There has been so much enthusiasm and energy put into setting new sailing speed records in every discipline over the years that it may well be the only way to make a breakthrough is to see just how slowly you can complete an established and prestigious course while still taking line honours - and by a large margin at that.

Certain a marker has been put down in this potential new area of record-breaking in the early hours of this morning, when Pip Hare's IMOCA60 Medallia finally crossed the finish line at Cowes to be first on the water in the Sevenstar RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race. For it was back on Sunday 7th August that 30 boats started from Cowes on the clockwise 1805-mile course, so those still at sea - with some way back in the region of the Shetlands - will have been be out on their own for a fortnight by this weekend, and inevitably running low on stores.

Pip Hare's 2024 Vendee Globe Hopeful IMOCA 60 Medallia Took Line Honours early this morning In The Ultra-Slow Sevenstar RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race

One would wonder how many have been Googling "Cannibalism for Beginners".......Meanwhile, the good news for Ireland is that James "Seamus" McHugh's Class40 Tquila (there ain't no "e" in the name, but he has the formidable skills of Brian Thompson in his crew) is lying second and first of his class, but is still a long way from the finish in a race in which boats comfortably capable of 20 knots and more have had to become accustomed to 24 hour periods when they have failed to make a hundred miles.

James "Seamus" McHugh's Class40 Tquila lies second, but she is still in the North Sea

The clockwise 1800 miles Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race has been dogged by light winds and calms ever since it started from Cowes at the weekend, and the bulk of the 30-strong fleet is still struggling along Ireland’s southwest and west coasts with three boats now retired.

Yet anyone taking an overview of the bigger picture could see that well out in the Atlantic, there was a sou’westerly airstream making towards the distant Shetland Islands, and many tacticians were just itching to try and hang in on the edge of it.

But when you’re only doing a couple of knots, it’s an elusive goal. However, the gallant Pip Hare, having decided she’d had enough of looking at the Blaskets from several angles from the deck of her IMOCA60 Medallia, struck out northwestwards in a faint breeze yesterday (Wednesday) evening, and this morning has found her about 120 miles west of Donegal and making 11 to 12 knots more or less towards the next turn at St Kilda.

This ploy has confirmed her position as clear line honours leader, 57 miles ahead of Ross Hobson’s Open 50 Pegasus of Northumberland from Blyth, a boat which is no stranger to Round Ireland racing and is currently reinforcing her acquaintance with the Connacht coast close in off Slyne Head, but making only 6.1 knots.

Racing round Ireland and also Round Britain & Ireland seems to be addictive, with Polish skipper Kuba Szymanski setting the participation pace with his Isle of Man-based First 40.7 Polished Manx – he had already done the Royal Western’s Round Britain & Ireland in May and June this year with a stopover in Galway, now he’s back again, the most westerly of the fleet apart from Medallia, but in his case he’s still off the Kerry coast having to make do with 3.6 knots.

Irish interest is spread across several boats, with James “Seamus” McHugh currently leading Class40 and third in line honours with Tequila – his personnel selection is impeccable, as his shipmates are Brian Thompson and Alister Ricardson.

Pamela Lee of Greystones now retired off Kerry Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Also in Class 40, in this case aboard Andrea Fornaro’s Influence from Italy, is Pamela Lee of Greystones. But they have now retired off the Kenmare River, as the utter slowness of progress was impinging on post-race plans. And another Class 40 with an Irish flavour, Antoine Magret’s Palanad 3 with James Crampton and James Murphy on the strength, has likewise retired off Dingle Bay “due to time pressures”.

Race Tracker below

The Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race starts today, Sunday 7th August. All 30 teams attended the Skippers Briefing held at the RORC Clubhouse in Cowes. RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton welcomed all competitors to the race: “This is the fifth edition of the race sponsored by Sevenstar Yacht Transport and on behalf of the Club and the competing teams, a big ‘thank you’ for your continued support.”

Race Director Chris Stone ran competitors through the important aspects of the race, especially safety and communication with the RORC Race team. Meteorologist Chris Tibbs gave a detailed weather outlook for the race, summing up the situation for the start. High pressure is expected, giving a north-easterly beat off the Squadron Line, with the possibility of a light sea breeze developing later in the day, giving a beat out of the Solent. The wind speed is expected to remain light, although some models are showing 10-15 knots from the southwest. 

