Christian Zugel and team (including some top Irish sailors) on Tschüss 2 (USA) have secured the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy for the overall win in the 2025 race.
While the majority of boats are still racing, none of the competitors at sea can beat Tschüss 2's corrected time under IRC to win the race overall. Tschüss 2 completed the race in an elapsed time of 08 Days 13 Hrs 52 Mins and 51 Secs.
The Tschüss 2 crew were: Christian Zugel, co-skipper Dubliner Johnny Mordaunt, Al Fraser, Alex Higby, Campbell Field, Christopher Welch, Fredric Shanks, Neal McDonald, Cork's Nicholas O'Leary, Wicklow's Simon Johnson, Stu Bannatyne and Trystan Seal.
Tschüss 2 celebrate dockside after completing the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race Photo: Arthur Daniel
RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole presented the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy to Christian Zugel at Port Louis Marina in Grenada.
The 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race is the first oceanic race for Christian Zugel. This race is the longest Christian has ever done and the longest time spent on a boat in any situation: “I want to throw my hat into the air for the whole Tschüss 2 team; I mean 4 hours on, 4 hours off, 4 hours on, for days on end, and just as they get off watch then somebody says: ‘We have to gybe’; We did about 50 gybes in the race.
“I really enjoyed the race, especially the last two days; it was amazing sailing and I am delighted not just for myself but for all of the team for the race win,” smiled Christian Zugel. “The whole race was such an incredible experience. You're on the wheel surrounded by amazing sailors and you look around and all you see is ocean; you realise how big the Atlantic is. On top of that you are trying to perfect the heel angle and the apparent wind angle; it's an experience that's hard to put in words. I can only say a big compliment to our team; they are phenomenal sailors. This was really proven in the last two days, especially since we lost our wind gear. The team were driving at night without any instruments just by feel and we were going pretty quick. We didn't go much below 20 knots, so well done, fantastic, thank you.”
Christian Zugel, Tschüss 2 holds the magnificent 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race winners trophy presented by RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole Photo: Arthur Daniel
Tschüss 2 watch leader Stu Bannatyne has won four round the world races and was part of Chris Sheehan’s Warrior Won crew that won the 2024 RORC Transatlantic Race. Stu explained the way the team adapted to racing the last two days and nights without wind instruments.
“This is probably the sweetest transatlantic I have done; downwind all the way and in the ultimate weapon – the Volvo 70. We had a fantastic squad on board backing each other up,” commented Bannatyne. “Racing without wind instruments can be very challenging at the best of times, even more so at night when you can't see. This boat has a nice big, elevated platform for the driver, and we were very fortunate that we had just enough light to have some stars we could lock onto. You really just use a heading and heeling angle of the boat and how it feels. Really back to basics actually, you know, like dinghy sailing days when you didn't have any instruments, so you just sailed by feel.”
Tschüss 2 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race watch leader Stu Bannatyne Photo: Arthur Daniel
Tschüss 2 sailing master Neal McDonald zones in on team work for the RORC Transatlantic Race with an insight into the watch system for Tschüss 2. McDonald is a veteran of seven Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race campaigns.
“On Tschüss 2 , we took what I think now is a pretty standard watch system, which is 4-on-4-off, which sounds simple and straightforward but there's a complexity to it that most boats now run. We split it so we don't have everybody changing every four hours, we normally have two or three people coming up every two hours so there's a sort of rolling watch that has a system. However, it's not the same people swapping over all at the same time.
“If I go back in my experience, which is a long time, the first few races I did, the standard watch system was basically 6-on-6-off during the day and 4-on-4-off at night. So, the whole thing has changed a bit. In those days, we changed all at once which looking back was ridiculous. Six people fumbling for their gear getting on deck, all kind of blind tired and not getting their night vision was wrong. So, now we get a bit of continuity to our watches. There is a new group of people every two hours but there's people transiting from one to the other. This works fine and on the face of it, you’d say well that's great, 4 hours off, that's 12 hours sleep per day, it sounds fantastic, but it doesn't work like that."
Tschüss 2 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race sailing master Neal McDonald Photo: RORC
“In your 4 hours off you bail out the boat, you repair stuff, things break, you eat, you drink, you organise other things. So, in effect in your 4 hours off you might get about two hours sleep on average. This is enough when the system works, but then you have an issue.
“Imagine trying to unfurl a 30 metre length sail down below, it takes lots of effort. So basically, for that day, everybody's up all day so this 4 hour system breaks down; nobody’s got any time off but very quickly once you get back into the system you do catch up.
“People do get down; you can see they are tired, and the system would break down if somebody's lying in bed while everybody else is working. So, in these situations we all have to put in, you are all suffering together. You make a bit of a laugh at it and don't grumble. It is like any other walk of life, yeah you had to work late at the office, but you tough it out and get on with it. There are people on this boat that I have raced around the world with, and that bond is unbreakable, it will last forever. The Tschuss team get off the boat together with some memories that we will use in future races.”
Tschüss 2’s owner Christian Zugel turns 65 this year and wanted to celebrate with a big push in offshore racing. The Tschüss 2 schedule includes the RORC Caribbean 600 and the West to East Transatlantic Race, followed by the 100th anniversary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Victory for Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 in the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race Photo: Sailing Energy
Tech-Corner – Tschüss 2 navigator Campbell Field
Tschüss 2 navigator Campbell Field
Campbell Field has competed in four round the world races and was navigator for IRC Zero winner Tala in the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race. Listen into his review of the winning strategy below:
