BMW Round Ireland Race delayed 18 hours

Organisers at Wicklow Sailing Club have announced an 18-hour postponement to the start of the BMW Round Ireland Race.

The 704-mile event will now begin tomorrow morning at 10am.

Weather forecasts of southerly winds gusting in excess of storm force prompted the postponement on safety grounds.

A fleet of 46 boats has entered including the largest ever yacht, Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard measures 100 feet and is competing with a crew of 26 that is expected to set a new course record of less than 60 hours.