#rorc – Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix has won the prestigious British IRC Championship title on the Solent this afternoon. Despitere being one of the smallest boats in Class one the Munster crew continued their impressive display, winning the first two races of the day to secure the IRC One title, and third place in the last race of the regatta was just enough to secure the overall win. Antix was crowned RORC IRC National Champion to the delight of the Irish crew.

It's an important result scored at an important time only weeks ahead of the Commodore's Cup where O'Leay will captain a three boat Irish team against some stiff international competition. Tonight, O'Leary's result was being toasted at his Royal Cork Yacht Club but the international result was also saluted in Dublin where the Irish IRC and ICRA championships were concluding at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

The most sensational finish in the 13-year history of the RORC IRC National Championship played out in the central Solent this afternoon. In the tightly packed combat zone, the prize of overall national champion was decided in the ninth and final race of the series. Three yachts swapped the overall lead during the last three races. Keeping in clear air and playing the shifts were the big factors towards a top performance but maintaining concentration, in an adrenalin packed final day, was just all important.

"Antix has been coming here for years, we have won class here before but this is the first time we have won the event overall - it is just tremendous," smiled Anthony O'Leary. "Dave Lenz did a phenomenal job on tactics and the rest of the crew have been together for many years and that understanding kept our manoeuvres clean. The combination of smart strategy and good boat handling was the key. As one of the smallest boats in our class, we knew that we would be dictated to at the starts, and on several occasions, we did have to tack away for clear air. However, our heads never went down, and many-a-time we were in good shape by the top mark. This is a confidence boost for the Commodores' Cup but our feet will be firmly on the ground and we will continue to prepare for next month's big event."

Cork's Antix in the lead on the Solent this aftenoon. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Mike Bartholomew's South African GP42, Tokoloshe II, was second in class and Marc Glimcher's American Ker 40, Catapult, finished the regatta in style winning the last race to place third.

IRC Two
Going into the last race, Jim Macgregor's British Elan 410, Premier Flair, needed to win to secure the overall IRC National title by just half a point. However, the team from Poole YC could only manage fourth. Premier Flair was class champion and second overall, winning the Jackdaw Trophy.

IRC Two produced a highly competitive fleet with seven yachts all scoring podium finishes and virtually every race was decided by seconds, so close in fact that Premier Flair and Adam Gosling's Corby 36, Yes!, scored a dead heat for Race 7. Kevin Miller's Scottish First 40, Zephyr, held on to second place for IRC Two. Yes! damaged their backstay in Race 8, ending any remote chance of a class win, but first in the last race of the regatta secured Yes! third in class.

"To be honest, if Yes! had not had their problems, we would have been beaten," admitted Jim. "The competition in our class this year was as good as I can remember and we are delighted to be taking the Jackdaw Trophy back to Poole YC. We had no idea we were in the running for the overall win, that comes as a bit of a shock for a Corinthian team. We were just taking it one race at a time, and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them."

IRC Three
David Franks' British JPK 10.10, Strait Dealer, won all three races today to secure the class. Scoring six bullets during the regatta, Strait Dealer was an outstanding performer. However, the smaller class size put the team from Cowes out of the running for the overall win. Last year's IRC Three champion, James Chalmers' British J/35, Bengal Magic, was second and Willem Schopman's Dutch Bashford Howison 36, Intention, was third.

"This is our second class win at the championship but every year it gets harder and harder," commented David. "The RORC have put on another excellent event, especially in difficult conditions, and that should not be underestimated. Each day was very different and all of the Solent came into play, at one stage or another, which kept us all thinking, as well as the race officer."

IRC Four
Peter Morton's Half Tonner, Swuzzlebubble, was the winner of the class but struggled today in the fresher breeze. Giovanni Belgrano's Whooper won the first race of the day and secured second overall. Sadly, Ian Southworth's Hamble based Quarter Tonner, Whiskers, was unable to race after yesterday's rig damage, but after being awarded redress, ended the regatta third in class. Michael Kershaw's Half Tonner, Chimp, won Race 8 and last year's class winner, Nick and Adam's J/97, Indulgence, finished the regatta on a high, winning the last race.

"This is the first big regatta for the boat since it was re-launched and we have learnt a lot about how to sail her," commented Peter Morton, skipper of Swuzzlebubble. "We were joined this weekend by Tom Schnackenberg, who has won the America's Cup three times and knows a hell of a lot about these boats. I bought Swuzzlebubble for one euro, I have spent a lot of money on her, but about only half the cost of some of the boats racing this weekend. She definitely goes well in the light but against the displacement boats, we suffered in more breeze."

Racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club continues with the Morgan Cup Race on Friday 27th June, followed by the Round Ireland Race, Saturday 28th June.

Click HERE for full provisional results for the RORC IRC National Championship.

#antix – Irish Commodore Cuppers are in the frame on the Solent as the RORC British IRC National Championship goes into its third and final day with fickle conditions but stronger than those encountered at the Irish IRC Championships being sailed at the same time on Dublin Bay.

Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix, is the new leader after the second day of racing.

The Eastern Solent provided a fascinating combat zone as Mike Bartholomew's South African GP42, Tokoloshe, slipped to second place, four points off the lead. Marc Glimcher's American Ker 40, Catapult, had an excellent day on the water, climbing to third place by virtue of two bullets and a second, beaten by Antix by just 17 seconds. There were podium finishes today for Harmen de Graaf's Dutch Ker 40, Baraka GP, and Stewart Whitehead's Farr 45, Rebel.

A fickle northerly breeze at the start provided shifty conditions before clocking east and building to a solid 15 knots of pressure. During the final race a massive rain squall brought a short sharp intensity to the final race with over 20 knots of wind and driving rain, testing the endurance of the teams. The second day of the championship was full of incident and intense boat-on-boat action. The teams that handled their yachts well, in close quarters and rapidly changing conditions, were the outstanding performers of the day.

IRC One

Catapult's Boat Captain, Geoff Ewenson from Annapolis USA, spoke about the tactics for the second race of the day. "The tide was building, across the course from east to west and getting the wrong side of that was not a good option. Even though there was more breeze down tide, we stayed high and that kept us in good shape. The same was true for the tight reach past Lee on Solent. The northerly breeze was being affected by breeze from the east and a significant wind hole was developing. Once again we stayed high to avoid being headed in light air. With clear air we were able to sail faster than the competition and extend our lead."

IRC Two
The new leader, after six highly competitive races, is Jim Macgregor's British Elan 410, Premier Flair, pushing yesterday's leader, Kevin Miller's Scottish First 40, Zephyr into second place, just three points off the lead. Adam Gosling's Corby 36, Yes!, had a highly successful day, winning two of today's races to move up to third. There were podium finishes for Corby 37, Aurora, sailed by Roderick Stuart, Peter Morton's JND 35, Salvo, and Paul McNamara &Tony Lowes's First 40.7, Incognito. Richard Patrick's First 40, Dusty P, won the last race of the day by just two seconds.

Jim Macgregor, owner of Premier Flair, has been joined this weekend by his daughter Kate, who represented Great Britain at the London Olympic Games, and members of the Poole Yacht Club Youth programme. "It is always great to sail with my family and Kate was working the bow yesterday. We have a number of youngsters on the boat, some only 16 years old, which brings the average age down! After a long day yesterday, today was always going to be a test of endurance and it ended with four of us going around the leeward mark together, trying to drop spinnakers in a rain squall packing 26 knots, so it was quite a finale. We are delighted to be in the lead but tomorrow should be an interesting day."

IRC Three
David Franks British JPK 10.10, Strait Dealer, retained the class lead with three podium finishes today including a win in Race Six, but the best performer today was James Chalmers' J/35, Bengal Magic, which won the first race of the day and followed up the victory with two second places. Willem Shopman's Bashford 36, Intention, scored their first win of the championship, taking Race Five by just 11 seconds and promoting the Dutch team to third place. Strait Dealer has a net points score of just nine after six races, the lowest of any yacht racing at the regatta.

Graham Sunderland, a Solent tide expert, is navigator for Strait Dealer. "I have never seen such a mixture of mud and clear water on the east end of the plateau before and it produced highly unusual effects, with that wind direction and tidal flow. Race Officer Stuart Childerley and his team did a sensational job - full marks for the courses today. The Strait Dealer team were also great today; with excellent boat handling skills, it makes strategy so much easier."

IRC Four
Ian Southworth's Quarter Tonner, Whiskers, had an excellent start to the day, nailing the pin end of the line to win Race Four by a big margin. However a collision in Race Five damaged the rig to such an extent that Whiskers can no longer race. Peter Morton's Half Tonner, Swuzzlebubble, retains the class lead. Giovanni Belgrano's Whooper revelled in the heavy conditions in Race Six to score her first win of the championship and are currently just three points off the lead. Whiskers is lying in third place, however a request for redress may alter the situation.

Racing continues this morning for the final day of the RORC IRC National Championship with three more races scheduled before the overall and class champions will be decided.

Results here

#rorc – Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the De Guingand Bowl Race was the fifth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship and featured teams from five different European nations: Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands writes Louay Habib. Starting and finishing in the Solent, the flexi-course used virtual marks in the English Channel to produce a course that tested the tactical awareness of the fleet, especially in the light airs close to dusk on the south side of the Isle of Wight.

While Piet Vroon's Dutch Lutra 56, Formidable 3, took line honours for the race and IRC Zero it was three British yachts racing in IRC One who dominated the podium for the overall result. Cracklin' Rosie, Steven Anderson's Corby 40, was the winner overall and in IRC One, and the Solent based team was delighted with their second win of the season. RORC Commodore Mike Greville racing his Ker 39, Erivale III, was second overall and Mark Emerson's Rodman 42, Phosphorus, third.

"We want to keep the same team together for the season, which is important in the build up to our main event, the RORC Transatlantic Race," commented Steven Anderson. "The crew put a lot of effort into preparation before the season started, the hull is in the best state it has ever been and Cracklin' Rosie is now dry sailed. We had another great battle with Erivale but to be honest, the lighter conditions we have experienced were in our favour, the competition would prefer more wind which we are bound to get at some stage over the next few months. However, the first three races have been a great boost to our confidence and we were highly motivated going into the De Guingand Bowl Race. This helped our concentration throughout the race, which was a very important factor."

In IRC Two the J/122 Relentless on Jellyfish, raced by James George, was the winner, followed into a well-deserved second place by Robin Elsey and Will Harris who were racing Two-Handed on their Figaro II, Artemis 43. Sailing Logic's First 40, skippered by Nick Martin, Arthur Logic, placed third in class.

Tom Gadsden, navigator for Relentless on Jellyfish, gave an insight into the decisive part of the battle for class honours. "It was very interesting on the south side of the Isle of Wight. We were short tacking around St.Cat's, right up the shore, tacking the boat every five minutes to stay in the shallows and out of the current. It was late afternoon and the sea breeze was fading and the big decision was whether to stay inshore out of the current or go offshore in search of more wind. We left it a little late, fell into a hole and only just managed to escape by the skin of our teeth but several others remained there for several hours."

Ten yachts were racing in the popular Two-Handed Class and all enjoyed an extremely competitive race between themselves and the rest of their respective classes. Five teams finished in the top ten overall and took podium places from fully crewed yachts in the top three of every class they competed in. Taking first place in the Two-Handed Class, as well as winning IRC Four, was the highly experienced multihull and shorthanded sailor from Le Havre, Renaud Courbon, who was racing his First Class 10, Shortgood.

It was a photo finish for second place in the Two-Handed Class, the stakes raised as the two British yachts were also vying for first place in IRC Three. After 24 hours of racing it was Mike Moxley's HOD 35, Malice, who snatched the IRC Three win, and second place in the Two-Handed Class, by just 13 seconds from the J/105, Diablo-J, skippered by Nick Martin. Kevin Armstrong's fully crewed Jazzy Jellyfish won its own battle of the J/109s and came in to claim third in class.

"Not bad for an old boat! But that was very tiring," laughed Mike Moxley after the race. "The course legs were all less than two hours, which meant neither of us got any sleep at all. We did a great job at St.Cat's, where we spotted a breeze line offshore and decided to go for it, whilst Diablo-J seemed to stall inshore. Later in the race, we ran out of wind off Poole and the competition came back with the breeze to cancel out our gain and the last leg was a real fight to the finish. Nick (Diablo-J) was catching us in better breeze and nearly pipped us at the line. Great race, great win - what more can I say."