Chris Tibbs, RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton and RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone

Meteorologist Chris Tibbs Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Navigator Libby Greenhalgh and Oliver Heer of the IMOCA Oliver Heer Ocean Racing 

Libby Greenhalgh will be navigator on IMOCA Oliver Heer Ocean Racing. Skipper Ollie Heer will be taking part in his first race with the boat which he intends to race in the 2024 Vendée Globe. In 2014, Libby was navigator of Volvo 70 SCA and Ollie Heer was on Giles Redpath’s Pata Negra, which was the overall winner of the 2018 Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race.

“This is a great opportunity for me to do an amazing race and to support Ollie at the start of his Vendée Globe campaign,” commented Libby Greenhalgh. “The start is looking pretty calm with a light sea breeze. Some of the routing data suggests a push to the French coast, but it is a long way to go to traverse that no-wind area. I think we will be trying to maximise the little wind that we have and looking at the current to optimise our position. There will be a key point when the wind returns to gradient from sea breeze. The first 48 hours are looking like hard work to make good progress, but we should see the gradient return which should speed up the race to Ireland.”

“This is the perfect first race,” commented Ollie Heer. “I have some great experiences in the past and having a crew on board like Libby doing all the navigation will allow me to really look at the performance of the boat and how to improve it. We are looking to take as many learnings away as we can.”

The Army Sailing Association's Will Naylor will be competing in his fourth Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race with the Army Sailing Association's Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier is crewed by the Army Sailing Association. Skipper Phil Caswell will be taking part in his third race and navigator Will Naylor his fourth. The team of seven are all serving in the British Army and Will Naylor estimates that the team could finish the race in 11-14 days. 

“The Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race is the biggest race of the season; it is really important to us,” commented Will Naylor. “It is a fantastic sailor’s race because it is as long as three Fastnets. We come from all backgrounds, but one thing we are good at in the military is coming together as a team. We are good at being wetter and colder than anyone else. As a team, we are serving soldiers and officers from a Lieutenant Colonel to Privates and all of the crew have raced the miles required.”

Inken Borrman and Reemt Bruhn are both 17 years old and racing on the HSV's JV52 Haspa Hamburg

Christian Heermann will skipper an HSV crew on JV52 Haspa Hamburg. The young team are all from Germany and have the two youngest crew members in the race; Inken Borrman and Reemt Bruhn are both 17 years old.

“We had a windy sail delivering the boat here from Hamburg, but I really enjoyed it and as there was a place for me on the race, I have decided to join the racing team,” commented Inken Borrman. “I have never done anything like this before, so everything is new to me, but I have known Reemt since we were very young, so it will be great to sail with him and the whole team.” 

Reemt Bruhn comes from a sailing family; his father and uncle race Class40 Iskareen and his grandfather’s boats were all called by the same name. “Haspa Hamburg is such a powerful and fast boat, it is going to be thrilling to race. The longest race I have done is the Fastnet and the start from Cowes is magical. To race this 1,800-mile course is going to be just an amazing spectacle. I think we are going to be very proud as a crew if we can finish this race.” 

JPK 1080 Mzungu: Sam North and Sam White Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Sam White and Sam North are old friends but only started racing together recently on JPK 1080 Mzungu! “I think we really make a good team as Sam (White) is really good around the boat and on navigation, while I have strengths on the tactical side and we make a really good unit,” commented Sam North. “Just to finish would mean we have achieved a huge amount in terms of preparing for the race and if we get a half decent result, I would be really proud of that.”

Two Irish sailors, James Crampton and James Murphy are on the crew of one of the class favourites for August's Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race - Palanad 3, skippered by Antoine Magre (FRA).

Ten Class40s are among the entries and expressions of interest for the race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

The race record for a monohull 40ft or less was set in the last edition in 2018 by Phil Sharp’s Class40 Imerys Clean Energy in 8 days 4 hrs 14 mins and 49 secs. This year, realistically, seven Class40s can be considered capable of beating that record, but the legendary brutality of the 1,805 nautical mile race means that all of the Class40s are capable of winning their class.

