Courrier Vintage, MC34 Patton, co-owned by Sam Marsaudon and long time RORC member and supporter Géry Trentesaux is the RORC Yacht of the Year. The IRC Overall prize has gone to Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3

With the Rolex Middle Sea Race finally bringing the Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) Season's Points Championships to an end, it is time to honour the winners in what has been a very competitive year. This is the first time that the Rolex Middle Sea Race has been included in the Season's Points Championships and also the first time that only one of the high points factored races is used for a yacht's total score. This initiative was to discourage boats from only doing those races with points coefficient. It had the desired effect of making the points differences much smaller and the final result much closer.

Over 500 different yachts competed in RORC offshore races, half of these coming from abroad, with the pinnacle event being the Rolex Fastnet Race with its record breaking 337 starters, record number of finishers (327) and an historic win for the two-handed father and son team, Pascal and Alexis Loison on the JPK 10.10, Night and Day.

RORC Yacht of the Year
For many sailors the icing on the cake after a tough and competitive season is the selection of the 'RORC Yacht of the Year' by the RORC Main Committee and this year's selection had a number of very good candidates. Arriving at their decision the Committee were impressed with the results of one boat who won its class in the Cervantes Trophy, North Sea, De Guingand Bowl, Rolex Fastnet and Cherbourg Races.

Winning the Somerset Memorial Trophy for RORC Yacht of the Year and the Emily Verger Plate for winning IRC Two overall is Courrier Vintage, an MC34 Patton co-owned by Sam Marsaudon and long time RORC member and supporter Géry Trentesaux.
Géry was both delighted and surprised to receive the award as he was second to Piet Vroon's Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens in IRC overall:

"Yacht of the Year is the cherry on the cake and it is an official recognition from the RORC of our season," commented Géry. "We reached both of our two objectives from the beginning of the season, winning Spi Ouest and Fastnet in our Class. I am thinking of my father, who was a member of RORC in the seventies and who died just before the start of the Morgan Cup."

Géry took ownership of the boat in 2012 and brought the boat to the IRC National Championship in Cowes. This Mark Lombard design was noticeably different with its striking grey colour, slab sides and with a sharp chine running all the way aft to its wide transom. The boat started life with a single rudder and showed signs of good performance but was never outstanding. At the end of the 2012 season Géry decided to optimise it for offshore racing with the 2013 Rolex Fastnet in mind so added twin rudders, increased the weight of the bulb and increased the surface area of the fin to improve its upwind performance with a much bigger speed gain than Géry expected and in their first outing in the new configuration they won Spi Ouest at Easter. Géry has been delighted with the boat's performance both inshore and offshore. The twin rudder configuration on the wide transom allows the boat to be pushed harder when reaching and the spinnaker pole was removed in favour of a bowsprit and asymmetric spinnakers. The boat now holds its own with conventional designs but excels downwind and one would have thought it was a very light boat but not so as it weighs in just shy of 4 tons with a DLR of 150. This is less than the highly successful JPK 10.10 (which took 5 out of the top 11 places overall in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race) with a DLR of 182 but more than a Ker 40 which has a DLR of 121. (The lower the number the more racing orientated the design).

IRC Overall
Piet Vroon's Tonnerre de Breskens
has been amazingly consistent having won the Jazz Trophy three times for winning IRC overall. The Ker 46, now in its 5th year, has been continuously upgraded and is always regarded as the boat to beat in all conditions. Tonnerre competed in nine offshore races and veteran skipper Piet Vroon was on board for the majority of the races. Tonnerre also won the Stradivarius Trophy for best overseas yacht in IRC Overall and the Alan Paul Trophy for consistent high performance in IRC.

