Tom Kneen of Plymouth, winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2021 with the Mark 1 JPK 11.80 Sunrise and, currently campaigning the successful Mark 2 JPK 11.80 Sunrise III, has entered the 2026 Round Ireland Race from Wicklow on June 20th under his Royal Irish YC membership.

The first JPK 11.80 to be called Sunrise arrives at the Fastner Rock in 2021, on her way to overall victory. Photo Kurt Arrigo/Rolex

This means that on paper there are 62 entries, but as three – the smallest entry, Paul Sutton’s Farr X2 Lightning from Holyhead, Gery Trentesaux’s champion GTS Long Courrier from France, and Cian McCarthy’s Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl from Kinsale – have indicated they’re pulling out for various reasons including crew re-distribution to other Round Ireland boats, we’re looking at a real figure of 59, which is still very good indeed.

Tom Kneen (centre) and his crew are celebrating their 2021 Fastnet Race overall victory even as Sunrise is still sailing to her winner’s berth in Cherbourg

Tom Kneen’s Fastnet victory of 2021 should have been part of a remarkable double. In October of that year, as the storm-threatened Middle Sea Race battered its way into its final stages, Sunrise crossed the finish line in Valetta and was shown as holding the overall lead by 16 minutes from the hundred foot super-maxi Comanche.

PLACINGS REVERSED

But on advice from the Coastguards, the race committee declared a new finish line further back on the course for the safety of many smaller boats still at sea. When the placings of Sunrise and Comanche were re-calculated based on their time of crossing this new line, their overall positions were reversed.

Tom Kneen – affability ashore, steely determination afloat

Despite that, Sunrise won the RORC Points Championship. But the sense of unease about that unprecedented Malta decision persists among many who care about the standards off top level international racing, when skippers are meant to take ultimate personal responsibility for their boat’s continuing - or not – in deteriorating conditions.

There’s a sense of rightness to the JPK 11.80 concept – sensible size, useful performance range, well built.

Since then Tom Kneen’s affable presence ashore and steely determination afloat have continued to be a feature of top level offshore racing, and though he is a member of the RIYC in his own right since Sunrise III was part of the Club’s Admiral’s Cup team in 2025, it will be intriguing to see who within the RIYC he might have teamed up to add this very interesting entry to an already fascinating fleet.

ROUND IRELAND ENTRY LIST 2026 @ June 9th