Palanad 3 can be considered one of the class favourites for the 2022 Round Britain and Ireland Race. Skippered by France’s Antoine Magre, Palanad 3 has an international crew including Spain’s Pablo Santurde and two Irishmen, James Crampton and James Murphy. In 2021 Palanad 3 was the champion Class40 in the Rolex Fastnet Race and took line honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race. In 2018, Antoine Magre was on Giles Redpath’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra for the race, winning overall under IRC (Elapsed time: 9 days 8 hrs 35 mins 16 secs).

“This race is going to be tough because of the course and the level of the competition is very high,” commented Antoine Magre. Entries in the Class40 division are expected from an international fleet with teams from Finland, France, Great Britain, Ireland and the United States.

Xavier Macaire is set for the Round Britain and Ireland Race with his new Verdier designed Groupe SNEF Photo: Jean-Baptiste d’Enquin

The Verdier designed Groupe SNEF Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Xavier Macaire is set for the race with his new Verdier-designed Groupe SNEF. Xavier has competed in 11 editions of La Solitaire du Figaro and narrowly missed taking the overall win for 2022. Macaire’s first race in his Class40 was the Normandy Channel Race and is currently ranked fifth in the 2022 Class40 Championship.

Andrea Fornaro has entered his 2022 VPLP-designed Influence for the race and has been racing Class40s for over 10 years, including coming second in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race as crew for Peraspera.

Laurent Camprubi has announced that he will be racing Groupe Berkem Two-Handed for the race with Edgard Vincens. A tough challenge for the 62-year-old Frenchman and his crew who are both new to Class40 racing. Laurent hails from Marseille and has enjoyed success in IRC racing and has completed the 2022 Transat Jacques Vabre in another Class40. Camprubi will be racing with his new scow design boat from the drawing board of top Mini Transat designer Etienne Bertrand.

Two-Handed entry Groupe Berkem will be sailed by Laurent Camprubi and Edgard Vincens

The highly experienced offshore sailor Laurent Camprubi is new to Class40 racing

Andrea Fornaro's new VPLP designed Influence seen here competing in the 2022 Round Ireland Yacht Race Photo: Afloat

The 2014 Sam Manuard-designed Tquila is expected to be racing with a team led by James McHugh and the multiple world record phenomenon Brian Thompson. The Mach 40 design was second in the 2014 Route du Rhum and won class in the 2017 RORC Caribbean 600. Brian Thompson is no stranger to the Round Britain and Ireland Race. In 2014, Thompson and the crew of Artemis-Team Endeavour smashed the Round Britain and Ireland record in the IMOCA category (Elapsed time of 5 days, 14 hrs, 00 mins and 54 secs), finishing the race second overall under IRC.

Greg Leonard has raced thousands of miles along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and ramped up to the Sam Manuard-designed Kite in 2020, often racing with his teenage son Hannes. The Mach 40.3 was built in 2015 for Maxime Sorel, winning the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race and Transat Jacques Vabre.

The 2014 Sam Manuard designed Tquila is expected to be racing with a team led by James McHugh and the British multiple world record Brian Thompson Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Marc Dubos has been racing thousands of miles in Class40s since 2009 and since 1997 in the Mini Transat Class. His Marc Lombard-designed Akilaria 2 La Rochelle Nautique was launched in 2009. Dubos has vast experience which will be a real asset and for him the race is unfinished business after failing to finish in 2018.

Jasper Golyer’s Finot-designed Peregrine was launched in 2009 and is the second oldest Class40 in the race. Golyer hails from Ireland and is the first Irish skipper to take on the race in the Class40 division.

Ari Känsäkoski has entered his Finnish Class40 Fuji which he raced in 2018, finishing in just over 12 days with a crew of seven. Ari’s preparations for the 2022 Round Britain and Ireland Race include the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race and the inaugural Roschier Baltic Sea Race. The 2007 Owen Clarke-designed Fuji may be the oldest Class40 in the race but that does not mean Fuji cannot win. In 2014, the oldest boat in the race; Roderick Knowles’ Swish was the only Class40 to finish, beating all of the modern boats. “To finish first, first you must finish.” Is very true for the quadrennial RORC race.

Greg Leonard's Sam Manuard designed Kite built in 2015 for Maxime Sorel, is a 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race and Transat Jacques Vabre winner and is pictured here competing in the 2022 Round Ireland Yacht Race Photo: Afloat

The Round Britain and Ireland Race is one of the toughest races in the official Class40 calendar. Since 2010, twenty-six Class40s have attempted to complete the course; only eight have succeeded.

