Among the lineup on the Solent this weekend for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s IRC National Championship is the Cape 31 Antix, skippered by Royal Cork's Anthony O’Leary, who won the IRC Nationals in 2014.

And it looks like the fleet is due for some lively racing. The wind is forecast to be gusting into the mid-20s.

As usual for this leading championship for the RORC/UNCL-owned yacht rating system, the fleet is a diverse one. The longest and highest rated is the Ker 46 Van Uden (IRC TCC: 1.284), her Dutch crew led by round the world sailor Gerd-Jan Poortman, while lowest rated in IRC Three is Kevin Downer's heavily modified Fun 23 Ziggy (IRC TCC of 0.871). 

The 24th UK IRC National Championship will take place in the Solent from 10-12th June 2022 Photo: Paul Wyeth

Kevin Downer's Fun 23 Ziggy is competing in IRC Three Photo: Paul Wyeth

Gerd-Jan Poortman will lead the Dutch team on the Ker 46 Van Uden Photo: Paul Wyeth

The top end of the fleet is an international one, with Van Uden joined by Solent regulars, the de Graaf family, aboard their Ker 43 Baraka GP, while from Sweden are Filip Engelbert’s Ker 40+ Elvis and Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 40 Ràn VII. All are in IRC One which is effectively the new Grand Prix Zero class for this event, catering for grand prix racing yachts of 37-50ft, or specifically in this case, the two Dutch Kers to the two IC37s, Robert Bicket's Fargo and Nick Griffith's Icy.

While Ràn VII is considered favourite in the Grand Prix Zero class, nipping at her heels this weekend will be Dark N Stormy, the GP42 better known from the FAST40+ as Jubilee, now campaigned by well-known industry figure Ian Atkins. The aim of Grand Prix Zero is to reignite racing under IRC at this size range both in the UK and abroad. Atkins explains that he and Class Manager Nick Bonner “looked around and counted 13 highly competitive, well sailed boats between 40-50ft and said ‘let’s create a framework for them to operate within’.” The formula is working: It has encouraged Elvis back out on to the water, while at the Vice Admiral’s Cup, the racing could not have been more competitive. “We won one race by one second and lost another by two seconds - it is really is great racing,” Atkins recalls.

Nick Griffith's IC37 Icy racing in IRC One Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 40 Ràn VII Photo: Paul Wyeth 

Filip Engelbert’s Ker 40+ Elvis Photo: Paul Wyeth

IRC Two class sees a mix of Performance 40s and nine Cape 31s. The former fleet is being led by ex-RORC Admiral and Commodore Andrew McIrvine’s Ker 39 La Réponse and includes long term campaigners the Blair family on their King 40 Cobra; Jean-Eudes Renier and Rob Bottomley on the MAT 12 Sailplane; plus from Belgium, Jan Gabriel’s Mills 37 Ragazza IV and the pair of First 40s, Ronan Banim's Galahad of Cowes and Richard Powell’s Rogan Josh. 

Aside from being the one design ‘of the moment’, the South African-born Cape 31 began its life on UK shores competing in the IRC fleet. One of its objectives is success both as a one design and under corrected time within a broader fleet. One of the hot Cape 31s competing is Michael Bartholemew’s Tokoloshe 4, the present runaway leader of the UK circuit after three events and class winner at May’s Vice Admiral’s Cup. Among the Cape 31 line-up is also Antix, sailed by well known Irishman Anthony O’Leary, who won the IRC Nationals in 2014 with his Ker 39 (now La Réponse). New faces in the fleet this weekend will include Charlie Whelan on Jubilee and Richard Davies on Gallivanter III. 

IRC Two - Jan Gabriel’s Mills 37 Ragazza IV Photo: Paul Wyeth

Adam Gosling's JPK 10.80 Yes! Photo: Paul Wyeth

Due to the egalitarian nature of IRC, winners are as likely to be among the big boats as the small, and among the latter in IRC Three are two past IRC National Championship winners. Adam Gosling jointly won in 2016 aboard his then new JPK 10.80 Yes! Surprisingly, having owned a JPK 11.80 in the interim, he returns in the same boat having re-acquired her during lock-down. “It is better than an old girlfriend because this is as good as I remember it!” quips Gosling. In fact, of the many boats he has owned, this was also one of his most successful having also won the Round the Island Race’s Gold Roman Bowl in 2017. The Yes! crew has remained the same for the last three seasons says Gosling. This could be the year when they rectify their semi-win from six years ago. “It will come down to whoever sails best and if it is light the smaller boats may benefit and, if there’s breeze, the big boats can get away a bit.”

John Howell and Paul Newell’s A-35 Arcus Photo: Paul Wyeth

While the 1.061 IRC TCC for Yes! makes her speediest yacht in IRC Three, she will face a challenge from another more recent outright IRC Nationals winner. John Howell and Paul Newell’s A-35 Arcus claimed the title, mid-lockdown in 2020. On that occasion, Arcus was new to the team made up of several father-son duos, whose origins are on Great More Sailing Club in Buckingham.