Of the rest of the results the Two-Handed Class deserves a special mention as it continues to grow. 69 boats entered this season which is the largest fleet since the discipline was introduced. The fleet encompasses a wide range of competitors, from experienced Corinthian sailors to the young skippers from the Artemis Offshore Academy training to be professional sailors in their fleet of Figaro IIs. The top three boats in the Two-Handed Class in 2013 show this variety with Sam Matson and Robin Elsey from the Artemis Offshore Academy coming third in class with Artemis 21. The 22 and 21 year olds had a good season but missed out on additional points when they raced their fellow Figaro IIs under class rules for the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Rob Craigie and Deb Fish had a great season with their J/122, J Bellino, culminating in a win in class in the Cherbourg Race, the last race of the domestic season. However, it was the Loison family class act in Night and Day who, not surprisingly, won overall with class wins in all of the races they entered apart from the Cherbourg Race. Pascal and Alexis Loison had optimised their JPK 10.10 for shorthanded sailing with twin rudders. It is a very good all round boat with nicely laid out accommodation down below.
Commenting on their successful season Pascal Loison drew attention to the special relationship for the father and son team:
"I am especially proud to win all these races with my son; it was for me a great thing. When he was a child I taught him to sail; now he is a professional sailor and teaches me a lot of things. When we won the Fastnet Race overall and Two-Handed, some people said it was 'historic'."
It certainly was.

Other results are as follows:
IRC Canting Keel

Volvo 70, Monster Project- Andrew Budgen and Fred Schwyn

IRC Zero

Volvo 60, Pleomax - Harm Prins

IRC One

Ker 40, Magnum III - Andrew Pearce

IRC Two

MC34 Patton, Courrier Vintage - Sam Marsaudon and Géry Trentesaux

IRC Three

JPK 10.10, Night and Day - Pascal and Alexis Loison

IRC Four

JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew - Noel Racine

Class40

Momentum Ocean Racing - Emma Creighton and Dan Dytch

Nick Elliott, RORC Racing Manager, was delighted with the 2013 season:
"This season has seen varied conditions from an exciting short blast across to Le Havre for the Cervantes Trophy Race to a test of patience and endurance to St Malo in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race. All the races saw fantastic entry and competition across the classes peaking with the record fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Congratulations to all of our competitors on their achievements throughout the year and we look forward to seeing you all on the water in 2014."

#rorc – The final race of the RORC domestic season, the Cherbourg Race this year proved a tough and technical upwind battle for the fleet as, faced with squalls and spring tides, the competitors were kept firmly on their toes from start to finish.

Managing the big storm cells and the 30 degree lifts and headers associated with them was central to how boats performed. The wind would increase from 15 to 30 knots very quickly and many of the fleet were caught out with ragging sail as the squall passed through. Reflecting on the race, owner of Magnum III, Andrew Pearce, recounted that "...as each cell hit us the same thing happened, each one bringing with it stinging rain and thunder and lightning. At one stage I counted 6 different storm cells around us with lightning going on all around interspersed with the most incredibly clear starry skies."

Coping well with the conditions, Andrew and his crew on Magnum III were delighted to round off their excellent season with their first ever line honours, leading their main rival, Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, over the finish line.
However across the board the British and Dutch boats were beaten on corrected time by the French. Fittingly, the race results were dominated by local entrants from Cherbourg with two class wins and strong results in IRC Overall. In particular was local favourite Bruno James whose Sunfast 3200, Le MC do de Cherbourg, was virtually the smallest boat in the fleet but nevertheless claimed 1st place in IRC Four as well as an excellent 2nd in IRC Overall, crossing the finish line among many of the IRC One and Two boats.

Another popular local, fresh from his success at the Rolex Fastnet Race, Pascal Loison returned to finish the RORC season with his JPK 10.10, Night and Day. Coming first is becoming a force of habit for Pascal with this, his fifth, IRC Three win this season, and he is sitting comfortably at the top of IRC Three Season's Points Championship. His usual co-skipper, his son Alexis, was racing onboard the hugely successful Inis Mor who also won their class, IRC One.
However it befell another consistent French performer, Courrier Vintage, to walk away with 1st place in IRC Overall. The MC34 Patton, owned by Sam Marsaudon and skippered by Géry Trentesaux, has now performed a hat trick of IRC Overall wins this season, adding to the Cervantes Trophy Race and the De Guingand Bowl Race.

Despite strong competition, the Two-Handed Class was won by Rob Craigie and Deb Fish in their J122, J-Bellino. It came as a bit of a surprise for a delighted Rob and Deb, who first knew of their win when they arrived for lunch at the Yacht Club. They were over the moon to collect their trophy and were warmly congratulated by their fellow two-handed sailors. The win now pushes them firmly into 2nd place in the Two-Handed Class Season's Points Championship, just behind Night and Day.
Elsewhere it was a straightforward head to head race between the two Class40 entrants, won by Marc Lepesqueux's Sensation Class 40.

As in recent years, the Cherbourg Race prizegiving was accompanied by a party organised by French RORC members, led by Géry Trentesaux and hosted by the Yacht Club de Cherbourg with support from the L'Equipage Restaurant. Thanks go to Jean Le Carpentier, Yacht Club de Cherbourg President, for his continued support for the race and providing the finish Committee Boat.

There is only one race left now to count towards the RORC Season's Points Championship: the Rolex Middle Sea Race will begin on Saturday 19th October 2013.
Trophies for the RORC Season's Points Championship will be awarded at the RORC Annual Dinner, held at the Royal Courts of Justice on Saturday 23rd November 2013 from 18:30. For further details and to book your tickets please see www.rorc.org

For full results from the Cherbourg Race please see www.rorc.org

#rorc – The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Cherbourg Race is the penultimate race of the RORC Season's Points Championship with next month's Rolex Middle Sea Race bringing the championship to a conclusion writes Louay Habib. The sprint from Cowes to Cherbourg will be the last race across the English Channel and for many competing yachts it will mark the end of the nine month series which started in February.

The overall winner of the RORC Season's Points Championship will have accumulated the most number of points over the season. Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, is the current overall leader and is likely to win the Championship for the third time in four years. Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII, is in second place but only just ahead of Andrew Pearce's Ker 40, Magnum III, which closed the gap after scoring well in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Whilst Tonnerre de Breskens 3 looks to have won the RORC Season's Points Championship overall, the IRC Class results are yet to be decided. A boat's best five races are to count with only one carrying a points factor. Due to the discard rule, the Dutch flyer is currently third in IRC One. Magnum III is sitting in pole position for class honours with last year's class champion and 2012 RORC Yacht of the Year, Laurent Gouy's Ker 39, Inis Mor, lying second, just 16 points behind.

Sam Marsaudon and Géry Trentesaux's MC34 Patton, Courrier Vintage, will be racing this weekend. The French team won their class in last month's Rolex Fastnet Race to secure the IRC Two class win for the season with two races to spare. Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Logic, will be racing to Cherbourg as well, hoping to pile on the points to secure the runner up position. However RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine's First 40, La Réponse, and Peter Rutter's Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka, 3rd and 4th respectively in class at present, will not be taking part as both yachts are currently sailing to Malta to take part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

The star of the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race will also be racing to Cherbourg. Pascal Loison's JPK 10.10, Night And Day, has had an astonishing season racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The Cherbourg Race will be their fifth of the season and the French team is looking to secure first place in both IRC Three and the Two-Handed Class for the RORC Season's Points Championship.

"Cherbourg is my home town," smiled Pascal. "I will be racing with Nicolas Pasternak, as my son Alexis is racing on another yacht. Our attitude is the same as all of the other yachts racing to Cherbourg, we race to win! Regardless of the season so far, we really want to win the last race, especially because it is back to my home. I can assure all of the competitors and the RORC Racing Team, there will be a fantastic reception for everyone in Cherbourg."

#vdlr –The Royal Ocean Racing Club's rating office in London has given a ringing endorsement of the dual scoring system employed at Irish regattas and reports of its findings when it visited Ireland's biggest regatta in July. The four clubs in Dun Laoghaire on Dublin Bay jointly hosted the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta for a large fleet including around 120 IRC boats. Emma Smith and Jenny Howells attended the event on behalf of the RORC Rating Office and were able to provide on-site IRC assistance to the organisers, meet owners and crews, and watch some of the racing on the water. It was also interesting to see dual-scoring with ECHO (the Irish national handicap system) in action.

ECHO is a progressive handicapping system, so the ECHO TCC changes after every race to reflect actual performance; this system allows everyone to race together but ensures that the keen racers don't win under both systems. For instance, at this event, the IRC class 2 and overall IRC winner "Checkmate XV" saw her ECHO TCC increase from 1.012 to 1.121 over six races, leaving her 7th overall in ECHO 2. There are clear advantages to club racing of dual scoring between Spinlock IRC and a national or local handicap system which you can read about on the RORC Rating website.

#Fastnet – After the first night at sea in the 2013 Fastnet race, two of 12 Irish yachts are showing the potency of Irish offshore sailing with top five performances in the 335–boat fleet. Clidfen Boat Club's Inismor sailed by the French Guoy brotherrs are lying fourth and Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary in Irish champion yacht Antix lies fifth. Both boats are Ker39 designs with a proven offshore performance capability. Inismor is the current Round Ireland champion. 

The 335 competing boats still have over 475 nautical miles to go in this offshore challenge from Cowes to the Fastnet rock and back but already the signs look like a rerun of May's Myth of Malham race for the top Irish boats. So far Chris Tibbs weather forecast is being borne out on the race track and this will favour the 35-40– foot boats.

Read WM Nixon's Fastnet Yacht Race preview on the Irish entries here.

Currently lying 25th overall, skipper Aodhan Fitgerald reported from Discover Ireland at 02.25 this morning: 'Light winds now as we approach start point. We are amongst the northern most in our class so recent knock may pay dividends. Beautiful moon and star lit night off south coast uk. Very comfortable with dry decks which is nice but doesn't suit us! All well otherwise had some fun getting around Portland bill in the inner channel'.

Fastnet race tracker here: 

#rorc – Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, 86 yachts in the Channel Race experienced thunder, lightning and all manner of wind conditions, which produced a complex 100 mile race in The Solent and offshore along the south west coast of England writes Louay Habib. Local weather effects made even the most detailed weather forecast useless and those teams that reacted correctly to the fluctuating conditions were well rewarded. The course took the fleet east out of The Solent then west past St. Catherine's Point and onto Poole, followed by a reciprocal course downwind around the south side of the Isle of Wight with a finish off Gilkicker Point.

Pascal Loison's JPK 10.10, Night and Day, was the overall winner of the Channel Race. The French team have excelled winning class in their last three RORC races. However Pascal was not on board for the Channel Race, his son Alexis and Joel Ahrweiler were the crew. Sensationally Night and Day won the overall prize, IRC Three and the Two Handed Class.

"My father is a great teacher!" smiled Alexis. "It was a difficult race with many sail changes but the boat is very good in all wind angles and conditions and I think we sailed very well. Like me Joel is a Figaro sailor and we have sailed together for many years. For the Fastnet I will be sailing with 'le professor' (referring to his father) and the start date will be my 29th birthday, so I hope we can really celebrate when we arrive back in Plymouth."

In IRC Canting Keel two goliaths had a monumental match race, with the lead on the water changing on many occasions. Andy Budgen's British Volvo 70, Monster Project, had an early set back when one of the crew suffered a hand injury requiring medical attention but the team fought back to challenge IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing. In a sprint finish, Monster Project passed Artemis Ocean Racing to take Line Honours for the class by under seven minutes but, on corrected time, the class win went to the young crew on board Artemis Ocean Racing.

In IRC Zero Harm Prins' Volvo 60, Pleomax, had a memorable race pacing the canting keel class around the track and finishing the course in the fastest elapsed time. Pleomax won IRC Zero to extend their lead for the RORC Season's Points Championship, as the Dutch team corrected out to win by just over 6 minutes from Derek Saunders' British CM60, Venomous. Dutch Volvo 60, Team Heiner One, was third.

In IRC One Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, took line honours by some distance but after time correction the current leader for the RORC Season's Points Championship could only score 6th place for the race. Steven Anderson's British Corby 40, Cracklin' Rosie, sailed a great race to take the class win, after a tremendous battle with Nick Jones' British First 44.7, Lisa. RORC Commodore Mike Greville racing Ker 39, Erivale III, was third after a close encounter with Laurent Gouy's French Ker 39, Inis Mor.

RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine racing British First 40, La Réponse, was triumphant in IRC Two, after a close battle with the British Army Sailing Association's J/111, British Soldier, and former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter racing Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka.

"It was a fascinating race with a plenty of changes in pace," explained Andrew McIrvine. "We set off in very little wind and lots of tide but by the time we got to Bembridge the breeze switched off and with the tide holding us back, the fleet compressed. Just as we were thinking about kedging, the Coastguard put out a gale warning! A big thunderstorm appeared and, with the wind increasing to 20 knots, there was a flurry of activity on board with sail changes. As we got near St. Catherine's Point the wind subsided again, so in the first few hours we had gone through just about all the sails on board.

"The wind filled in from the west and we managed to keep inside our competition and got a great benefit because of that. We knew how well we were doing when we crossed ahead of a Volvo 60 as we approached Poole Bar! In our class, we had a really good battle with Quokka and British Soldier, we were all in sight of each other for much of the race. Quokka were using asymmetric kites on the run back to St. Catherine's but we were still locked together as we swapped gybes. However the wind went south and increased quite dramatically gusting close to 30 knots and Quokka blew out their spinnaker. We got away downhill with ten knots of boat speed and three knots of tide under the keel, we hammered past Bembridge Ledge at great speed."

Night and Day was the winner of IRC Three with Jerome Huillard's French A35, Prime Time, second in class and third overall for the race and John Allison's J/109, Jumbuck, third in IRC Three. Night and Day also won the Two Handed Class with David Gebbett's Dehler 36, Krackpot, in second place and the Artemis Offshore Academy's Figaro II, Artemis 21, in third.

In IRC Four Andy Theobald's Sigma 362, Nokomis, corrected out to win the class ahead of Kevin Sussmilch's Sigma 38, Mefisto, and Chris Choules' Sigma 38, With Alacrity. Nokomis was also the overall runner up for the Channel Race. "It is not often that we are 'in the chocolates' so that was very satisfying," commented Andy Theobald. "As always, good boat preparation and an excellent crew were vitally important but if there was one stand out moment in the race, it would be near the beginning, when we chose to stay inshore approaching Bembridge Ledge. We were not far behind the Sigma 38s so we knew we were in the hunt. Nokomis goes very well downwind and we managed to hold our kite from Poole back to Bembridge. Six of the seven crew on board will be taking part in the Fastnet next month and this win has definitely given us confidence, it goes without saying that our preparation this year is far better than the last time we attempted the Fastnet. In 2011 we broke our rig just a few days before the start and never started the race."

After months of preparation, the RORC Season's Point's Championship continues with the flagship race of the season The 45th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race will start on the 11th August with the largest fleet in the history of the race taking part.

#rorc – This weekend over 170 yachts from six different nations will race across the English Channel to the famous walled port city of St Malo in Brittany, France. The 170-mile race pre-dates the Royal Ocean Racing Club by almost 20 years, with the overall winner taking the impressive gold plated King Edward VII Cup, presented by the British Monarch to the Club Nautique de la Rance at Dinard in 1906.The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race is the ninth race of the 13 race series for the RORC Season's Points Championship and bar next month's Rolex Fastnet Race, is likely to have the largest entry of the RORC season.

Four multihulls will be racing to St Malo including two French Multi 50s: Etienne Hochede's Pir² Port De Fécamp is a vintage trimaran built in 1983 but the hot favourite to take line honours in St Malo will be Loic Fequet's Maitre Jacques, which has finished in the top three in class for both the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre. The Multihull record has stood since 2002, an extraordinary time of 5 hours 23 min 33 seconds was set by Maxi Catamaran Maiden 2 and Maitre Jacques is unlikely to beat that.

Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard returns to RORC racing for the first time since taking line honours in February's RORC Caribbean 600. ICAP Leopard set the monohull record for the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race in 2008, averaging 11.61 knots, and the 100ft canting keel maxi is very capable of improving on that. ICAP Leopard's current form in both the RORC Caribbean 600 and last month's record run in the JP Morgan Round the Island Race has them averaging over 13 knots.