Palanad 3’s Antoine Magre explains that crew preparation for the 1,805nm race is key to a successful performance: “Racing with four on board is very different to racing solo or double-handed. The intensity is different but with a full crew you can push even harder. One of the biggest challenges of the race is sleep management, making sensible decisions when you are sleep deprived is hard; putting in a reef or hoisting a bigger spinnaker can be game-changing decisions for this race. Nutrition is another important area; having the right balance of carbohydrate, protein and minerals and of course rehydration.”

Magre continues his advice for crews taking part in the toughest race in the RORC programme: “For fitness, I like high intensity workouts such as CrossFit to raise the level of lactic acid, followed by endurance training. In essence trying to mimic the physical stress of a manoeuvre, followed by the endurance effort of lifting sails. In a practical sense you also have to be smart. Anticipating a change in the conditions can be very cost saving, but sometimes it is better not to solve an issue straight away, waiting for the right moment can be more efficient.”

The 1,805nm Round Britain & Ireland Race course

First organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in 1976, the 1,805nm Round Britain & Ireland Race is a true marathon of epic proportions. Held every four years, the next edition will start on Sunday 7th August 2022 from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line in Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK.

Andy Fennell's 39ft trimaran Morpheus, the leader at the 48-hour Galway stopover in the 2000-mile Round Britain & Ireland Race 2022 from Plymouth, is now well on her way to the next stop at Lerwick in the Shetlands. But the variations in the fleet size and speed are such that the reception team from Galway Bay SC and the Port of Galway find that their services will have been on call 24-hours for a full week by the time the smallest boat, the Italian-owned vintage Vertue 25 Mea, heads on for Lerwick this coming Tuesday evening.

The skipper of the next-smallest boat in the fleet, 19-year-old Lou Boorman, was taking her boat to sea yesterday (Sunday) evening to start the passage to Lerwick when the little Mea (Matteo Ricardi) finally hove into sight under power, heading for Galway Dock after finishng Stage 1 at the line in the open waters of the Bay.

Thus as Mea won't be allowed to resume racing until Tuesday evening, it will be a clear week since Morpheus swept into town, having come zooming up the coast at a crisp 17 knots past the Cliffe of Moher. But that famous Galway "hospitality gene" has been well up to the seven-day challenge - many of the visitors said they will come back and visit Galway again, and many friendships were struck up with the members of Galway Bay Sailing Club who have been on call for a week to look after the sailors.

The Vertue 25 Mea (Matteo Richardi) finally reaches Galway

After a long and sometimes slow windward slugging match getting to the turn at the Blasket Islands yesterday (Tuesday) morning in the first Plymouth-Galway stage of the Round Britain & Ireland 2022, Andrew Fennell's Shuttleworth 39 trimaran Morpheus revelled in the nor'west wind's reaching conditions from Inishtearaght to Galway Bay and came zapping up past the Cliffs of Moher at speeds topping 17 knots to lengthen away from the still-beating Dazcat 46 Hissy Fit and finish with a massively clear margin at 17:02 hrs yesterday (Tuesday) evening.

Andy Fennell, skipper of Morpheus (pictured centre), line honours boat in the Round Britain and Ireland race being welcomed into Galway by GBSC's Fergal Lyons (left) and John Killeen, Chairman of RNLI Ireland and the Marine Institute

Breakfast at the Blaskets. Winner's evening pints in the Commander Bill King Centre in Galway. All on the same day. And all achieved under sail.

That's doing the business and no mistake.

At 0846 this (Tuesday) morning, Andrew Fennell’s 39ft Shuttleworth trimaran Morpheus put in what her crew hope will be her final tack westward of the Blasket Islands, and found they could finally lay the course for Galway in the Round Britain & Ireland Race after slugging into headwinds from the northerly arc for most of the way from the Isles of Scilly.

Until reaching Scilly, they’d frequently enjoyed fair winds south of Cornwall and – as expected – had opened an on-water lead on the entire fleet. But crossing the western approaches of the Celtic Sea, the wind increasingly stayed stubbornly ahead, and the entire west coast of Kerry has provided one long windward struggle.

Nevertheless Morpheus coped with it better than any other boat, and firmed her lead on the DazCat 46 Hissy Fit, while in the mono-hulls Ross Hobson’ Open 60 Pegasus took her expected place in front, though it has to be said that an extremely good performance is being put in by Dominic Bowns’ little Sunfast 3300 Orbit.

