At 00:26 GMT this morning Mike Slade's 100ft supermaxi ICAP Leopard was the first boat in the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race to round the Fastnet Rock off the coast of southwestern Ireland. In a 10-15 knot westerly breeze, Karl Kwok's Farr 80 Beau Geste passed at approximately 04:44 GMT, followed by the IRC Class SZ leader on handicap, Niklas Zennström's Judel-Vrolijk 72 Ran 2 at 05:08 GMT.

Behind them were a gaggle of boats led by the first two IMOCA 60s, Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet on the fully-crewed Artemis Ocean Racing, ten minutes ahead of Seb Josse's BT IMOCA 60, the first doublehanded entry in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Behind them at 08:00 GMT, en route to the Pantaenius buoy, the offset mark southwest of the Fastnet lighthouse, were two more IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean Race winner Mike Sanderson on Pindar, just ahead of Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran. The Italian America's Cup team on the STP65 Luna Rossa rounded later, at 07:54 GMT, having suffered slightly by approaching the Fastnet Rock from a more northerly angle.

DAY THREE 0800 RACE UPDATE

Karl Kwok's Farr 80, Beau Geste rounded the Fastnet Rock just before 0600 with Niklas Niklas Zennstrom's JV 72, RÁN approximately 6 miles astern and also round. It was a frustrating approach for both with the wind dying as they got near to the famous lighthouse. RÁN will be looking to hold onto the coat tails of the 80 footer but Vittorio Volonte's STP 65, Luna Rossa is not far behind but is slowing down as the breeze decreases for them as they approach the Irish coast. Half way across the Irish Sea, Nigel Passmore’s Plymouth based TP 52, Apollo, is leading the class on handicap but may fall back down the rankings as the mini maxis speed away downhill, en route back to Plymouth.

The yachts approaching the Fastnet rock are experiencing a drop in wind speed frustrating their efforts, next to round the famous lighthouse off the south west coast of Ireland should be Karl Kowk's Farr 80, Beau Geste. Niklas Zennstrom's JV 72, RÁN are only six miles astern of them and will be watching their mast head light for signs of any manoevres.

The last up date from the RORC OC Tracker shows that RÁN is not leading on handicap for the first time in this race, Nigel Passmore's Plymouth based TP 52, Apollo is over a hundred miles behind the leaders but is currently top boat in IRC Super Zero on corrected time.

Christophe Coatnoan's Class 40, Partouche has reported into to retire due to mainsail damage, only the second retirement that we are aware of.

Hot favourite to lift the prize for the best boat blog is an hilarious entry from Priscilla, sailing on IRL 77777 Whisper.

NEWSFLASH Rolex Fastnet

01:26:00 ICAP Leopard rounds Fastnet Rock

Mike Slade’s canting keel maxi, rounded the windward mark in the early hours of Tuesday morning and after unfurling their huge spinnaker, set a course back towards Plymouth, at 0300 GMT ICAP Leopard was 240 miles from the finish, averaging 15 knots of boat speed, a north westerly breeze on the giant maxi’s starboard quarter. If the breeze holds out, Slade and his international crew including Brad Jackson and Justin Slattery could be in Plymouth by the afternoon or early evening.

Behind them, Karl Kwok’s Farr 80, Beau Geste and Niklas Zennstrom’s JV 72, RÁN are approaching the Fastnet rock, they are only 6 miles apart and should turn for home around 0400,this morning.

Rolex Fastnet Race - Update 2

After a tricky first night at sea, the mid-fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race have experienced a rainy grey day at sea as they slog upwind westward along the English south coast.

As expected the big boats have broken away with Mike Slade's 100-foot supermaxi ICAP Leopard, rounding Land's End at around 0930 GMT and by 1500 she was halfway to the Fastnet Rock turning mark.

"It is a nice sunny day outside here, it could be a lot worse," commented Slade, adding that the sea was flattening out after a bumpy ride up the Channel. Since rounding Lands End, with the wind from the west, ICAP Leopard, as well as the boats chasing her, have headed on a more northerly course, compared to the direct route to the Fastnet Rock.

As Volvo Ocean Race navigator Simon Fisher explained from on board Team Pindar, third placed in the Open 60 fleet and 41 miles from Slade's race leader: "Big picture, the wind is going to come around to the northwest eventually. So we are off to the right in the hope that we have a nice shift, while trying to get into the best position relative to the other boats around us, in order to make the most of that." The question for the boats presently mid-Celtic Sea is when the wind will veer from the west to the northwest and if they can lay the Rock in one tack when this shift comes.