“We have moved forward - we have learned a lot about the boat,” says Newell of how they have progressed. “We have tried to optimise her a little bit more, which hopefully will pay dividends. We have also tried to do a bit of training rather than just racing.” To this end, they have upped their game with input from renowned coach Mark Rushall. “His input was just invaluable. If we can capture some of that and can convert it on the water…” muses Newell. Aside from becoming IRC National Champions, Hamble-based Arcus has come close to winning Black Group at Cowes Week. “We like to surprise people because we are a bunch of puddle sailors from the middle of the country.”

Racing will get underway with a first warning signal on Friday at 1125 and at 1025 on Saturday and Sunday.

British yacht INO XXX which competes in the Round Ireland Race in less than a fortnight was victorious in this weekend's RORC Myth of Malham Race that featured a number of Irish crews. 

The Cowes-Eddystone-Solent 230nm started last Thursday and saw IRC SZ Zero winner Volvo 70, Telefonica Black, with Dublin Bay sailor Paul Bradley as part of the crew. 

Another tipped Round Ireland contender, Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood finished second in IRC One and eighth overall. Her Myth of Malham crew is largely the same as that racing the 700-mile Irish ocean classic and included Kenny Rumball, Michael Boyd, Barry Hurley, and Conor Kinsella.

68 teams on the downwind start for RORC Myth of Malham Race Photo: Paul Wyeth/RORC

The overall winner racing under IRC for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Myth of Malham Race was the British HH42 INO XXX, raced by the RORC Commodore James Neville. Niklas Zennström’s brand new Swedish CF-520 Rán 8 was second overall and took line honours in an elapsed time of just over 26 hours for the 230-mile course. Ed Bell’s British JPK 1180 Dawn Treader had an excellent race, placing third overall and winning IRC One.

 IRC SZ Zero winner - Dublin Bay sailor Paul Bradley (closest to camera) on the Volvo 70, Telefonica Black

The Myth of Malham Cup was given to the RORC by Captain John Illingworth in 1958 and is named after his famous boat, which won the 1947 and 1949 Fastnet Race. The race mirrors the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. 68 teams from eight different nations took part in the 2022 edition of the Myth of Malham Race. An unusual downwind start got the fleet away at a fast pace out of the Solent. During the course of the race, the fleet experienced a huge range of conditions from 5-25 knots, and at times a significant sea state.

The start of the Myth of Malham Race was streamed live. Watch the recording with expert commentary from RYA Race Director, and Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper, Ian Walker below.

IRC Class Winners for the Myth of Malham Race

• IRC SZ Zero Volvo 70 Telefonica Black
• IRC 0 INO XXX
• IRC 1 JPK 1180 Dawn Treader
• IRC 2 & IRC Two-Handed JPK 1080 Mzungu!
• IRC 3 J/109 JAGO
• IRC 4 S&S 34 Morning After
  
  Full Results here 

Niklas Zennström’s brand new Swedish CF-520 Rán 8 was second overall and took line honours Photo: Paul Wyeth/RORC

Quotes from the boats

James Neville HH42 INO XXX
“It was great to see so many boats out racing with the RORC making the most of the Jubilee Weekend!” exclaimed INO XXX’s James Neville. “The start was quite difficult, especially to hold a lane. We had to put a few gybes in to hold position on the South Side of the Solent. We were in good shape past The Needles, with tide under us, but it was a tight call getting passed The Shingles. The crucial decision at that point was that pretty much making Portland on one gybe, which gave us our fastest vmg. Rán can sail deeper than us, so they made more progress plus we had more foul tide to the Eddystone Lighthouse and Rán was two hours ahead of us. We knew that on IRC corrected they needed about four hours in the race and the boats behind us had tide with them and could fly Code Zeros with the wind shifting north. Rán did have to foot off as they were on a tighter angle, but INO goes well on a tight reach. The big decision for us was staying quite south on the return past Portland. We had good tide all the way to the Isle of Wight, and with the easterly coming in and tidal relief from the island, that was what did it for us. The wind died for the boats behind, and they had foul tide.”

Winner IRC 2 & IRC Two-Handed JPK 1080 Mzungu! sailed by Sam White & Sam North Photo: Paul Wyeth/RORC

For quite a few years, racing on a Sun Fast 3200, we couldn’t understand why we were not getting good results as we had been racing well. We realised we just didn’t have the boat speed,” commented Mzungu!‘s Sam White. “At the tail end of 2021 (in the Rolex Fastnet Race) we sort of fixed that problem, and now with our new boat (JPK 1080), we have the boat speed we desire. We are now trying to find that extra 5% to get onto the podium. We are now putting in a huge amount of prep. work including proper race brief and debrief via Zoom. All of this is paying off; to use an analogy, I feel like I am good carpenter but no longer using blunt chisels! For Sam (North) and I, the big one this season is the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland, which will be a different dynamic, very much a change of pace where we will need to make our downtime count, but we have a stable platform, and a good all-round boat.”

Mike Yates J/109 JAGO winner of IRC Three, racing Two-Handed with 19-year-old Hamish Pimm Photo: Paul Wyeth/RORC

Mike Yates J/109 JAGO 

“We went deep south after leaving the Solent, because there was more pressure offshore,” commented JAGO’s Mike Yates. “We were never going to make Portland Bill before the tide would turn and we wanted to avoid Lyme Bay with a forecast of light winds. JAGO is a different type of boat to say a Sun Fast 3300, they have to sail hotter angles. JAGO doesn’t have to go quite as deep, so we gybed earlier to head back inshore. Coming back in Anvil Point was tricky. The wind was due to go west, and we had to be careful not to get headed. After Eddystone the breeze died just around Portland Bill, but there were bands of ten knots in it, so it was very snakes and ladders. We kept an eye on boats inshore and elected to stay offshore for better pressure. We tacked when the tide turned to get the lee bow effect. This was Hamish’s first Two-Handed offshore, he is JAGO’s inshore bowman, and he was absolutely brilliant!”