Golden oldie. The veteran S&S34 Olbia (Christian Chalendre & Pascal Body) is racing for France in the RB & I. Photo Paul Gibbins, courtesy RWYC

Meanwhile, at Galway Docks a volunteer group of GBSC members finished their work last night (Monday), transforming “The Grey Shed” into the “Commander Bill King Clubhouse” as a dockside hospitality suite for the Genesys-sponsored Galway stopover.

With the competitors in the RB&I obliged to observe a mandatory 48-hour stopover at each of the three ports of call, and with leader Morpheus expected tonight despite lightning breezes, it will be a lengthy process. The tail-ender Mea, a Vertue 2, is still almost within sight of the Isles of Scilly, so it’s likely the Commander Bill King Clubhouse will be active right through the Bank Holiday Weekend as boats and crews come and go in their alloted slots

Race Tracker below

Although the fleet starting yesterday (Sunday) in the first stage from Plymouth of the Royal Western Round Britain & Ireland Race 2022 to the initial Genesys-sponsored 48-hour stopover in Galway found the early morning rain giving way to sunshine, by the time the leaders were reaching the Lizard Point the nor-easter which would have given a beam reach to Mizen Head in Ireland had backed to give headwinds. In fact, at some stages winds from every direction were being experienced.

At just 25ft LOA, he vintage Vertue Class Mea from Italy is the smallest bat in the fleet

Thus with barometric pressure rising and light northerlies settling in, it’s going to be a slow first stage regardless of size, and finishing times in Galway are likely to be spread over a very long period for a fleet which ranges in size from an Open 50 down to a vintage Vertue 25, and includes several potent multihulls.

The class S&S 34 Olbia from France adds to the race’s international flavour and boat variety

The Shuttleworth trimaran Morpheus from Essex is one of the line honours favourites

First raced in 1966, the four-yearly multi-stage 2000-mile Round Britain & Ireland Race - sailed clockwise from the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth - has always featured an Irish stopover. But this coming weekend, when the fleet starts westward from Plymouth on Sunday, May 29th, for the first time that key initial stage-post will be the Port of Galway.

It’s a stopover which will have its own sponsor in the shape of locally-based multi-national IT company Genesys, who are also supporters of the rising Connacht rugby team. With that Genesys muscle behind them for the RB&I Race, Galway Harbour Master Captain Brian Sheridan and the reception team from Galway Bay SC, working together with the city’s hospitality groups, will be able to offer something very special indeed, taking full advantage of the fact that each boat has a mandatory 48-hour stopover.

The 2022 RB&I Course – starting from Plymouth, Galway is Stop 1, Lerwick is Stop 2, and Blyth is Stop 3

As the fleet ranges in size and type from multihulls and 50-footers right down to a vintage 25ft Vertue cutter, they’ll already be well spread out by the time Galway is reached. So with the 48 hours factored in – with each boat then having its own set starting time to begin the next extra-long leg to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands – having the RB&I boats in town will be an expanding feast.

Cover girl. O’Brien Kennedy sailing his new own-designed Leitrim-built 6-ton 26ft Kerry sloop, as seen on the cover of the June 1970 Irish Yachting & Motorboating, the predecessor of Afloat.ie. A fifth place in the large-fleet 1970 Round Britain & Ireland Race established the Kerry’s credentials as a seaworthy performance cruiser.

This year’s race has three notable firsts. Where it had always previously been a two-handed event, 2022 will see a division for fully-crewed entries. After last weekend’s stunning victory by two-handers Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt in the Sun Fast 3300 Cinnamon Girl in the inaugural Kinsale YC 240-mile Inishtearaght Race, it’s a moot point whether being fully-crewed confers truly significant advantages. But in order to accommodate increased personnel numbers, the competing boats – while staying with the same skipper throughout – are allowed a crew change at either Galway, Lerwick or the third stopover at Blyth in Northumberland.

2022’s third notable “first” is quite something, as the age of the youngest skipper – having been at 21 since 1988 – has now seen a significant reduction to 19 thanks to the finalization of the entry by young Welsh sailor Lou Boorman from Pembrokeshire and her shipmate Elin Jones with the Contessa 32 White Knight.