At 1500 GMT, ICAP Leopard was just 25 miles ahead of Karl Kwok's Farr 80 Beau Geste and 34 miles ahead of Niklas Zennstrom's Judel-Vrolijk 72, Ran 2.

DAY TWO 10^th AUG. - 2000 GMT Rolex Fastnet Race update

The weather turned pretty cold and nasty this afternoon for the 300 boats in the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race, especially after the sunshine start in the Solent. The seas are kicking up and the fine rain is soaking the sailors watch after watch.

Not all of them can win, for most of them, just completing the course is the goal and it is a massive achievement but keeping going, is as much an achievement, as winning the historic Rolex Fastnet Race. Focusing on smaller goals can be the way to better performance.

Mike Broughton, navigator on Rogers 46, Varuna:
"We were anchored off Portland for a few hours which means we are really not in the hunt which is tough to take because we could have sailed the boat better but we have been clawing back a few places. Even though we have a fair bit to do, we are currently just five miles off The Lizard and working as hard as we can, I can just about see the land through the gloom, drizzle and swell. But we are not complaining, spirits are good on board, bolstered by the fact that we are ahead of our sistership, Yeoman. The watch system is keeping tiredness at bay and we are as pushing hard as ever."

Mike Slade’s Maxi ICAP Leopard is launched, charging across the Irish Sea with no-one to race but the clock. Their estimated arrival at the Fastnet Rock is between midnight and two in the morning, at the moment they are off record pace.

20 miles behind them is Karl Kwok’s Farr 80, Beau Geste which is having a battle royal with Niklas Zennstrom’s JV 72, RÁN. Beau Geste has now passed RÁN but the all star British team on the JV 72 are leading class on handicap.

Overnight conditions in the Rolex Fastnet Race have ranged from tricky to impossible. While this morning at the 0600 update, Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard was approaching Lizard Point, the bulk of the 300 strong fleet is now past Portland Bill, the headland to seaward of the 2012 Olympic sailing venue, and were halfway across Lyme Bay bound for the next significant headland, Start Point.

For Slade's mighty 100ft long supermaxi, the night has been one of mixed fortunes, her speed ranging from relative standstill – 4 knots against the tide midway across Lyme Bay at 2300 – to considerable pace, 26.5 knots at 0500. She is way behind her record pace from 2007 when in the early hours of the first morning she was already around Land's End, halfway across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock.

Monday morning and it is raining in Plymouth, the good news for virtually all the fleet is they are now around Portland Bill and heading west and can expect to see an increase in wind, a Southwesterly building to a stiff 17 Knots by around midday, before swinging West then north west at about 15 Knots, as the leading boats get around Land's End.

Mike Slade's canting keel maxi, ICAP Leopard, is storming away at average speed of over 14 knots and hitting 20 knots plus in the gusts. They chose an offshore route across Lyme Bay which looks to have paid off handsomely. They look to be getting as far west as possible, to clear Land's End before tacking on the north westerly header and hopefully lining up the Rock, 200 miles away.

Niklas Zennstrom's, RAN, are still leading the Super Zero fleet on the water and handicap but Vittorio Volontes STP 65, Luna Rossa, is in a good position and only nine miles behind.

Morning dockside rumours of delays and divisions of boats having to kedge on the start line were roundly proven wrong as the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet, as well as spectators along the Cowes shoreline, enjoyed a magnificent, colourful spinnaker start. Thankfully the unfavourable forecast for the start – no wind followed by a south westerly filling in from the west – had not panned out, with instead a welcome 10 knots from the east propelling the 300 strong fleet westwards down the Solent.

First away, punching into the last of the flood tide, were the IMOCA 60s. With their ‘big gear’ unfurled seconds before the start, it was Dee Caffari’s Aviva that made the most positive start towards the pin end. However she was soon overhauled by Seb Josse on BT IMOCA 60 sailing in slightly better breeze on the island side of the course. By the 1430GMT position report, the leading IMOCA 60s were already halfway across Christchurch Bay with Mike Sanderson’s Pindar leading, narrowly ahead of Aviva, BT and Arnaud Boissieres’ Akena Verandas.

With the tide having turned favourable to flush the remaining classes west, it was the small IRC classes that were next up. By the 1430 update they too were out through the Needles, with David Lees’ High Tension 36 Hephzibah leading from the 2005 Rolex Fastnet Race winner Iromiguy, Jean-Yves Chateau’s Nicholson 33 in IRC 3B, just ahead of David Collins’ Swan 43 Cisne, leader in IRC 3A.