"ICAP Leopard was built to set records and take line honours, but to do that we need the yacht in good condition, a top class crew and the right weather. Leopard is in great shape and the crew for the race is very capable, so we just need the third part of the recipe. At the moment, our weather routing is showing a slow start but we could see much more favourable conditions as the race develops, so record pace is a possibility." Mike Slade, ICAP Leopard.

There are 20 yachts racing to St Malo in IRC One including Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, and Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII, which are currently placed first and second overall for the 2013 season.

With 49 yachts entered, IRC Two is the largest class racing and Géry Trentesaux's MC34 Patton, Courrier Vintage, has been in superb form this season. Courrier Vintage was runner up last year by just seven minutes on corrected time and will undoubtedly feature in the race. Nine First 40.7s and seven First 40s will also feature in IRC Two enjoying a close battle within the class.

Chris Jackson, boat captain for First 40, Lancelot II Logic, spoke about their season. "Stacy Vickers and a number of his friends have chartered the yacht for a Fastnet campaign. Over half the crew have done the Fastnet before and we have high ambitions for the race. It is great to see seven First 40s racing to St Malo, I have never seen that many racing offshore before and the racing is incredibly close; we managed to get the better of La Réponse in the last offshore race by just nine seconds and it is really exciting to have so many boats around you. That pressure really raises the game. The St Malo race will be our last RORC race before the Fastnet and we are determined to get a good result."

In 2012 French yachts dominated the race winning four IRC Classes with Olivier Pesci and his crew on Grand Soleil 40, Beelzebuth 3, overjoyed to win the King Edward VII Cup for the best corrected time overall.

"It was a difficult race to win and we were all very tired but there were important decisions that needed to be made and we got our tactics right at key moments," commented Olivier Pesci "For a crew who come from Brittany, it was a fantastic experience to win the race. Although the firework display at St.Malo was to celebrate our national day, we enjoyed it even more because we were celebrating our victory in the St.Malo Race! For a Breton to win the King Edward VII Cup is a dream come true."

The race to St. Malo from Cowes is one of the oldest yacht races in the world and has always been a popular event with competitors racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The timing of the race coincides with the celebration of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a symbol of the uprising of the modern French nation. Bastille Day is one of the biggest celebrations throughout France and the fortress village of St Malo will be a hive of festivities and cultural celebrations culminating in an impressive firework display.

#RORC - The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Rating Office is launching an international competition next week to select the photograph that will grace the front cover of the 2014 edition of the RORC IRC Yearbook, published by Yachting World.

Entry to the 2014 Yearbook Competition, which kicks off on 15 July, is restricted to two submissions per person to be submitted by 30 August 2013.

A shortlist selected from all the entries will then be judged by Yachting World's racing and technical editor Matthew Sheahan, RORC's technical director Mike Urwin, award-winning photographer Ian Roman and marine leisure PR consultant Peta Stuart-Hunt.

The judges will be looking for an exciting image that reflects the club racing ethos of IRC rating. This may be round-the-mark action from one of your local club weekend races, a fleet shot from a weekday 'twilight' race, or perhaps a lucky catch from one of the offshore classics.

They will not be looking for the 'glamour shot' of a exotic, high-tech racing boat so much as something that encompasses everything IRC stands for - competitive racing for all.

The winner will be notified by 30 September 2013 and will receive a certificate, and have their photo featured on the cover of the 2014 RORC IRC Yearbook, with appropriate credit as agreed with the winner. There is no monetary prize.

The competition rules are available on the RORC Rating Office website HERE.

RORC British National Champions are decided, but Ireland's sole contender, Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix has to make do with seventh after a frustrating conclusion to the weekend series yesterday, writes Louay Habib.

Race 6 provided the final twist in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC National Championship. There was a tense end to a fascinating encounter for 54 yachts from seven different countries competing at the regatta. All classes got away off Gillkicker Point but a substantial shift in the light breeze was too much to provide fair racing and the race was abandoned shortly after the start.