RORC Fleet after the start in the 2022 Myth of Malham Race Photo: Paul Wyeth/RORC

Christina Wolfe, racing in IRC Two-Handed with husband Justin on Ruby Red, was the top Sun Fast 3300 with 14 racing.

“We are over the moon; it was just a great time! RORC racing is just incredible,” commented Christina who hails from Washington on the North Pacific Coast, USA. “We are very aware that there are some amazing sailors racing with RORC and it was a fantastic experience. Congratulations to Mzungu!, they had a great race. We got close to them, but they negotiated a tricky transition very well. This has been a huge opportunity to learn, especially as we plan to do the Rolex Fastnet next year. We will be returning to racing in the pacific this summer, but we will be back for the Double Handed Nationals in September.” 

RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton watched the start of the Myth of Malham from the Royal Squadron Line: “One thing that is great about the RORC Season’s Points Championship is the breadth of the boats we have racing, boats from 30ft to 70ft, both fully crewed and a large number of two-handed teams. What supports all that is our IRC Rating system, which is the best rating system for bringing all these boats together to race competitively.”

The Royal Ocean Racing Club RORC Season’s Points Championship continues with the 8th race of the series, the Morgan Cup Race. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line at 1800 BST on the 17th of June. The 110 to 160 mile race course will be finalised close to the race start. The final destination will be Dartmouth where a warm welcome awaits from the Royal Dart Yacht Club.

Ireland is among 70 teams from eight different nations that have entered this weekend's Royal Ocean Racing Club Myth of Malham Race.

Irish crews include Michael O'Donnells's team on the J121 Darkwood that are now officially entered for the Round Ireland Race in just over two weeks' time. 

As regular Afloat readers know, O'Donnell is sailing with Michael Boyd, Kenny Rumball, and a crew some of Ireland's top offshore sailors in the 700-miler from Wicklow. The crew first raced this season on Darkwood for last month's Cervantes Trophy. 

Also on Myth of Malham duty this weekend is Dublin Bay's Paul Bradley who swaps his berth on the Cruisers One Mills 33 Raptor for the somewhat larger V70 Telefonica Black, pictured below.

The first start is at 1300 BST from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line on Thursday 02 June.

The course mirrors the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, taking the fleet around notable headlands with complex tides, including Portland Bill and Start Point. The Eddystone Lighthouse, nine miles off the Cornish Coast, is the turning point for the 230-mile race with a finish just outside the Solent. This weekend, celebrations will take place all over the United Kingdom for Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. After IRC time correction, class winners and the overall winner of the Myth of Malham, will have their own cause for celebration.

IRC SZ & Zero

Lance Shepherd's Volvo 70 Telefonica Black will be making its first Squadron Line start for the RORC Season's Points Championship and on paper the pro-am crew have the fastest IRC rated boat. However, Racing in IRC Zero, the favourites for Line Honours must include the long-awaited debut for the Swedish CF-520 Rán 8. Niklas Zennström's Rán Racing team returns to offshore racing with the RORC with a stunning new design. RORC Commodore James Neville will be racing his HH42 INO XXX , a solid performance in the Myth of Malham will put INO XXX into the season lead for IRC Zero. VME Racing's CM60 Venomous is the largest boat in IRC Zero, skippered by James Gair.

IRC One

Jean-Eudes Renier & Rob Bottomley's MAT12 Sailplane and Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood with a top Irish crew, will both be in action. Both teams are challenging for the season lead in class. Ed Bell's JPK 1180 Dawn Treader returns to racing in the UK after a great performance in the RORC Caribbean 600. In form teams in IRC One include Astrid de Vin's Dutch JPK 1180 Il Corvo, overall winner of the North Sea Race, and Derek Shakespeare's J/122 Bulldog, class winner for the de Guingand Bowl Race. Four British First 40s will be in action including Ronan Banim's Galahad Of Cowes, the London Corinthian Sailing Club's Tango and two entries from Hamble based race training school, Sailing Logic: Lancelot II and Arthur.

The overall winner for the 181nm North Sea Race under IRC was the Dutch JPK 1180 Il Corvo, owned by Astrid de Vin and skippered by Roeland Franssens. Dutch Ker 46 Van Uden skippered by Johnny Poortman was just 121 seconds behind Il Corvo after IRC time correction. Michel Dorsman’s Dutch X-362 Team Extra Djinn was third. The top three boats, racing under IRC, all came from different classes. Richard Matthews’ British CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV, sailed by James Bolingbroke, took Line Honours for the race.

Richard Matthews’ British CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV Photo: Rick Tomlinson

The victorious Il Corvo team celebrate at the Yacht Club in Scheveningen Photo: Tim Thubron

“Roeland and I have taken part in the North Sea Race many, many times, we have won class before but for me this is the first overall win,” smiled Il Corvo’s Astrid de Vin. “Roeland is the strategist on board and makes all of the key decisions. The Il Corvo crew are a mixture of sailors from past campaigns, and we are all friends. The North Sea Race is one close to our hearts, we are so happy that we have won it! I have booked a nice restaurant to celebrate but we will have an early start to get the boat over to the Solent for the Myth of Malham Race, next week.”

