Dublin sailor Johnny Mordaunt is boat captain on the Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, which has attracted 204 boats with over 1,000 crew on board from 16 different nations.

This is the largest fleet for any offshore yacht race since the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. One hundred and ninety-one boats will be competing under the IRC Rating Rule for the overall win and the King Edward VII Cup, which dates back to 1906.

From about 2pm on Friday 7 July, the fleet will gather in the Central Solent outside Cowes with multiple starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line. Spectators can watch the start from Cowes Parade and along the shore of the Western Solent.

Henry Vergnoux’s Arabel lift the King Edward VII Cup | Credit: Steve Cole/RORC

The multihull race record was set in 2015 by Tony Lawson’s MOD70 Concise 10, skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield, Concise 10 set an incredible pace, finishing the 151-nautical-mile race in nine hours, 12 minutes and 35 seconds. The monohull race record was also set in 2015; Mike Slade’s Farr 100 Leopard scorched across the finish line in an elapsed time of 11 hours, 57 minutes and 53 seconds.

Returning to defend their overall win last year is Henry Vergnoux’s Classic Illingworth-designed 33ft sloop Arabel, which lifted the King Edward VII Cup in 2022. Arabel is proof that under IRC, any team that puts in a top performance and gets the rub of the green can win big trophies under IRC.

The Cowes Dinard St Malo is the final race for the inaugural IRC Two-Handed European Championship; the first leg is still in progress in the 350-mile La Trinité Cowes Race. An update of the double-handed teams vying for the championship will be released after the results are in for Leg One (La Trinité Cowes Race). The second leg to St Malo will feature 63 double-handed teams to decide the European Champion.

Mike Slade’s Farr 100 Leopard setting the Monohull Race Record for the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race in 2015 | Credit: Lloyd Images

The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race will start at 1500 BST on Friday 7 July. The first to go of the four starts will be the 75ft (23m) Irens/Cabaret-designed trimaran Use It Again. Skippered by Romain Pilliard, the record-breaking trimaran has been renovated with recycled fixtures and fittings.

Favourites for monohull line honours and the Sandison Memorial Salver are racing in IRC Super Zero. Peter Morton’s Maxi 72 Notorious and Christian Zugel’s Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 are both based in Cowes and both sailors are RORC members. The latter recently took line honours in the Round the Island Race and for this race also features onboard Simon Johnson, fresh off his duties on Black Star at the 44Cup in Maarstrand.

Eric de Turckheim’s NMD54 Teasing Machine | Credit: Tim Wright/RORC

IRC Zero

Eighteen boats are entered for IRC Zero with RORC vice commodore Eric de Turckheim’s NMD54 Teasing Machine looking to take the class win for the race for the third year in succession. Looking to stop his winning streak are two of the most high-tech IRC boats in the race: Niklas Zennstrom’s CF 520 Rán and RORC Commodore James Neville with his Carkeek 45 Ino Noir. Teasing Machine leads the class for the season, and the remainder of the current class podium will also be in action: Family De Graaf’s Ker 46 Baraka GP, and Mark Emerson’s A13 Phosphorus II.

Ed Bell’s JPK 1180 Dawn Treader | Credit: Paul Wyeth/RORC

IRC One

Forty boats are set for the race in IRC One, including the return of Géry Trentesaux with his new charge Sydney 43 Imagine, to be entered as Long Courrier later this month for Gery’s 17th Rolex Fastnet Race. Two teams with proven success in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race are Ed Bell’s JPK 1180 Dawn Treader, class winner in 2021, and Jaques Pelletier’s Milon 41 L’Ange de Milon, class winner in 2019. The two top boats in IRC Two for the RORC Season’s Point Championship will be a force to be reckoned with: Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 Darkwood and RORC treasurer Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog will be in the race.

François and Corentin Lognoné’s MC 34 Nutmeg Solidaire en Peloton | Credit: Paul Wyeth/RORC

IRC Two

Sixty-four boats are entered in IRC Two, including many of the IRC Two-Handed entries battling for the European Championship. Of the fully-crewed entries in IRC Two, François and Corentin Lognoné MC 34 Nutmeg Solidaire en Peloton was last year’s class winner and won the race overall in 2015. Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, overall winner in 2019, will be racing, looking to score more points for the RORC Season’s Points Championship. Two fully-crewed Sun Fast 3600s that are in the top 10 for the season will be racing: Trevor Middleton’s Black Sheep; and the Army Sailing Association’s Fujitsu British Soldier, skippered by Wil Naylor.

Rob Cotterill’s J/109 Mojo Risin’ | Credit: Rick Tomlinson/RORC

IRC Three

The top three boats for the class this season are all in action for the 53-boat IRC Three Class: Sun Fast 3200 Cora, raced double-handed by Tim Goodhew and Kelvin Matthews; Mike Yates, skipper of J/109 Jago, two-handed with Wil Holland; and Rob Cotterill’s fully-crewed J/109 Mojo Risin’, skippered by Conrad Woodring. Cora has a massive 118-point lead for the season but is counting one additional race than Jago. Mojo Risin’ is third for the season by just 14 points from Chris Burleigh’s J/109 Jybe Talkin’ which will be racing to St Malo.

A total of nine J/109s are racing, producing a great competition within IRC Three, but they are not the only in-class skirmish. Of the 11 JPK 1010s, the leader for the season is Mark Brown’s Jetpack with a full crew from Gosport. Eleven Sun Fast 3200s are in action — seven are racing two-handed, including Cora, which is the favourite to be the first to St Malo of the double-handers.

Jonathan Rolls’ Swan 38 Xara | Credit: Paul Wyeth/RORC

IRC Four

Last year’s overall winner Arabel will be racing in IRC Four. Classic Swan 38 Xara, skippered by Jonathan Rolls was second last year and is back for the 2023 edition. The top two teams in IRC Four for the season will also be in action. Chris and Vanessa Choules’ With Alacrity leads the class for the RORC Season’s Points Championship. With Alacrity is one of four Sigma 38s racing to St Malo. In second place for the season, and one of the smallest boats in the race is Samuel Duménil’s JPK 960 Casamyas from Le Havre. Szymon Kuczynski’s Figaro One Hultaj is the smallest boat racing to St Malo at just 30ft (9.15m). However for Szymon, Hultaj is a large boat; he sailed his 20’6” (6.3m) sloop Atlantic Puffin solo around the world in 2018 to set a new world record. For the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, Hultaj will be three-up with an all-Polish crew.

Szymon Kuczynski’s Figaro One Hultaj | Credit: Tim Wright/RORC

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Cowes Dinard St Malo Race is the 12th race of the RORC Season’s Points Championship, the largest racing series in the world of offshore racing. The race is organised by the RORC in association with UNCL - Pôle Course du YCF, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, Junior Offshore Group and the Royal Yacht Squadron.