In IRC Four Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, came second to the Two-Handed Renaud Courbon on Shortgood, while fellow Two-Handed entry, David Mossman and Blair Forsyth's J/97, High Jinks, was third.

"It was not a good race for us," admitted Noel Racine. "We had some problems with the engine, which we use to charge the batteries and while I was working on it, I didn't spot a wind hole. We sailed right into it and lost a lot of time because of that - but that is yacht racing. The weather was very nice but there were very light winds and with the mistakes we made I was not very happy! Foggy Dew will be racing again with the RORC for the Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race, a race that I always look forward to."

Despite Noel Racine's reservations, after the conclusion of the De Guingand Bowl Race Foggy Dew has emerged as the new leader of the RORC Season's Points Championship, followed closely by Louis-Marie Dussere's Raging Bee which is four points behind. With a mere 0.1 difference between them are Steven Anderson's Cracklin' Rosie, in third, and Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout's MC34 Patton, Azawakh, in fourth. This weekend, the Royal Ocean Racing Club switches focus to the inshore discipline with the IRC National Championship, held in the Solent. The RORC Season's Points Championship will continue with the sixth race of the series; the Morgan Cup Race from Cowes to Dartmouth, starting on the Friday 27th June.

For full results and more information: www.rorc.org

#rorc – Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association and the Yacht Club Scheveningen writes Louay Habib.
A fleet of 52 yachts entered the 180-mile RORC North Sea Race, the fourth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. Starting from Harwich on the East Coast of England, the line was blessed with a 15 knot easterly wind, providing a true beat to the first turning mark of the course. The breeze was to fade during the race which suited Volvo Ocean 65, Team Brunel. The Dutch team, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, took line honours and the overall win under IRC after time correction. Wouter Hermsen's Sydney GTS 43, Luctor 3 was second overall and winner of IRC One, and Harm Prins Volvo 60, Pleomax, was third and winner of IRC Zero.
Congratulations should also go to the winner of IRC Two, Ard Moerman's Bashford & Howison 36, Ace, and to Paul van der Pol's J/109, Yeti, which won IRC Three.
Team Brunel show their ability
This is the first RORC race in which the new VOR 65 has competed and it was a great warm up for the Volvo Ocean race, which starts in the autumn, providing an opportunity for Bouwe Bekking to trial his new team and to give his sponsors the sail of their lives.
"It is great to see that the boat is competitive under IRC and that this new team worked well together," commented Team Brunel skipper, Bouwe. "There are lots of things that we look at when we are picking a team, obviously just to be in the selection you have to be a very talented sailor, but the biggest criteria are that everyone clicks together and work as a unit. Of course we work hard but it is important that we have fun together and the North Sea Race was a great opportunity to have our sponsors on board, as well as windsurfing Olympic gold medallist Dorian van Rijsselberghe.
Team Brunel and all the competitors put a lot of effort into taking part in races and the great thing about RORC races is that they are always so well organised, which sometimes people take for granted but it is very important for everyone. As a Dutch boat, the North Sea Race is very important, I think I did my first race in 1983, and the race to Harwich and back to Scheveningen is a very important part of yacht racing in Holland."
The overall winner of the North Sea Race under ORC was Frans Rodenburg's First 40, Elke. Robert Jockin's Dehler 39, Griel, was second and also winner of ORC Two. Anita Bakker's Dehler 35, Gast-Vrij, corrected out to win ORC 3 & 4.
"We have a great team on board Elke that have been together for a couple of years now," commented Frans Rodenburg, skipper of Elke. "The team is very keen and has done a lot of research to work out how to sail the boat as well as possible. At the upwind start, we decided to sail as high as we could, maybe 5 degrees more than normal, with the crew hiking hard because we knew that we needed to get ahead of the boats that rated lower than us. We knew we needed to put a big effort in for that beat, as the competition is very good. After that the wind went very light and we really concentrated on just keeping the boat going. About 25 miles from the finish, the wind was virtually gone for us but the other yachts would come with the breeze. However, we just kept going, even when the wind was just three knots, we were sailing as fast as the wind. After finding out we had won, we cleaned up the boat and celebrated a little, enjoying the full hospitality of Yacht Club Scheveningen."
15 teams, all from The Netherlands, raced in the IRC Two-Handed Class and, after a race lasting over a day and a half, the result was decided by just one minute. John Van Veen's J/105, Dream Machine, with Rob Vis as crew, was the winner of the class, beating Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker's J/122, Junique, into second place. Chris Schram's JPK 10.10, 'So What', was third.
John sails every evening out of his home port in Enkhuizen, North Holland, and was overjoyed to learn of the win.
"When we finished the race, it was very nice to find out it was so close, we didn't know but what a great feeling!" smiled John Van Veen. "For a Dutchman to win class in the North Sea Race is absolutely fabulous. The race took us over 34 hours and was very tiring as we were constantly changing sails and concentrating on tactics all the time. Two-handed racing in Holland is getting more and more popular. When we started four or five years ago, we often raced with just two or three boats. We have a 50 mile race on Ijsselmeer, and now, this year, we had 70 boats racing two–handed! This is the biggest win ever and we are so happy with the result."
The RORC Season's Points Championship continues next weekend with the De Guingand Bowl Race, starting and finishing in The Solent. The Belgian team racing Azawakh, owned by Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout, are currently leading the championship with Noel Racine's Foggy Dew in second place and Louis-Marie Dussere's Raging Bee in third.

