Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

afloat headers RORC

Going West Paid for RORC Yachts

10th July 2011
Going West Paid for RORC Yachts

The 164-mile race to St Malo from Cowes is one of the most popular races in the RORC Season's Points Championship and this year 177 yachts entered the race. It was a spectacular start from the Squadron Line. The impressive RORC fleet got off to a flying start reaching across the line in an awesome display of power. The Race Committee elected to start the fleet to the East to avoid sending the fleet through Hurst Narrows where 30 knots of wind over tide and congestion may well have proved hazardous for the racing yachts. The wind persisted in direction and strength as the fleet sailed down the Eastern Solent to turn to the west and out into the English Channel.

"The wind was forecast to abate and veer to the West, which it did and those yachts that went West made big gains" commented RORC Racing Manager Ian Loffhagen. "The tricky decision was how far West to go and those that got their tactics right held the advantage. The breeze dropped as it veered but the wind held for most of the fleet until they got to Jersey. However, the faster boats had breeze all the way into the finish, this year, the conditions definitely favoured the faster boats."

Colin Buffin's Swan 62, Uxorious IV, was the overall winner of the race winning the prestigious Edward VII Cup. Uxorious IV was unable to come into St Malo as they had to get to Cowes the following day to register for the Swan European Regatta. Colin Buffin was amazed to find out that the team had won such a major race.

"We had no idea we had won such a marvellous trophy" exclaimed Colin Buffin. "The start was electric, with a jib top and a staysail, the boat really lit up but we couldn't match Tonnerre for speed, however we managed to hold our own as we went down the back of the island. Brett Aarons was navigating and he was spot on with the tactics and we came out in the morning ahead of Tonnerre. However, at the end they passed us using their code zero to good effect but we managed to win on handicap. We have only recently started racing the Swan 62 and I am absolutely delighted with the performance, she handled the heavy weather without any problems at all and now we are really looking forward to the Swan European Championship next week."

There was another good battle in IRC Zero, Franck Noel's Swiss TP52, Near Miss, took line honours and the class on handicap from Dutch skipper, Harm Prins' Volvo 60, Pleomax. The Volvo 60 got away well but the lighter TP52 came back in the lighter air to pass them in the latter part of the race.
Uxorious IV was the winner of IRC One beating two highly successful yachts. Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens was second and the Grand Soleil 43 Codiam claimed third.

In IRC Two Peter Rutter's Grand Soleil 43, Quokka 8 raced by Sailing Logic enjoyed their first class win of the season, beating Michel Peritie's French A 40, Stamina III into second place. Nigel Wakefield's First 40, Carpe Diem sailed by Ed Broadway was third in class and will have enjoyed getting the better of all the other First 40s including Iritis and La Réponse.

One of the most impressive performances in the race was in IRC Three. The French A 35, Ame-Hasle won the class by nearly an hour and a half and was also second in IRC overall. Ame-Hasle skipper, Franck-Yves Escoffier was a very happy man, as he spoke just after the prize giving.

"A great result and a fantastic team, many of us have been together for the several of the races around France in the Le Tour Voile and that was the main reason why we did so well in our class. However, as the wind died at the end of the race so did our chances of an overall win."
IRC Three saw the top six places taken by French boats, including Didier Gaudoux's JPK 110, Lann Ael and Francoise Carluer's A 35, Agence Directe, which were second and third respectively.

IRC Four was won emphatically by the JPK 9.60, Whalalla, skippered by Yves Sale. The Cherbourg based team scored a memorable victory over Jean Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33, Iromiguy by over 5 hours on corrected time, Longue Pierre was third in class.

Of the 23 yachts that sailed the race two-handed Nicolas Gourio's IMX 40, Warhorse was the out and out winner. The French team flew around the course and it was over eight hours before another two-handed boat crossed the finish line. Paddy Cronin skipper of HOD 35, Psipsina, was second and RORC Season's Points Class leader in the Two-Handed Class, Matthias Kracht 's JPK 9.60 Ultreia! was third.

The RORC Season's Points Championship continues on 30th July with the Channel Race, starting in Cowes at finishing in The Solent. The Channel Race is the penultimate race before the highlight of the RORC season, The Rolex Fastnet Race, which takes place next month.
For more information visit: www.rorc.org <http://www.rorc.org/>

Published in RORC
Afloat.ie Team

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button

THE RORC:

  • Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and the IRC European Championship (includes the Commodores' Cup) in the Solent
  • The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600, based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success. The 10th edition took place in February 2018. The RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014
  • The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4,000