Dutch Ker 46 Van Uden skippered by Johnny Poortman Photo: Paul Wyeth

Skipper of Van Uden Johnny Poortman has competed in three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, and leads a young talented Dutch crew, looking to break into the world of professional sailing. “After the start the race was nearly all off the wind, so there were a lot of sail changes, and especially during the night, the team did an excellent job. Well done to Il Corvo, they must have sailed very well. On Van Uden we can only aim to beat the boats in our class, so we are happy with that.” Van Uden will be competing at the RORC IRC Nationals in the Solent June 10-12.

Start of the 2022 North Sea Race Photo: Richard Matthews

The North Sea Race is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association, the Yacht Club Scheveningen and the North Sea Regatta.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club RORC Season’s Points Championship continues with the 7th race of the series, the Myth of Malham Race. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line at 1300 BST on the 2nd of June, the 230-mile race around the Eddystone Lighthouse mirrors the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. 

IRC Class Winners for the North Sea Race

IRC SZ Volvo 70 Telefonica Black
IRC 0 Ker 46 Van Uden
IRC 1 JPK 1180 Il Corvo
IRC 2 First 40.7 Flying Fish
IRC 3 X-362 Team Extra Djinn
IRC 4 Sigma 38 Spirit
IRC T-H JPK 1010 Jangada

Full results here

One of the pinnacle events of the IRC rating system in the UK will take place over 10-12 June from Cowes and Ireland's past victories are recalled as Anthony O'Leary's former winner, the Ker 40 Antix, is racing in the hands of former Commodore and Admiral of the RORC Andrew McIrvine as his latest La Réponse.

This year’s edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s IRC National Championship will be its 24th and as usual will feature a mixed line-up of yachts from across the size and age spectrum, allowing the IRC rating system to create a level playing field between them.

World-class PRO, double Olympic Finn sailor and Etchells World Champion Stuart Childerley (and recently appointed J Class Secretary) will send the IRC fleets off on courses around the Solent with up to four races scheduled each day.

The fleet is divided into tightly-banded classes according to their IRC rating to provide the closest possible racing for competitors between yachts of similar performance. The unique format of the IRC National Championship enables any yacht from across the fleet - big or small, old or new - whose crew sails the best, to be crowned IRC National Champion.

"the nation to have prised the IRC Nationals trophy from British hands the most often has been Ireland"

In addition to the regulars of the Solent IRC fleet, the RORC’s IRC National Championship represents the ultimate event to which competitors in the well-supported IRC regional events around the UK aspire. It is a great event to measure up to other competitors around the country and for developing crews to sharpen their skills in a friendly and competitive environment. The three-day event also regularly attracts competitors from the opposite side of the English Channel: Géry Trentesaux’s IMX40 Courrier Nord claimed the top prize in 2002, the first foreign yacht to do so, while the syndicate-owned A-35 Dunkerque - Les Dunes de Flandres was joint winner in 2016.

But the nation to have prised the IRC Nationals trophy from British hands the most often has been Ireland: David Dywer’s Mills 39 Marinerscove. It is only one of two teams ever to have won consecutive UK IRC National Championship titles when his team prevailed in both 2009 and 2010 (the first was Justin Slawson’s X-362 The Big Cheese over 2000-01).

In fact, Irish IRC yachts have won the UK IRC National title on four other occasions too: Royal Irish's Colm Barrington’s Ker 39 Flying Glove in 2005; Tim Costello’s all-conquering Mills 40 Tiamat in 2006 and Conor and Denise Phelan’s Ker 37 Jump Juice from Royal Cork two years later. The last Irish winner was RCYC's Anthony O'Leary’s Antix in 2014, whose grey Ker 40 returns this year in the hands of former Commodore and Admiral of the RORC Andrew McIrvine as his latest La Réponse (following his successful First 40 of the same name now on Dublin Bay).

“The IRC National Championship remains the most important inshore event for IRC-rated boats in the UK,” observes McIrvine, who has been a regular competitor at the event since it was first held. “The Solent of course is internationally-recognised as one of the most complex and interesting places to race - so the combination remains very attractive.”

“The IRC National Championship remains the most important inshore event for IRC-rated boats in the UK,” says Andrew McIrvine, whose Ker 40 La Réponse (Anthony O'Leary's former winner, the Ker 40 Antix) will be taking part Photo: Paul Wyeth

Derek Shakespeare's J/121 Bulldog previously won the IRC National Champion title twice Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Lena Having's Corby 33 Mrs Freckles Photo: Paul Wyeth

Adam Gosling's JPK 10.80 Yes! won IRC Three in the 2021 IRC Nationals and will be back to retain their title Photo: Paul Wyeth

As usual, the RORC is attempting to be inclusive, by encouraging female and youth participation in its championship. If an IRC Nationals crew includes at least two women or under 25-year-olds (or one of each), then two extra crew can be added to the maximum number of the crew stated on their yacht’s IRC Certificate (with no weight restriction).