Several yachts will have been frustrated by the decision, especially, the Irish national champion, Antix, Tim Thubron's First 40.7, Puma Logic, and Adam Goslings, Corby 36, Yes!. However the wind shift was more than 50 degrees and ending the championship in that manner would have been unfair.

At 1200 the Race Committee put an end to racing for the RORC IRC National Championship and as the gun sounded a big cheer went up from Andrew Pearce's British Ker 40, Magnum 3, which won a highly competitive Class One. Andrew Pearce and his crew were all smiles at the prizegiving especially as Magnum 3 was also crowned Overall RORC IRC National Champion 2013.

"Absolutely thrilled we have had two cracking days of racing," smiled Andrew at the prizegiving. "Despite the light weather the wind direction over the two days we raced was consistent and everybody has had a really good time. We are just so very pleased to have won against the best opposition we have ever encountered. The boat and the crew have done so well and in conditions that aren't favourite for a Ker 40. Last year we won our class on the last race, this year to lead from the start and win overall has been a dream come true."

Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, was second in IRC One and received the Jackdaw Trophy for second overall under IRC. Magnus Leask's British Swan 42, Magical Mystery Tour, was third in class.

The battle of the British TP52s went to Johnny Vincent's Pace scoring four wins out of five against Sir Keith Mills' 5 West. "We started this regatta as the underdogs so it has been very satisfying to win," commented Johnny. "We have also seen how well the crew and the boat are performing. No doubt we will be racing against 5 West at Cowes Week next month and we expect just as good competition."

The French flag was proudly flying from Olivier Pesci's Grand Soleil 40, Beelzebuth 3, after winning IRC Two. Former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter racing British Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka, was second and Adam Gosling's Cowes based Corby 36, Yes! was third.

"This was our first time at the IRC Championship and we are very happy, the organisation and the sunny weather has been a real joy. We are delighted to have won and proud to represent France at the regatta," commented Olivier Pesci.

James Chalmers' Weymouth crew on board J/35, Bengal Magic, scored the lowest net points of any yacht at the regatta and was crowned IRC National Champion for IRC Three. Last year's overall winner David Franks' JPK10.10, Strait Dealer from Cowes, was second in class just half a point ahead of Peter Morton's Lymington based Corby 33, Salvo.

"It has come as a complete surprise to win our class!" commented an ecstatic James Chalmers. "We have been racing against some well sailed boats but now and again everything clicks together and that has been the case this weekend. We are absolutely thrilled to be national champions. I have just spent a fortune with Spinlock, so I am delighted to hear that we will be receiving some prizes from them, as well!"

National Champion in IRC Four was awarded to Nick and Adam Munday racing J/97, Indulgence, who won three of the five races sailed. Richard Sparrow's J/92, Who's to No and Michael Kershaw's Half Tonner, Chimp, tied on points but second place was awarded to Who's to No on countback.

A packed crowd attended the RORC IRC National Championship prizegiving where class winners were awarded with RORC decanters and event sponsor Spinlock, represented by James Hall, provided Spinlock Deckvest LITE liejackets, Deckpacks and Kneepads as prizes.

Full results here 

#rorc –  Recently crowned Irish IRC champion Anthony O'Leary's Irish Ker 39, Antix, is hoping for overall success in this weekend's British IRC championships, but he's not the only Irish crew racing on the Solent, former Volvo race winner, Wexford's Justin Slattery is also competing in the seven nation British title fight.

"The championship is the highlight of our season," commented Anthony O'Leary. "We have won our class in the past, but never won overall and looking at the yachts we will be racing against, it will be a fantastic achievement if we succeed this year."

This weekend yachts from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom will gather in the Solent for the twelfth edition of the RORC IRC National Championship.

