Following Alacrity’s finish in time for a champagne welcome and lunch in the Royal Western YC on Friday, it was the turn of the Open 40s and the Plymouth based trimaran Waverider in time to provide the spectacle in the Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Two-handed Race for the early evening visitors to the clubhouse.

Wafted in on the last of the afternoon sea-breeze came Immo BIB (Roaring Forty) to consolidate his lead and win the Open 40 Class. Expertly driven by Michel Kleinjans and Mick Liddy, she made a fine sight under huge asymetric headsail. Finishing to the first evening cannon salute to mark a truely magnificent all round performance.

Hardly had the reverberating gunfire faded when Nigel Passmore and Angus McPhie steered their beautiful trimaran past the Club to the cheers of the Friday evening regulars, lately escaped from their hot offices to enjoy the cooling breeze. Nigel and Angus could have done with a little more of the air pressure in the channel, and commented that it was a pity that all the wind chose to be concentrated in one huge gale off Shetland, with very little available over the majority of the British Isles.

Evening arrivals soon included two more Open 40s, La Promesse and Roaring Again, both under the Dutch Flag. By eight pm the day’s wind was spent, and so those left out in the channel will have another difficult night in glassy calms. We fear the Plymouth trimaran Paradox will be out at sea for longer than her handicap will allow, thus probably handing victory in the fast multihull class to Rex Conn and Etienne Giroire who steered Alacrity in for that lunch party today.

Alacrity finished at 10:58:30 to take line honours with an elapsed time of 18 days 22 hrs 58 min in the race in which Yachting Monthly are partners.