While the majority of IRC National Champions have been the latest and best race boats, this is not always the case. In 2017 it was the turn of the 1939 classic Whooper of leading racing yacht engineer Giovanni Belgrano to claim the title.

Since then J/Boats have enjoyed considerable success. When the IRC Europeans temporarily replaced the IRC Nationals on the Solent in 2018, it was the J/112e of France’s Didier le Moal that came out on top.

Most recently the IRC National Champion title has been won twice by the J/122 campaigned by Stuart Sawyer’s Falmouth-based team, Black Dog - first in 2019 and then again in 2021. While Sawyer isn’t returning this year, his boat is, now renamed Bulldog and campaigned by the RORC’s Treasurer, Derek Shakespeare.

“The IRC Nationals is a very prestigious event and something a lot of very good teams strive to win,” maintains Shakespeare, who recently achieved his first success with his new-to-him yacht when she won IRC One in the RORC’s De Guingand Bowl. 

Despite the provenance of Bulldog, Shakespeare is under no illusion of his prospects in two weeks: “I wouldn’t be as arrogant to assume that we are going to go and win the IRC Nationals with a newish team - we are not expecting to reach those heady heights straight out of the box. We have a nice mix of ages and experience on the boat. We are campaigning both inshore and offshore this year whereas I believe Stuart was more of an inshore specialist. For us the IRC Nationals will be an important measurement of our progress.”

Cowes: Sunday 22 May, 2022:  Today had a change in wind direction to an east-southeasterly that progressively strengthened to 10-11 knots, along with more glorious sunshine for the 50 teams competing at the RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup. 

The Quarter Tonners enjoyed close competition, with many places changing and just 7.5 points separating the five boats in places four to eight. However, at the front of the fleet the overall lead of Sam Laidlaw’s BLT was never threatened and he won the eight-race series counting seven points, having discarded his sole second place. Victory for Julian Metherell’s Bullit in the penultimate race saw him take second overall on 13 points, while Louise Morton Bullet took third on 21 points.

The new Grand Prix Zero class was one of the three dominated by one boat, in this case Niklas Zennström’s FAST40+ Ràn, which won every race, despite being pushed hard at times by Ian Atkins’ GP42 Dark N Stormy. 

“We had great weekend, with a better forecast than expected,” says Joy Fitzgerald, a long-standing team member who runs the pit this weekend. “We thought we were coming to a light wind regatta, so to have the conditions we’ve had over the past few days has been really beneficial for us.”

Despite two disappointing results today, RORC Commodore James Neville’s HH42 Ino XXX held onto third overall on count back, having finished the regatta tied on points with Harmen Jan de Graaf’s Ker 43 Baraka Gp.

Overall winner in the Quarter Ton class - Sam Laidlaw’s BLT Photo: Paul Wyeth

Julian Metherell’s Bullit Photo: Paul Wyeth

A third place for Louise Morton's Bullet Photo: Paul Wyeth 

Success for Niklas Zennstrom's Fast40+ Rán in the newly formed Grand Prix Zero class

Grand Prix Zero class start Photo: Paul Wyeth

Enjoying the inaugural event for the new IRC Racing Class, Grand Prix Zero (GP Zero)

In the J/109 class David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish won all but the final race, a result he was able to discard. However, the fight for second place could not have been closer, with John Smart’s Jukebox and Mike Yates’ Jago tied on 12 points at the end of the regatta. The tie break was resolved in Jukebox’s favour thanks to their win in the final race.

By contrast, the Cape 31 fleet was one of three classes that went to the wire. A win for Russell Peters’ Squirt in today’s first race left him as a strong contender against Michael Bartholomew’s Tokoloshe 4 for the overall title. 

However, Squirt had a disappointing third race, finishing eighth, while two consistent third places for Tokoloshe 4 were enough for her to take an overall win with a six point margin, while Tony Dickin’s Jubilee took third overall, a further three points adrift. For most this was a high scoring regatta, yet there were many closely-fought individual battles throughout the fleet, including three pairs of boats that finished the regatta tied on points.

“It was awesome,” says Tokoloshe 4 helm Dave Bartholomew, “brutal and stressful but fun and really, really hard work. The race management was brilliant – we were lucky with conditions, which combined with good race management to make eight absolutely amazing windward leeward races over the three days. It was hard work, with lots of position changes and lots of fun.”

J/109 class win for David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish Photo: Paul Wyeth

John Smart’s J/109 Jukebox and Mike Yates’ Jago tied on 12 points at the end of the regatta Photo: Paul Wyeth

Michael Bartholomew's Tokoloshe 4 was overall winner of the 13-strong Cape 31 fleet Photo: Paul Wyeth

Cape 31 Tokoloshe 4 Photo: Paul Wyeth

Cape 31 start on the final day of racing Photo: Paul Wyeth

In the HP30s Jerry Hill and Richard Faulkner’s Farr 280 Moral Compass held an overall lead at the end of each of the first two days of racing. However, Chris Townsend and Richard Powell’s Gweilo got faster and faster during the regatta, finishing with three consecutive race wins.

“We had the joy of Graham Bailey driving for us in the windy conditions on Friday,” says Powell, “when Jerry Hill’s boat handling was superb and for us sailing downwind at 16-17 knots with water cascading across the deck was spectacular.” Other team members on board include Sophie Heritage, recently returned from working with the British SailGP team in Bermuda, Ben Vines who was driving on Saturday, plus America’s Cup and SailGP chief umpire Craig Mitchell.

