#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. 

#isora – The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London and Dublin's headquartered Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) have joined forces to offer a unique offshore offering to Irish Sea sailors in July. 

ISORA boats can look forward to the cache of RORC medallions for their next race across the Irish Sea too!

The Lyver Race from Liverpool on Friday 3rd July  forms part of the Offshore Series of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and kick starts another intense peiod of offshore racing in the Irish Sea that follows on from May's frustrating but enjoyable Isle of Man offshore weekend and the just finished Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

In effect July's Lyver Race is "four races in one" – Liverpool Yacht Club's Lyver Cup, ISORA Series, RORC Race and the part of the Royal Dee YC Offshore Championship.

RORC medallions will be presented by the Commodore of RORC, Dubliner Michael Boyd, in the National Yacht Club immediately after race results are issued. 

The Lyver Race is also part of the inaugural Royal Dee YC 200th Anniversary Offshore Championship that consists of five races – Lyver Race and the four Offshore Series in the VDLR on the following week in Dun Laoghaire.

RORC Commodore Michael Boyd

#rorc – A good mix of 89 British and French yachts started the Royal Ocean Racing Club's De Guingand Bowl Race on Friday evening, heading (eventually) to a sunny Cherbourg writes Race Reporter Louay Habib. Racing under the IRC rating system, the French JPK 10.80 'Courrier du Leon' sailed by Géry Trentesaux was the overall winner. This was his third win in the RORC Season's Points Championship, and he retains the overall lead for the 13 race series.
"It was a great race with a beautiful start, we were under spinnaker all the way to Brighton." commented Géry Trentesaux. "We had a good upwind course around the Isle of Wight to the Needles, I think that we did very well upwind. Courrier Du Leon is a good offshore boat, not especially fast in the light downwind but upwind the boat has good performance. I have been sailing with good crew for 20 years and we have three Figaro sailors on board for this championship, who are great all-round sailors and comfortable in a smaller boat. This race did suit the smaller yachts, as we arrived in Cherbourg at maximum speed with the tide; but judging the tide in the Channel is very difficult as the wind can vary so much. The course was excellent for this race, perfect for the conditions."
Le Havre skipper Noel Racine, racing JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew, was the winner of IRC Four and second overall. Louis-Marie Dussere, also from Normandy, racing JPK 10.10, Raging Bee, was the winner of the IRC Two Handed Class. Raging Bee now has a commanding lead in the two handed division for the season. Michel Peretie's French A40, Stamina III, was the winner of IRC Two, taking line honours for the class.
British success in the De Guingand Bowl Race came for Nick Jones from Chichester, Sussex, racing First 44.7, Lisa. Nick and his team won IRC One and was placed third overall. Two British yachts returning to RORC racing this season were also victorious. Philip Rann's Frers 92, Bristolian, skippered by John Burnie, was the winner of IRC Zero and placed fourth overall. Tony Lawson's Concise8, skippered by Jack Trigger, won the Class40 division, and Hampshire skipper John Allinson, racing J/109 Jumbuck, was third in IRC Three, beating seven other J/109s to Cherbourg.
The race committee led by RORC Racing Manager Nick Elliott, set a 146-mile course for the De Guingand Bowl Race. Starting between two committee boats, east of Cowes, the fleet headed east out of the Solent past No Man's Land Fort, Owers and Rampion Met Mast before returning to Owers then past St.Catherine's Point. Along the south side of the Isle of Wight the fleet encountered a variety of wind conditions, on their way to the Needles Fairway Buoy, before heading south to cross the English Channel. IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing, skippered by Mikey Ferguson, took line honours for the race, completing the course in under 13 hours. Most of the fleet took 20 hours or more to complete the race.
Nick Jones', skipper of Lisa, winner of IRC One and third overall had good reason to finish the race quickly. "When you have Géry Trentesaux closing in from behind in a little boat and the Maxi Bristolian long disappeared over the horizon, you don't really expect to come third overall, so it was a bit of a surprise to get on the podium. Judging the tide across the channel was key, we have done it so many times before but you have to factor in the wind strength. We had about 12 knots at a 50 degree wind angle and we were confident that this was stable, but we hedged our bets a little earlier on. But hour by hour we changed our tactics and eventually put the bow down and went for it. As I say, a bit of a surprise to do so well overall but I personally I had another incentive, my wife Suzie couldn't be with us as she is about to give birth to our first child but I have managed to make it home before the arrival.
After the race, an informal Prize Giving was held at the Yacht Club de Cherbourg attended by over 200 sailors. Bottles of Champagne were given to prize winners by RORC Commodore Michael Boyd. Racing for the RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the East Coast Race from Burnham to Ostend on the 12th June.