With 18 highly competitive yachts, IRC One will arguably be the most hotly contested class in the championship's history. Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, is the scratch boat and has been in fine offshore form this season, winning three RORC races including last weekend's Morgan Cup. Three Ker 40s are likely to feature highly in the results: Harmen J de Graaf's Baraka GP, Edward Broadway's Hooligan VII and last year's class winner, Andrew Pearce's Magnum 3. However, there are proven winners right through IRC One. Mathieu Goubau's Belgian First 47.7, Moana, is back after coming second in class last year and Mike Bartholomew's King 40, Tokoloshe was in outstanding form at this year's RORC Easter Challenge.

The first ever RORC IRC National Championship took place in 2002 and since then, all over the world, national championships using the Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC rating system have been established. The RORC IRC National Championship has always taken place in the United Kingdom but it is an open event to all and considered to be arguably the most competitive IRC championship in the world.

The overall winner has come from overseas on five occasions; Géry Trentesaux's French Courrier Nord won the inaugural event and three Irish yachts have also won: Colm Barrington's Flying Glove (2005), Tim Costello's Tiamat (2006) and Dave Dwyer's Mariners Cove (2009-2010), which won the championship in consecutive years, the only yacht ever to do so.

David Franks' British JPK 10.10, Strait Dealer, is the current RORC IRC National Champion after scoring seven straight wins last year. Strait Dealer's navigator Graham Sunderland believes that this year will be a lot tougher: "We have very happy memories from last year but winning the championship again is really out of our hands, we were the dominate boat in our class last year but we will have it all to do just to win IRC Three. The French JPK 10.10, Raging Bee, has a top driver and a hot crew, we saw that in the Round the Island Race when we finished behind them, so I expect a really good battle with them over the weekend."

Two British TP52s will have an exhilarating duel in IRC Zero, Johnny Vincent's Pace and Sir Keith Mills' 5 West are set for an epic encounter. 5 West tactician Robert Greenhalgh has just won the UK Moth National Championship to add to his multiple world championship titles and will skipper an all-star crew.

"This is the national championship and a very important part of our programme," confirmed Robert. "Keith Mills will be driving and apart from Irishman Justin Slattery on the bow, the crew is all British including Jason Carrington, James Stagg, my brother Peter Greenhalgh, Dave Lenz and Ruairidh Scott to name just a few. We are all good friends so there is a great atmosphere on board. Personally it would be nice to win two national championships two weekends in a row! Racing in the Solent is always special for a British crew and its complexities make the race track one of the most tactical anywhere in the world."

15 yachts will be racing in IRC Two including past RORC Commodore Peter Rutter's Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka 8, which was the overall champion in 2011. RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine will be racing First 40, La Réponse, and will be hoping to win the class having been runner up last year. Bernard Olesinski's French X-40, Xinska, won class at AAM Cowes Week in 2012 and so is a strong competitor. Isle of Wight resident Adam Gosling will be racing Corby 36, Yes!, with a crack crew based in Cowes. The yacht, formerly known as Mustang Sally, was originally built in 1995 but has been extensively refitted and updated this year.

"We really don't know how she will go," commented John Corby, yacht designer and navigator for Yes!. "But it is great to see the boat back in great shape and as we are one of the smallest yachts in our class, it will be very interesting to see how we fare against bigger opposition."

In IRC Four Louise Morton's Quarter Tonner, Espada, is a proven winner and, as the smallest yacht competing at the championship, will be hoping for light airs. However Harry Heijst's S&S 41, Winsome, will prefer a stronger breeze. Best known for offshore racing, Winsome has won class in many RORC offshore events including the Rolex Fastnet Race.

"Winsome competed at the first IRC Nationals and we try to include it in our programme every year," commented Harry. "Winsome weighs 11 tons and is not suitable for short course windward leeward racing but we enter for one reason: practice. The standard of the competition is very high and the regatta offers a very good way for us to perfect boat handling and crew training for manoeuvres."

Prizes for the winners in each class are being provided by SPINLOCK the innovative marine hardware and safety equipment manufacturer who are the sponsors of the IRC rating rule in the UK and France.

Racing starts on Friday 5th July with 8 races scheduled on tight Solent courses over three days. Daily results, pictures and race reports will be posted on the Royal Ocean Racing Club web site: www.rorc.org