Powell also echoed the thoughts of many competitors in saying: “…it was marvellous to see PRO Stuart Childerley back on the water – he and Paul Jackson (who ran the second committee boat) gave us eight cracking races in three days.”

Winner of HP30 class - Chris Townsend and Richard Powell’s Gweilo Photo: Paul Wyeth

HP30 start action - Photo: Paul Wyeth

The J/111 class produced some of the most intense racing, despite being one of the smaller fleets. The final results were decided in the final race, which Tony Mack’s McFly and Chris Jones / Louise Makin’s Journeymaker ll started the race on five and six points respectively 

Both boats circling repeatedly in match-race style in the pre-start. Journeymaker then made the dash for the line first, followed by McFly on her windward quarter, and was first to tack onto port, heading towards the stronger favourable tide south of the Hill Head plateau. Unsurprisingly, McFly was quick to cover, but both boats were still almost neck and neck at the windward mark. They arrived at the leeward gate almost simultaneously, rounding opposite marks just three seconds apart.

However, McFly was on the advantaged side of the gate and therefore reached the stronger stream first, helping her pull ahead into a lead at the final windward mark that proved unassailable. She went on to cross the finish with an 18 second advantage at the end of a full-on 41-minute race.

For more action-packed and intensive close, short course racing, the IRC Nationals, hosted by RORC are on June 10-12, 2022.

Tony Mack’s McFly saw intense racing and overall victory in the J/111 class Photo: Paul Wyeth

Chris Jones / Louise Makin’s Journeymaker ll Photo: Paul Wyeth

Results here

Brilliant sun, big tides and light to moderate winds that built from 6-8 knots in the morning to 10-12 knots during the afternoon provided glorious conditions for the second day of the RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup off Cowes. 

All six classes completed three hour-long races, with either two or three laps around the course. By the end of the afternoon, the leaders in several classes had firmly asserted their dominance. Sam Laidlaw’s BLT in the Quarter Ton class notched up a perfect scoreline of race wins. Nevertheless, he continued to be pushed hard by other boats in this very competitive fleet, especially in today’s first race, when second placed Julian Metherell’s Bullit was only eight seconds behind after IRC time correction. With only two races to go Laidlaw now looks almost invincible with a five point advantage over Metherell, while Louise Morton’s Bullet is five points back in third overall. 

At the opposite end of the size range, in the Grand Prix Zero class, Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 40 Ràn has also won every race so far, with only Harmen Jan de Graaf’s GP42 Baraka Gp managing to finish within a minute of Ràn on IRC corrected time in any of today’s races. However, the Swedish boat also showed that she too is capable of making mistakes, with a decidedly third-row start in race 5 of the series.

The rest of the fleet has been enjoying a series of tight battles and only one point currently separates Ian Atkins’ Gp42 Dark N Stormy and RORC Commodore James Neville’s more offshore oriented HH42 Ino XXX in the fight for second place overall. Today they were frequently neck and neck on the water, with Ino demonstrating very slick boat handling, yet Dark N Stormy still gaining the upper hand overall.

“It was a terrific day, with three very good races,” says Neville. “We had a really tough first race when the wind was light, but got ourselves set up right for the next two and were really competitive. Both committee boats set great windward leeward courses, with plenty of shifts and interesting tides to give excellent competition.”

Jim Prower's Quarter Tonner Theseus Photo: Paul Wyeth

Tight battles in the Grand Prix Zero class Photo: Paul Wyeth

Two race wins today in the HP30 class allowed Chris Townsend’s Farr 280 Gweilo to nibble the overall lead of Jerry Hill and Richard Faulkner’s Farr 280 Moral Compass down to only 1.5 points. Jamie Rankin’s Farr 280 Pandemonium put in another consistent performance with two seconds and a third place. This class also produced some very close action among the Far East 28Rs in the fleet, including Andrew Peake’s Resolute, which took second place after IRC time correction in race 6.

The impressive success of boats at the top of their class shouldn’t be allowed to obscure the intense mid-fleet competition that raged throughout the day. This was particularly sharp in the Cape 31 fleet, where places shuffled on every mark rounding and on occasion half a dozen boats arrived at the leeward gate almost simultaneously. The final race remained super-close for mid-fleet boats right to the finish, when five of them crossed the line in a period of barely more than 20 seconds.

Today’s notable performances in this fleet include Tony Dickins’ Jubilee in the final race of the day, which he won by almost two minutes. However, his position slipped to third in the overall standings, thanks to Russell Peters’ Squirt putting in a very consistent series of results, including a win in the second race. Michael Bartholomew’s Tokoloshe 4 remains at the top of the leaderboard having been able to discard a disappointing 10th place in race 6.

“The wind was building all day and then steadied nicely,” says Lance Adams, who won today’s first race sailing Katabatic. “It’s exhilarating and there’s nobody racing in this fleet who hasn’t got a big smile on their face.”

Chris Townsend’s Farr 280 Gweilo is nibbling at the overall lead in the HP30 class Photo: Paul Wyeth

Places shuffled on every mark rounding in the Cape 31 fleet Photo: Paul Wyeth

Both the J/109 and J/111 fleets joined the action today. In the former, David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish won every race, with Mike Yates’ Jago second and John Smart’s Jukebox third. However, this again belies how close the racing was today.

