Tanit takes the overall lead

The sound of grinding teeth could almost be heard along the west coast over the past 24 hours as the fleet in the Round Ireland Race battled light winds that has upturned the standings in the 704-mile event.

Crosshaven entry Cavatina, skippered by Ian Hickey, may yet pay a heavy penalty for staying off the coast of Mayo overnight on Monday as the 38-footer was caught in a calm patch and dropped from the overall lead on handicap time.

British entry Tanit, a 36-footer skippered by Richard Harris, has instead moved into the overall lead by staying close to the front-runners of the main fleet that had a clear run in some wind crossing Sligo Bay early yesterday.