#mythofmalham – Over the Bank Holiday Weekend, a tense, tactical and complex yacht race played out along the south coast of England. 141 yachts, racing in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Myth of Malham Race, enjoyed a dress rehearsal for the start of this year's famous Rolex Fastnet Race. The Western Solent was a magnificent sight with over a hundred spinnakers flying, heading for the Eddystone Lighthouse, off Plymouth Sound. At one stage it looked very promising for Anthony O'Leary's Catapult from Royal Cork but light winds later in the race thwarted any chance of overall victory giving the Ker 40 ninth overall by the finish.

The complex tidal flow along the 229 mile coastal course, was a crucial part of the race. Before sundown on the first day, the larger high performance yachts seemed to have the upper hand, enjoying an advantage of water line length in positive tide, as well as rig height and sail choice more suited to light airs reaching. However, several smaller yachts made the crucial tidal gate at Portland Bill to stay in touch with the larger rivals. During the first night and the second day, light airs persisted and with the high performance yachts not able to achieve planing speed, the smaller yachts were in with a chance of overall victory.

The winner of the Myth of Malham Race was Géry Trentesaux's French JPK 10.80, Courrier Du Leon, racing with a highly experienced team including UNCL President, Marc de Saint Denis and the founder of the JPK Breton Boatyard, Jean-Pierre Kelbert. Courrier Du Leon had a tremendous battle with Nicolas Gaumont-Prat's French First 40.7, Philosophie IV. After over 36 hours of racing, Courrier Du Leon won by one minute and 26 seconds on corrected time.

"It is a great feeling to win this race, it was a very competitive, especially as there were 48 yachts on our start line." commented Géry Trentesaux. "In our class we knew that making Portland Bill before the tide turned against us was just possible but we knew we would have to sail to the best of our ability to make the tidal gate. Our navigator, Marc (de Saint Denis) is our magician, judging precisely when to tack for Portland after leaving the Solent, making the best use of the current that was with us before turning for the headland. Only a few of the smaller boats made it to Portland Bill before the tide turned and that was a major point in the race. During the first night we concentrated on finding wind, we have a good crew on board with a lot of experience and everyone was looking for any signs of wind on the water or in the sky. On the first night, our tactic was to stay inshore but not too close to the land and we were encouraged by seeing big boats around us. I must congratulate the team racing Philosophie IV, it was an outstanding performance from them in a much older boat. We only won by a minute or so, one small mistake from us and they would have won, Philosophie IV sailed a great race and we had to work very hard to beat them."

"It was a fantastic battle and to receive praise from Géry (Trentesaux) is very nice to hear." commented Nicolas Gaumont-Prat. "Philosophie went very well, literally match racing Courrier Du Leon for most of the race. However, on the way back, approaching Portland, Courrier Du Leon decided to go offshore and we preferred inshore, which was a good choice and we did make some gains there, so Portland was crucial on the return as well. However it was not quite enough to win the race but this has been a great start to the season for the crew. We have a crew of seven and for this race, we used our proposed Fastnet watch system; two watches of three people and myself, as navigator, out of the watch. One watch is all English and the other French, so there is plenty of competition but they all agree that their superb performance makes the navigator look like a tactical genius!"

Mikey Ferguson's IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing took line honours in the race and the IRC Canting Keel Class by just over an hour and 20 minutes from Chris Le Prevost's IMOCA 60, Rosalba, skippered by Andy Greenwood. In IRC Zero, Piet Vroon's Tonnerre 4 was the winner from Windward Sailing's CM60, Venomous, skippered by Derek Saunders. In IRC One, Mike Bartholomew's South African team, racing GP42 Tokoloshe II, was the winner of the highly competitive class and placed third overall for the Myth of Malham. Steven Anderson's Corby 40, Cracklin Rosie sailed well to take second in class from former RORC Commodore, Mike Greville, racing Ker 39, Erivale III. In the 32-strong Two Handed Class, Louis-Marie Dussere's French JPK 10.10 Raging Bee was the winner, retaining the class lead for the RORC Season's Points Championship from Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 36, Bellino. Patrick Bauné and Jean-Eudes Renier's JPK 10.80 Shaitan was third.