In their opening race, for instance, Jago won the start with a perfectly judged run into the middle of the line. However, a slow spinnaker drop at the end of the first lap allowed Jellyfish to close the gap. She then gained the advantage on the second lap and power reached to the finish in a vein of stronger wind only five seconds ahead of Jago.

The top end of the J/111 fleet was dominated by three boats: Anthony Mack’s McFly, Chris Jones and Louise Makin’s Journeymaker ll, and Cornel Riklin’s Jitterbug, with the trio frequently shuffling position during each race. 

McFly had a strong mid-line start in the final race and held a 39 second lead over Journeymaker at the end of the first lap, before extending her advantage to an impressive 71 seconds at the finish. It was a performance that leaves the two boats tied on five points at the head of leaderboard, three points ahead of Jitterbug.

The J/109 fleet saw extremely close racing when they joined the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup regatta on the second day Photo: Paul Wyeth

Two more races are scheduled for each class tomorrow (Sunday), which promises yet more bright sun, but a weaker pressure gradient than the past couple of days. 

Results here

Since the pandemic there has been a boost in numbers of people getting afloat - mostly sailors relatively new to the sport - and the RYA and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) are keen to encourage as many keelboat and cruiser-racer sailors as possible to enjoy racing at their clubs or local regattas. Recognising the need for, and current lack of an entry level rating system, the RYA and RORC have joined forces with the South West Yacht Time Correction Factor (YTC) rating system to develop and roll out a new initiative: the RYA YTC, powered by RORC Rating.

YTC has been developed over recent years by a group of volunteers, initially based in Falmouth, but now more widely spread across the South West, to rate the wide variety of cruiser/racer yachts to be found racing in clubs so that they can race against each other easily, competitively and fairly. YTC is based on the statistical models developed by Linda Wolstenholme of Emsworth Slipper SC, but the system has developed significantly since the early days and, for those clubs who wish to use it, a means to introduce more accurate results-based club handicapping. Under an innovative tripartite agreement, the existing YTC core team, led by RYA SW Regional Chair Chris Davis, will continue to advise and support both the RYA and RORC in order to achieve both a seamless transfer for existing users and development and alignment of the system with IRC. The RORC Rating office will bring their unrivalled operational knowledge of rating systems to managing the new system and overseeing future development.

RYA Racing Director Ian Walker explains: “We recognise the existing RYA National Handicap for Cruisers system (NHC) was not fulfilling clubs’ needs and nobody is keener than my team to see more boats out enjoying racing on the water. Having a good, proven rating system that is portable between clubs and regattas and available nationally, free of charge to anybody wanting to go racing, must be a good thing.”

For the RORC Rating Office this project is part of their ambition to support the growth of the sport. Director of the RORC Rating Office, Jason Smithwick adds: “YTC has proven popular in the South West and has been successful in encouraging more boats into the sport. The system provides an excellent, simple entry-level introduction to racing without the need for personal handicapping, and we are enthusiastic that expansion will help many clubs increase their racing fleets. For those keen to progress further it acts as a simple stepping-stone to IRC racing; the gold standard for rating.”

The aim of the new management team is to move systems across and embed the processes in 2022 before really promoting the system and encouraging more clubs to adopt the system in 2023 and beyond.

SW YTC Chair, Chris Davis added: “This is an exciting time for the YTC system. It is important to us that sailors and clubs that already use this system have a seamless transition to the new management group. All current YTC ratings and certificates for 2022 will remain valid and the process will remain free of charge. I would like to thank all the volunteers that have worked so hard, for over 10 years now, to implement YTC in their clubs and regattas, and of course our sponsors here in the South West. We in the core team are delighted that YTC will be developed further, whilst maintaining the current ethos of the system for the good of anyone wishing to go yacht or keelboat racing at club level.”

Any club wishing to adopt the RYA YTC for their club racing, or any boat owners interested in obtaining an RYA YTC rating can find details here

With the wind speed varying from zephyrs to over 20 knots, the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s De Guingand Bowl Race tested the international fleet right through the spectrum of skill sets on Saturday over a 115 mile course.

Seven teams in IRC Two-Handed posted the top positions for IRC overall.

Sun Fast 3300 Atomic, co-skippered by Gareth Edmondson & Hugh Brayshaw Photo: Paul Wyeth

British Sun Fast 3300 Atomic, co-skippered by Gareth Edmondson & Hugh Brayshaw, won overall. Atomic crossed the finish line just one second ahead of Sun Fast 3300 Red Ruby, co-skippered by the American duo of Christina and Justin Wolfe, Ruby Red was second overall after IRC time correction.

Richard Palmer’s British JPK 1010 Jangada, racing with Rupert Holmes, corrected out to third for the race and retain the overall lead for the RORC Season’s Points Championship.

IRC Class winners for the RORC De Guingand Bowl Race

IRC Zero & Monohull Line Honours - RORC Commodore James Neville’s HH42 INO XXX
IRC One - Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog
IRC Two & IRC Two-Handed - Atomic
IRC Three - Jangada
IRC Four - Stuart Greenfield’s S&S 34 Morning After
Class40 - Antoine Magre’s Palanad 3
MOCRA & Multihull Line Honours - Multi50 Spirit of Poole sailed by Robert Langford-Wood

Full results here

A new Grand Prix Zero Class is inviting members to join the IRC-rating based initiarive on the Solent.

