With less than 100 miles to the finish off Wicklow Harbour, the race for line honours and record attempt in the BMW Round Ireland Race is under threat this afternoon.

David Nixon and the crew of 02 Team Tonic are fighting light headwinds and a foul tide outside Strangford Lough leaving just nine hours to reach the finishing line.

Meanwhile, French rival CityJet Solune has gained ground overnight and closed the gap on the leader to just one hour having previously been four hours behind.

While fresh winds forecast for this afternoon on the Irish Sea could help both boats in a record attempt, the line honours favourite is no longer a certainty.

Meanwhile, the battle for the overall race win on corrected handicap time lies with the main fleet. A new leader has emerged following the Atlantic stage provisional results calculated for Eagle Island off the Mayo coast.

Maltese entry Jazz skippered by Royal Ocean Racing Club Commodore Chris Bull now leads on his J/145 while Cork entry Minnie the Moocher has moved back up to second overall. Overnight leader Calyx Voice & Data has slipped to fourth place.