36 yachts were racing in IRC Two and the winner by less than 12 minutes on corrected time was Andy Theobald's J/122, R&W. Peter Newlands' First 40.7, Anticipation was second, just 11 minutes ahead after time correction from Simon Bamford's Arcona 410, Kestrel.

"The J/122 is a new boat for us and we are delighted with the boat speed." commented Andy Theobald. "We chose to start on the island shore and stay away from the carnage at the pin end and in clear air we got away well. However, we knew we couldn't make Portland Bill before the tide changed, so we stayed offshore and found plenty of breeze, so it was a great start to the race. We did hit a big hole in the wind off Lime Bay, which was frustrating, but a pod of about a dozen or so dolphins were all around us, we could hear there blow holes and that cheered us up no-end, especially for Christine Allen, who was taking part in her first offshore. The crew on R&W is a mixture of the team from our previous Sigma 362 and people who work for my R&W Civil Engineering. It is really encouraging for newcomers to offshore racing to do so well and see such a fantastic sight as dolphins in the wild."

On Monday evening a small number of boats are yet to finish and a number of protests have been received by the Race Committee. None of these will detract from Géry Trentesaux's overall win, but there may still be some changes in other positions.

Géry Trentesaux's JPK 10.80, Courrier Du Leon is the new overall leader for the 2015 RORC Season's Points Championship, just a single point ahead of Rob Craigie's Sunfast 36, Bellino. Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK 10.10, Raging Bee is third overall and leading the Two Handed Class. Racing for the championship continues on 5th June with the De Guingand Bowl Race from Cowes to Cherbourg via Marks.

#rorc – Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary at the helm of Antix rounded Eddystone Lighthouse this morning in RORC's 259–mile Myth of Malham Race. The Cork Harbour yacht is currently seven miles offshore at Salcombe. Unofficially, Antix is leading the 141 yacht fleet overall, after IRC time correction, and expected to finish the race tonight. 

#mythofmalham – Anthony O'Leary's Munster Red Ker 40, Catapult is among the front runners of the 141 yachts that crossed the start line for the 2015 Myth of Malham Race today, the largest RORC fleet to set sail since the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race writes Louay Habib. A light gradient breeze from the north of just 5 knots was enhanced by a developing sea breeze causing erratic wind speed for the starters. Judging the line was extremely difficult but those that succeeded were rewarded with clear air and room to adjust heading, making the best use of the gusts. A windless trap off Lymington was the next hurdle to pass, before cracking sheets for a beam reach along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, heading for the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth Sound.

Three hours into the race, former RORC Commodore Mike Greville, racing his Ker 39, Erivale III, was the top performer leading the race overall. Mike Greville has a fine record for the Myth of Malham, winning the race outright in 2008. The battle for Line Honours is developing into a fascinating encounter between Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 51, Tonnerre 4 and British IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing, skippered by Mikey Ferguson. Tonnerre 4 seems to be heading for the Dorset coast, whilst Artemis Ocean Racing is heading offshore. In IRC One, Michael Bartholomew GP42, Tokoloshe II had a cracking start, leading their class on the water, past Hurst Narrows. However O'Leary's Antix aka Catapult was hot on the heels of the South African team on Tokoloshe II.

32 yachts are taking part in the 229 mile race Two Handed. Three hours into the race James Neville's British Corby 36, Ino was leading after time correction. Elan 40, Flair IV, skippered by Pip Hare was second with French JPK 10.80 Shaitan, skippered by Jean-Eudes Renier third.

In the first start, Harry Heijst's Dutch S&S 41, Winsome, class winner for the race in 2012, led the 32 yachts racing in IRC 4. However, as the fleet left the Solent, it was last year's overall winner, Noel Racine's French JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew, leading on the water and Nigel Goodhew's British Sigma 38, Persephone of London, leading after time correction.

IRC Three had a highly competitive start, resulting in several yachts having to restart with some minor collisions as the 48 yachts tussled for the line. Nick Martin's British J/105, Diablo J, racing Two Handed, got away to a clean start, as did Nigel De Quervain Colley's French Sun Fast 3600, Fastrak X. As the IRC 3 fleet left the Solent, Géry Trentesaux's French JPK 10.80 Courrier Du Leon was leading the class on the water. However after time correction, Nicolas Gaumont-Prat's French First 40.7, Philosophie IV was top of the leader board.

