The leading contenders for line honours and class victories have been revealed ahead of Sunday's start of the 50th RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race.
A fleet of 33 boats will set off from Cowes on 9 August to tackle the 1,805-nautical-mile course around Britain and Ireland, with powerful IRC Zero yachts and cutting-edge Class40s expected to provide the closest contests.
In IRC Zero, Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace heads the ratings alongside Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna VI and Antoine Magre's Mach 50 Palanad 4. The trio are expected to battle for both line honours and the overall IRC prize.
Offshore Firepower — Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace is crewed by an impressive line-up of offshore talent and starts as one of the leading contenders for line honours in the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race. Photo: Paul Wyeth
The current monohull race record of four days, 13 hours, 10 minutes and 28 seconds was set in 2014 by Ian Walker's VO65 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing – Azzam. Race organisers say breaking it will depend on favourable weather throughout the course.
Four-time round-the-world race winner Stu Bannatyne joins the crew of Pace for his first Round Britain and Ireland Race.
"This has been on my bucket list for a long time," Bannatyne said. "There is probably no better boat on which to face a challenge like this than Pace."
Magre believes Palanad 4 will come into its own in stronger winds.
"This is probably one of the hardest races out there," he said. "The objective is to finish and get back to Cowes as quickly as possible."
Navigator Mike Broughton, racing aboard Varuna VI, described the northern section of the course as "complex, challenging and constantly changing", adding that the North Sea finish could prove one of the race's biggest navigational tests.
IRC Contender — Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna VI is among the favourites for the overall IRC title in the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
The Class40 division will be decided solely on elapsed time, with modern scow-bow designs expected to challenge the class race record if conditions allow. British skipper Jon Tyrrel's Gambit, Greg Leonard's Swift, Pierre Le Boucher's Penfret and Dutch entry Tjoba are among the favourites.
The race starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes on Sunday 9 August, with all 33 entries receiving their warning signal at 1.20pm BST.