Lou Boorman’s White Knight is a Contessa 32 

Round Britain & Ireland Race Entry List

The entry list as of 24-05-22 is here

It reveals some special Irish interest. Conor Fogerty of Howth, now racing the Figaro 3 Raw, is renewing his involvement with the RWYC which enabled him to become Ireland’s 2017 “Sailor of the Year” after his success with the Sunfast 3600 Bam in the RWYC Single-Handed Transat, though quite how he’s managing to fit this time-hungry circuit into an already busy 2022 season remains to be seen.

Changing of the Guard. Conor Fogerty becomes Ireland’s “Sailor of the Year” 2017, seen here with 2016 title-holder, Olympic Silver Medallist Annalise Muphy. Photo: Brian Turvey

The Isle of Man’s Kuba Szymanski, a noted ISORA contender, is also in the lineup with his First 40.7 Polished Manx, and while much is being made of Lou Boorman’s Welsh connections, as her home port is in Milford Haven we can also bring her and White Knight in under the Irish Sea umbrella, giving us three entries of special Irish interest if they’re all there on the line on Sunday.

IRISH INVOLVEMENT IN TIMES PAST

It’s a race with a history of Irish involvement which makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity. Two notable contenders in times past were O’Brien Kennedy with his Leitrim-built Kerry 6-tonner in 1970, and Brian Law and Dickie Gomes of Strangford Lough with the Dick Newick-designed 38ft trimaran Downtown Flyer in 1982.

O’Brien Kennedy placed a very commendable fifth in one of the smallest boats in the fleet in 1970, thereby achieving his aim of establishing his Kerry Class as very seaworthy performance-oriented cruiser, something done with such notable success at a quiet international level that the Kerry now has her own enthusiastic entry on German Wikipedia.

Downtown Flyer’s plans were classic Dick Newick

As for Downtown Flyer, created by a building team headed by Brian Law in Lisburn, she became a legend. She won her class in the 1982 RB&I, and went on to many other successes which reflected the fact that she was well able to sail the 140-mile passage from the Tuskar Rock to Land’s End in eight hours.

Downtown Flyer building in Lisburn in January 1982. Photo: W M Nixon

While Newick trimarans may look distinctive to the point of oddness nowadays, they continue to have their enthusiasts, and Downtown Flyer – now called Panache - was seen as recently as 2018 in Gibraltar in good sea-going order, a reminder that forty years ago, this remarkable machine came storming out of Strangford Lough to a achieve a litany of international success.

The former Downtown Flyer, now known as Panache, seen at La Linnea in Gibraltar in 2018

So who knows what long-term history will be in the making as the fleet heads for Galway from Plymouth next Sunday. Spare a special thought for Matteo Richardi and Alexandra Robasto in the little Vertue 25 Mea. By the time the fleet gets to Blyth, the comfortable Mee could well be weeks rather than days behind the leaders…….

In the heart of Ireland’s Atlantic seaboard, the Port of Galway is geared up for hospitality

At least four IMOCA teams are planning to compete in the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race: Sam Davies with Initiatives-Coeur, Pip Hare with Medallia, Ollie Heer with Oliver Heer Ocean Racing and James Harayda with Gentoo 2. So far, 29 teams are among the early entries and expressions of interest for the race which is scheduled to start from Cowes, Isle of Wight on the 7th of August 2022.

The 1,805 nautical mile race around Britain and Ireland is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club every four years and is considered to be one of the toughest challenges in the sport of yacht racing. The Round Britain & Ireland Race Race Record for monohulls 60ft and less was set in 2014 by Artemis-Team Endeavour, skippered by Brian Thompson: 5 days 14 hours and 54 seconds.

MEDALLIA - PIP HARE

Pip Hare Photo: Mark Lloyd

Pip Hare shot to fame in the 2020-21 Vendée Globe, completing the solo round the world race in one of the oldest boats in just over 95 days. Pip is back with a newer generation IMOCA Medallia; the foiling 2015 VPLP/Verdier design won the 2016-17 Vendée Globe and was the second boat to cross the finish line in the 2020-21 edition. Just last week, after a major winter refit, Medallia went for a first big sea trial from Gosport to Portugal.

“It has been a really hard push to get the boat ready for the sea trials, but what a ride! 25-30 knot reaching conditions,” commented Pip Hare. “On trial with Jack Bouttell and Olly Young we had a blistering sail down to Portugal, beating the shore team who went by road! We got a real taste of what is to come and it is so exciting.”