In IRC Two, RORC Admiral, Andrew McIrvine's British First 40, La Reponse, got away to a flying start to lead the 36-yacht class out of the Solent and after time correction. Jim McGregor's British Elan 410, Premier Flair, recovered well from a starting incident to challenge La Reponse for the lead as the class headed down the south coast of England.

Tonight, the fleet are expected to be battling the current which will turn against the yachts at around 1900 BST. Weather forecasts tend to suggest a new easterly breeze of 10 knots arriving during the night, providing the next chapter to the 2015 Myth of Malham Race.

#rorc – The 2014 RORC Season's Points Champion, Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout's Belgian MC34, Azawakh, was the overall winner of the 2015 North Sea Race, scoring the best corrected time under IRC, for the 182-mile race from Harwich to Scheveningen. Willem Schopman's Dutch Bashford Howison 36, Intention was second, just over a minute ahead, after time correction from Frans Rodenburg's Dutch First 40, Elke. Jan-friso Blacquiere's Maxfun 35, Blacq Magic was the overall winner of the ORC Class. Marcel Schuttelaar Dutch Maxi 1300, Ijsvogel was second and Willem de Jonge van Ellemeet's Dutch Dufour 40, Flying Dolphin was third in ORC overall.

74 yachts entered the 2015 North Sea Race, which was blessed with bright sunshine at the start. The Two-Handed fleet having been considerably swelled by the race being part of the inaugural Dutch Two-Handed National Championships. A moderate ten knots of breeze from the north provided a tactical beat against the tide up to Cork Sand Yacht Beacon via Outer Ridge before a gentle reach to the South Galloper Buoy. At dusk the wind speed reduced, providing very light and shifty conditions through the night. In the early hours of Saturday morning the leaders had made it to the most northerly part of the course, Smith's Knoll Buoy, and the wind started to fill in from the south west, giving exciting reaching conditions. As the fleet cracked sheets and hoisted downwind sails for a reaching across the North Sea, the final day of the offshore race provided fast thrilling racing for the fleet.

"We were very pleased to win and it was unexpected, the fleet was very strong." commented Eric Van Campenhout racing the overall winner, Azawakh. " The race had many different conditions, which suited us as we have good speed at many different wind strengths and wind directions. After last season, we felt that we needed to improve our performance in light winds and our experience with the boat and some modifications are definitely paying off. As we are Belgian it is nice to finish a race close to home and the North Sea Race has a beautiful start in the river and the course is very interesting with many different conditions and points of sail. We will be sailing the boat to Cowes this week to take part in the Myth of Malham, which is another great course and it is good practice for the start of the Fastnet.

John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef's Dutch J/111 Xcentric Ripper was the winner of the 18-strong IRC Two-Handed Class and winner of the ORC Two-Handed Class. This was the tenth North Sea Race for John van der Starre and by far the closest finish. After time correction, Xcentric Ripper won the class by four seconds from Erik Mayer-Martenson's Sun Fast 3200, Blizzard of Uz. Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600, Bellino was third.

" It was a tough but very nice race for us, with lots of reaching, perfect for a J/111, and winning the Two Handed Class, against very good opposition, was very satisfying." commented John van der Starre. "These days with AIS it is possible to see how well you are doing but you don't know how the weather will change for the boats behind you. In the delivery race to Harwich, Vuurschepen Race, the wind held up for the boats behind us but for the North Sea Race, that didn't happen. Myself and Robin have been racing together on the boat for four years, so we know our strengths and weaknesses. From the weather forecast we knew that we would have a point where there would be totally no wind on that first night but we know that would give us a good opportunity to gain on the opponents, we decided to stay more to the west, while our opposition went more to the east. The tactic really worked well for us with some good shifts. The wind was picking up, we were planing with about 12 knots of boat speed, it was fantastic but we did have one scary moment, as there were some large navigation marks which were not lit and we passed one by just 30 metres. When we got to Smith's Knoll Buoy we knew we were in a strong position but to win by just 4 seconds! One little mistake and we would have been second, the Two Handed Class at the Rolex Fastnet Race is going to be incredible but having won the class for the North Sea Race, 2015 is already a success for us."

