#rorc – 108 yachts crossed the start line for the 2015 Morgan Cup Race, the seventh race of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's season points championship writes race reporter Louay Habib. Although the race started at 7pm on Friday evening, due to the Summer Solstice, the fleet barely sailed more than a few hours in darkness. The gentle northerly wind, which eventually backed to the west, gave a spinnaker run for most of the 125 mile course. The majority of the fleet finished the race on Saturday afternoon, perfect timing to enjoy the hospitality of the Guernsey Yacht Club. Tide always plays a part in races to the Channel Islands and this year's Morgan Cup Race was no exception.
Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 51, Tonnerre 4, sailed by Frank Gerber, was the overall winner after IRC time correction, with British IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing, skippered by Mikey Ferguson, taking Line Honours and second overall under IRC. Arnaud Delamare and Eric Mordret's French JPK 10.80, Dream Pearls was third overall.
"Piet was on the phone virtually as soon as we crossed the line" commented Tonnerre 4's Frank Gerber, referring to Piet Vroon, who has had a back operation. "He was absolutely delighted, it has been a month since we raced Tonnerre and we have some new faces on board, as well as some new sails. We saw a lot of our FR0 (fractional code zero), we put it up when we left the Solent and it came down when we got to St. Peter Port. Recently we have not had the luck of favourable tide in races, but I have to admit, this one was almost perfect. We did however park up off Guernsey for close to an hour. We had visions of the yachts behind catching us up, but the tide stayed positive and we made the new breeze on that."
In IRC 1, Steven Anderson's British Corby 40, Cracklin Rosie was the victor and leads the class for the season. Adrian Lower and David Smith's classic Swan 48, Snatch, was second just 36 seconds ahead of former RORC Commodore, Mike Greville, racing his Ker 39 Erivale III.
In IRC 2, there was a terrific battle between several yachts during the latter stages of the race, with a gybing duel between half a dozen or so, rock hopping along the Guernsey shore to escape the tide. Peter Newland's First 40.7, Anticipation, sailed by Charles Linard, won the class. RORC Admiral, Andrew McIrvine, racing First 40 La Réponse, was second by less than five minutes after time correction with Patrick Ponchelet's French X-40, Exception in third.
"It was all down to superb navigation!" laughed Richard Hammond, navigator for Anticipation. "Seriously, we really had great boat speed throughout the race, I can't really put a reason to that, it was a great all round effort from the entire crew. We knew we were in the hunt when we saw the boats around us near to the finish and the big factor was that we decided to go all the way inshore. Not only did we get out of the tide, we found a back eddy, which really worked like a dream. Our twin goals this season are the RORC Fastnet Race and the Season's Points Championship and we have had a highly successful weekend of racing towards those objectives, now time for a beer!"
In IRC Three, Arnaud Delamare and Eric Mordret's JPK 10.80, Dream Pearls, had a first class race, winning the class ahead of two extremely well sailed JPK 10.10s; Richard Searle's Pincer Movement and Pascal Loison's Night and Day. The light conditions will have suited the lighter two-handed teams. The Dream Pearls team, from St.Malo, won the class by five minutes and eight seconds after IRC time correction from Pincer Movement, with Night and Day in third.
14 yachts raced in the IRC Two Handed class and Richard Searle's British JPK 10.10, Pincer Movement was the winner, defeating the Rolex Fastnet champion, Night and Day, skippered by Pascal Loison. "We're still learning how to sail the boat, and how to work together Two Handed, so this is a fantastic result for us" commented Richard Searle, skipper of Pincer Movement, "co-skipper is Joe Banks, who would appreciate it if he gets a mention as I remember the lack of glamour the 'other guy' experiences on two-handed entries and it is very much a joint effort! Brilliant to be looking behind us, at the front of the French boats for a change! Those guys (Night & Day, Raging Bee) were fighting hard the whole way; definitely one of the most stressful races we've done, but perhaps that comes with winning." Louis-Marie Dussere's French JPK 10.10, Raging Bee was third and still retains the overall lead for the season.
In IRC 4, Noel Racine's French JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew was the winner, and extends their lead at the top of IRC 4 for the season. Class victory in the Morgan Cup Race was Foggy Dew's third win of the season. Christopher Spray's classic S&S 53, Stormy Weather of Cowes, was second. Launched in 1934, Stormy Weather of Cowes won the 1935 Fastnet Race. The beautiful yacht, designed by Olin Stephens will be taking part in the historic Rolex Fastnet Race once again this year, and will be competing against other classics, including Griff Rhys Jones' S&S 57, Argyll, which placed fourth in class for the Morgan Cup Race. Chris & Vanessa Choules' Sigma 38, With Alacrity was third in IRC 4 and will be celebrating as winners, having won the battle of the five Sigma 38s taking part in the race to Guernsey.
Tony Lawson's yacht racing stable continues to grow and impress, Class40 Concise8, skippered by Jack Trigger, won the Class40 division. Concise 2 skippered by Phillippa Hutton-Squire, and sporting an all-girls team, was second with Forty Shades Of Grey, sailed by David Pearce in third.
As Afloat.ie reported earlier, racing for the RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the 100 mile Lyver Trophy Race, from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire across the Irish Sea.