Pip Hare competed in the 2018 Round Britain & Ireland Race with Chris Frost and Elin Haf Davies in the Class40 Aparito. “As friends, we wanted to do this race together, but it was a pretty old Class40 to be honest!” admitted Pip. “We did race Aparito really hard and at times we were ahead of some of the modern Class40s, which was really amazing. But we were sticking the boat back together as we were going round!”

“For the 2022 race I have an incredible boat and I am racing with a really great crew: Jack Bouttell, Ben Schwartz, Paul Larsen and Nick Bubb. Their incredible knowledge and hunger for racing will mean we can push the boat in race conditions. This will enable me to become a better sailor with the new Medallia.”

INITIATIVES-COEUR - SAM DAVIES

Sam Davies Photo: Initiatives-Coeur

Sam Davies has three Vendée Globe attempts in her impressive racing CV, including fourth in 2008-09. Sam Davies is the most experienced of the early expressions of interest and has a new Sam Manuard designed boat in build, hoping to be ready for the Round Britain & Ireland Race.

Sam’s first Round Britain and Ireland was in 2009 on board AVIVA, skippered by Dee Caffari, setting an all-women team course record. Sam’s last appearance in the race was as skipper of the VO65 Team SCA in 2014, setting a new outright women’s record for the course and the race: 4 days 21 hours 00 minutes and 39 seconds.

OLIVER HEER OCEAN RACING - OLLIE HEER

Ollie Heer Photo:  PKC Media

Ollie Heer has competed in two previous editions of the Round Britain & Ireland Race. In 2018 as boat captain for Giles Redpath’s IRC Lombard 46 Pata Negra, Ollie was on the team for the overall win. The 2022 edition will be Ollie’s debut race in his 2007 Farr-designed IMOCA Oliver Heer Ocean Racing. The boat will have four crew composed of south coast UK sailors, yet to be announced. Ollie is no stranger to the IMOCA class having sailed over 60,000nm as boat captain for Alex Thomson’s HUGO BOSS.

“Right now, the biggest challenge is managing my time correctly and having the funding to reach a level that I aspire to,” commented Ollie Heer. “In the whole world of offshore racing there isn’t a start and finish line with a bigger history than the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, and there is a logistical advantage in starting and finishing in the Solent. This year’s race is all about reliability for me and the Round Britain & Ireland Race gives the perfect platform to test the boat: 2,000 racing miles with all kinds of conditions, where we can put the foot down and try to keep the boat in one piece. There will definitely be some challenges on the race course. For an up-and-coming IMOCA team this is the perfect race; we can’t wait to hit the start line.”

GENTOO 2 - JAMES HARADYA

James Harayda Photo: Felix Diemer

Racing with a crew of four, James Harayda will be taking part in his first Round Britain & Ireland Race in his 2007 Group Finot designed IMOCA Gentoo 2. At 24 years old James is currently the youngest IMOCA skipper in the race. James has competed in many of the world’s largest offshore races and is a two-time British Double Handed National Champion with Dee Caffari.

“This is a big challenge on so many different levels; it is a massive step up and very exciting,” commented James Harayda. “The Round Britain & Ireland Race will deepen my knowledge of the boat and I am a competitive person so would also like to do well. Ollie (Heer) is a great guy and we get on really well. We intend to support one another over the next two years, but this is a race. Once we get started the gloves will be off and we will be in full-blown racing mode.”

Pip Hare commented on the new British based IMOCAs competing in the Round Britain & Ireland Race: “It is exciting to have more IMOCAs in the UK and on the start line for this race. This race is not just about who has got the most up-to-date boat. Racing around Britain and Ireland is massively tactical and hugely challenging. I have been that under-dog and I remain humble and respectful to my competitors; nothing is for granted.”

The Round Britain & Ireland Race is scheduled to start from Cowes on Sunday 7th of August 2022. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, the fleet race east through the Solent, past the headlands of the South West of England and into the Celtic Sea and the West Coast of Ireland. The Atlantic racing continues past St Kilda, up to the most northerly point of the course, Muckle Flugga on the 61st parallel. Turning south through the North Sea, then along the English Channel and then the Solent, the race finally finishes back in Cowes.