The RORC Season's Points Championship continues Saturday 23 May with the Myth of Malham Race. The Bank Holiday Weekend race is 230 nautical miles from Cowes around the Eddystone Lighthouse and back to the Solent. Well over 100 yachts are expected to take part.

#comodorescup – Irish defending champions of the Commodore's Cup will face a new format event next year following new rules unveiled this morning by London organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup is the Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) biennial flagship event for national teams with amateur crews. The international offshore regatta comprises a tough mix of inshore and offshore racing and is an intense seven-day programme that pits three-boat teams against one another to accrue overall team points.

Ireland has twice won the Cup in 2010 and 2014 both under the captaincy of Afloat Sailor of the Year Anthony O'Leary of Royal Cork Yacht Club. Read how Ireland won the Cup here.

For the next edition, The RORC Committee have agreed to a number of changes that will have a positive impact on the number of teams taking part in the event held at Cowes, Isle of Wight between 23 and 30 July 2016.

The first is the requirement of every team to have a small boat with a rating between 1.000 and 1.049. "Many teams in the last event believed that it was hard to be competitive without having three boats that were close to the top of the allowable rating band, as was the case of last year's winning Irish team," commented RORC CEO, Eddie Warden Owen.

"Lowering the rating band to 1.000 will make it easier for J109s to enter, to include boats like the JPK10.10, A35 and the new Sunfast 3200, and reduce the cost of competing. This group of boats will have their own starts, but if a team has more than one boat within this rating band, and it is possible to have three 'small' boats, it will have to nominate which boat will compete in this division. The maximum rating is still 1.230 and there has been no change to the rule that only allows one boat in each team with a rating between 1.150 and 1.230," continues Warden Owen.

The second change is the addition of an extra professional sailor to each team but without stipulation which boats they shall sail on. The exact wording is as follows: The crew of each three-boat team shall include no more than 6 Group 3 Sailors. These Group 3 sailors may sail on any boat or boats in the three-boat team however crews cannot change after the Final Crew List has been submitted except as stated in NOR1.7.2.

"The thought was that many boats who have aspirations to compete in such an event, race with people who work in the marine industry and by virtue of their job, are regarded under the ISAF eligibility rules as Group 3 professionals. Whilst it should reduce the need for owners to make wholesale changes to their crew just to fit in with the event rules, it will give teams the opportunity to use the professional sailors to enhance weaknesses in the team overall. In theory you could load your weakest boat with six professionals if it was thought that this would strengthen the team as a whole," explains Warden Owen.

The other significant change is the removal of crew weight from the rules so that the boat sails with the crew number as shown on the certificate.

#rorc – With over 400 yachts crewed by thousands of sailors from over 30 different nations, the 2015 Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) Season's Points Championship has the largest fleet of offshore racing yachts anywhere in the world. This year, under Irish Commodore Michael Boyd, the RORC is celebrating its 90th anniversary and a record attendance is highly likely.

The first race of the series in the English Channel was the Cervantes Trophy Race, which started on 2nd May 2015. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Société des Régates du Havre and the Royal Yacht Squadron, the 114 yachts entered were set a 135 nautical mile course from the Squadron Line to Le Havre.

The first leg took the fleet downwind to Anvil Point and the DZB Buoy, with 20 knots of wind from the east. It was a terrific start to the race and with spinnakers set most yachts were enjoying double digit boat speed. The wind was funnelling through Hurst Narrows and the increased wind speed caused a good few broaches, but back under control, the competitors continued downwind to Anvil Point where it was spinnakers down and on to the wind for the 100 mile leg towards Le Havre. The forecast was showing a massive shift in the wind direction from easterly through the south to settle in the southwest. With this in mind most of the boats stayed on port tack and headed for the Cap de la Hague in anticipation of the change. With the forecast changing and rain squalls running up the channel the crossing of the Baiy de la Seine and negotiating the tricky tidal streams and shifty winds was to prove a crucial part of the race.
Géry Trentesaux's new JPK 10.80, Courrier Du Leon was the overall winner, taking under 20 hours to complete the course. "This is the first time we have raced the boat and we are delighted with the performance." smiled Géry. "We haven't really tuned up the boat but she will be a nice fast boat once we have had some time on the water. IRC 3 is a very competitive class and it looks like this will be a really good season. The Cervantes Trophy Race had a lot of upwind sailing and I was very surprised how fast Courrier Du Leon was on the wind. The key area of the race was the approach to le Havre, we stayed south and tacked just off Barfleur, which was perfect. Courrier Du Leon will be taking part in the North Sea Race and I am sure I speak for all sailors when I say, we will all miss Piet Vroon, who is not sailing at the moment due to a back operation. We all wish him a speedy recovery."