Eligible high-performance boats will have an IRC Rating from 1.192 to 1.394 and a DLR max of 105.

The aim of GP Zero is to create a competitive racing series at existing events for high-performance boats racing under IRC.

The inaugural event for the new IRC Racing Class, Grand Prix Zero (GP Zero) will be at the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Vice Admiral’s Cup 20-22 May. The 2022 GP Zero Series has teams racing at five established regattas in The Solent from May to October.

Future plans include forming GP Zero racing at regattas outside of the Solent including international events.

The class will also actively promote after racing get-togethers. These socials will be a lot of fun but also a great place to air new ideas and plan for future GP Zero events.

2022 GP Zero Circuit

• 20-22 May RORC Vice Admirals Cup
• 10-12 June RORC IRC Nationals
• 30 July-06 August Cowes Week
• 01-02 October HRSC Autumn Championship
• 08-09 October HRSC Autumn Championship

“In light of the recent drift in race activity away from IRC keelboats and towards One-Design, many owners of competitive IRC designs, particularly those with higher ratings, have been discussing ways for performance orientated boats to compete against one another in the Solent and beyond,” commented GP Zero Class President, Ian Atkins. “The conclusion is to create a new class dedicated to the group – Grand Prix Zero. With the support of the RORC and several Solent based Yacht Clubs, we propose a rating band from 1.192 to 1.394 and a DLR max of 105. This rating band includes IC37s all the way to TP52’s, this initial consideration can be extended if the majority of GP Zero owners agree.”

GP Zero Class for RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup

Five teams are expected for RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup. Expressions of interest have been received from over a dozen international teams for future regattas.

Ker 43 Baraka GP Photo: Paul Wyeth

Ker 43 Baraka GP Harmen Jan de Graaf’s (NED) Baraka GP will be skippered by his son Olivier de Graaf with a crew mainly from the Netherlands and Belgium. Baraka GP has a winning profile offshore including the Round Ireland Race. Inshore Baraka GP was a force to be reckoned with in the FAST40+ Class before rule changes meant the boat could no longer feature. Baraka GP has the longest water-line length in GP Zero for the Vice Admiral’s Cup, but also the highest IRC Rating (1.276)

Carkeek 40+ Rán Photo: Paul Wyeth

Carkeek 40+ Rán  Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 40+ Rán is arguably the most optimised IRC boat ever built. Rán 7 was launched in April 2018 and took the FAST40+ fleet by storm. Rán won class for the 2021 IRC National Championship and Vice Admiral’s Cup. Rán Racing Project manager is Tim Powell and the crew are a mix of top-class professionals and talented young sailors. For the RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup Rán has the second highest rating, the radical design is a rocket ship in medium to heavy breeze but may be weaker in light airs.

Botin 42 Dark 'n' Stormy Photo: Paul Wyeth

Botin 42 Dark 'n' Stormy President of the GP Zero Class Ian Atkins acquired Dark 'n' Stormy (formally Peter Morton’s Jean Genie) earlier this year. Atkins admired the speed of the boat hooning around the Solent, especially coming second to Rán by a single point in the 2021 IRC Nationals. Ian has always crewed with top sailors with the right attitude and Dark 'n' Stormy is no different. Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper, and double silver Olympic medallist, Ian Walker will be on tactics. Admiral’s Cup winner Mark Chisnell is navigator, and the highly experienced Nick Bonner is on main sheet.

HH42 INO XXX Photo: Paul Wyeth

HH42 INO XXX RORC Commodore James Neville has been campaigning HH42 INO XXX inshore and offshore since 2016. INO XXX came second overall in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race and has made a terrific start to 2022 winning the RORC Cervantes Trophy Race overall. This will be INO XXX second inshore event having competed at the RORC Easter Challenge. With twin-rudders and an innovative sail configuration INO XXX is very different to the GP Zero boats racing at the Vice Admiral’s Cup. James Neville’s crew have been racing together for many years and includes Coriolan Rousselle as navigator, Mike Henning on trim, and the MOD70 Powerplay combo of Martin Watts and John Hunter-Hamilton. Rating ten points lower than Baraka GP, INO XXX has an IRC corrected time advantage of approximately 30 seconds/hour.

IC37(MOD) Fargo Photo: Paul Wyeth

IC37(MOD) Fargo Bertie Bicket’s modified IC37 Fargo is from the drawing board of Mark Mills and is the smallest and lowest rated boat in GP Zero for the Vice Admiral’s Cup. Baraka gives Fargo approximately 5 minutes per hour in IRC time correction and all of the GP Zero boats give over 4 minutes in corrected time. While Fargo does not have the same top speed as the competition, all of the GP Zero boats have the ability to get on the plane downwind and also maximize VMG upwind. While Fargo may not have the fire-power on the start line, the boats ahead will be a good indication of the best pressure during the race. Fargo’s crew with Bicket driving includes some of the sharpest young talent in Nick Robins and Dan Budden, both GBR Olympic 49er squad members, and the wily multiple world champion Mark Heeley.