

The lack of wind will put more emphasis on maintaining boatspeed, but the Open 60 will also be limited somewhat by its considerable, 4.5 metre draft that will limit tactics, especially along the East Coast where sand-banks line the route.

Light winds are certain to extend the race, so additional provisions are being considered.

“We haven’t finally decided about food, but if we go a little hungry at the end then it won’t cause too much harm.” he said.

Although sailing with fresh food, the crew don’t have hydration concerns thanks to the on-board water-maker.

Food is a central consideration for Mick Liddy and Mark Pollock on Team Daft, one of the eight two-handed entries competing.

“We will definitely be bringing another two days of food, on top of four days already planned,” Liddy said yesterday, though the pair are relying on freeze-dried food and additional weight is not an issue.

“We’re not really going to understand the best case for the weather until Sunday, but it could take the big boats up to five days and some of the smaller boats up to a week to complete the course,” he predicted. “No matter what happens, its not going to be a quick race.

“Having less breeze is likely to make for harder work on board, especially for the two-handed crews who will be constantly changing sails as the wind changes,” said Liddy.

He reckons it will be much more physical than having 25 knots of wind and simply changing reefs from time to time.

As far as the main event goes, that is decided by the fastest boat after times are adjusted for handicap corrections, and light winds spell good news for the smaller and possibly older boats. When the breeze dies at night, the minutes lost by the big boats are minutes gained by the lower handicapped boats by the finish.

Liddy predicts the conditions are going to suit his two-handed rivals Barry Hurley and Hannah White on Dinah, a light displacement boat well suited to light airs.

But the main “make or break” factor that will apply to the entire fleet is each boat’s strategy for handling critical tidal-gates around the course, especially at Tuskar Rock, Rathlin Island and on the final approach to the finishing-line at Wicklow that has decided so many races.