In IRC Canting Keel, IMOCA 60, Artemis Ocean Racing took Line Honours in 15hrs 23mins 58secs and the class win from Chris Le Prevost's IMOCA 60, Rosalba, sailed by Andy Greenwood. Derek Saunders' CM60, Venomous crewed by the Windward Sailing Team, was the winner of IRC Zero. Ned Collier Wakefield's Class40, Concise8 took the Class40 win, 22 minutes ahead of David Pearce's Forty Shades of Grey, with Bertrand Gregory's Rififi third.

In IRC One, there was an emphatic win for Nick Jones' First 44.7 Lisa, which won the class by nearly an hour on corrected time from Mark Emerson's Rodman 42, Phosphorus. Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII was third. In IRC Two, local sailor Gilles Fournier J/133 Pintia was the winner by just over ten minutes on corrected time and was also second overall Gilles was sailing with French legend Bruno Troublé who undoubtedly brought a lot of technical and tactical experience to the team. RORC Admiral, Andrew Mc Irvine's First 40, La Réponse sailed by Jason Owen was second in IRC One and Peter Rutter's Grand Soleil 43, Quokka 8, with RORC Commodore Michael Boyd on board, was third.

IRC Three was won by Courrier du Leon, just under ten minutes ahead of Eric Mordret's JPK10.80, Raphaello. Holders of the Fastnet Trophy, Pascal Loison's JPK 10.10, Night and Day was third, racing two-handed with his son Alexis. 25 yachts were racing in the Two Handed Class for the Cervantes Trophy. Night and Day was the winner by just under 20 minutes on corrected time from Rob Craigie's Sunfast 3600, Bellino. Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK10.10, Raging Bee, returned from the RORC Caribbean 600 to compete and placed third in the Two Handed Class, just 31 seconds behind Bellino.

Harry Heijst's S&S 41, Winsome revelled in the upwind conditions to win IRC Four, beating Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew by just over six minutes after time correction. Ludovic Melnyk's JPK 9.60, Sous Mama Boulé racing Two Handed was third.

"The RORC Season's Points Championship is the premier offshore sailing series in the world" commented RORC Racing Manager Nick Elliott. "The 2015 series will see the fleet swelled by yachts competing for the RORC blue ribbon event, the Rolex Fastnet Race, which once again has struck a chord with Professional and Corinthian sailors alike."

At the beginning of May the yachts line up to get racing miles under their belts working towards the 300 nm offshore racing required to meet the experience qualification for the Rolex Fastnet Race, as well as scoring points towards the Season's Points Championship. The Cervantes Trophy had a terrific entry list and a big thank you to the Société des Régates du Havre that has once again hosted the finish, providing a fantastic welcome for all of the participants."
Racing for the RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the 181 nautical mile North Sea Race from Harwich to Scheveningen, which starts on Friday 15th May. For full details of results for the Cervantes Trophy Race and the racing schedule for the RORC Season's Points Championship visit http://www.rorc.org

#rorc – RORC has published a list of GBR IRC Championships for the coming season.

There are plenty of opportunities for boats and their owners to become Spinlock IRC champions around the country this summer, says Jenny Howells, Technical Manager of the RORC Rating Office in Lymington.

"Now in its 6th year, the GBR IRC Championship circuit has a variety of events to offer IRC racers, from the Small Boat Championship in the Solent to Regional Championships in six different areas, and of course the National Championship organised by RORC itself."

More details of the events and organising clubs can be found on www.rorcrating.com in the Spinlock IRC section. The Championships are approved to accept Spinlock IRC Single Event Ratings, so even if you are not a regular IRC racer you can compete in two events per year at a minimal rating fee.

The calendar for 2015 is:

May-Sept Solent Various Solent venues
06-07 June Scottish Helensburgh
11-12 July Small Boat Hamble
11-12 July East Coast Felixstowe
17-19 July National Cowes
20-22 Aug South West Fowey
21-23 Aug Welsh Pwllheli
18-19 Sept Double Handed Cowes
18-20 Sept Channel Islands Guernsey