#rorc – Over 50 yachts from Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Holland – but not Ireland – will contest the 180 mile race from Harwich, UK to Scheveningen, Holland. The North Sea Race is the fourth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship and has a weighted points score of 1.2 towards the series points tally.

The hot favourite for Line Honours will be the Dutch Volvo Ocean 65, Team Brunel. Skippered by Bouwe Bekking, this will be the first occasion that one of the new one-design racing yachts has raced with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Three other Volvo Ocean 65 are already confirmed for the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race this August.
"Racing is always better than training." commented Bouwe Bekking. "There is always that little bit of extra adrenalin flowing through the crew, that little bit of edge that will keep the momentum going, racing is a really good way to prepare for a big event. We have now announced the whole team bar one extra person and the on board reporter, so for the North Sea Race, the big part of the team will be together for the first time and we will continue our build up for the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in October."

Dutch Volvo 60 Pleomax makes its RORC racing debut for 2014, once again led by North Sea Race veteran, Harm Prims. Pleomax won IRC Zero in last year's North Sea Race to kick start a season, in which the Dutch team also won IRC Zero for the RORC Season's Points Championship.

In IRC One, a close battle is expected between four highly regarded yachts that have competed in the race before. Austrian ILC40, Visione, skippered by Nikolaus Knoflacher, is the scratch boat and will need to put some distance on Leon Westhoeve's BH41, Soulmate, which was a class winner last year. Two J/133s make up the class with British skipper, Angus Bates in charge of Assarain IV and Dutch skipper, Bart Desaunois, racing Batfish Two Handed.
Fresh from their win in last weekend's Myth of Malham Race. Vincent Willemart and Eric Campenhout's Belgian MC34, Azawakh will be racing in IRC Two. Azawakh will be ranked as one of the favourites for this race.
12 yachts will be racing in the Two Handed Class that are all based in Holland, including several that raced in the short handed discipline last year; Astrid De Vin's Il Corvo, Chris Schram's So What and Harry Rek's Harpoen.

Ian Ivermee's Sigma 33, Woozle Hunter will be racing in Class IRC Four and is one of the smallest yachts in the race. "I have done the race several times before but this will be the first time in my own boat." commented Ian, who is a member of the Marconi Sailing Club. "This is the first season with the boat and I have been putting the crew together, which includes my wife and a paramedic. I doubt that we will be able to keep up with Brunel but we might try to get on her quarter wave and hitch a ride! However in all seriousness, if it is a light airs race, we could do quite well after time correction, who knows?"

The start of the race will test the navigational skills of all of the yachts, with eight or more buoys to round off the coast of Harwich, before leaving the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm to Port and heading out into the open ocean to Smith's Knoll Buoy, where the fleet will head east to the finish, outside Scheveningen.

#isora – It's a busy weekend for offshore sailors with both British and Irish crews heading on separate key races counting towards overall series points in the RORC and ISORA programmes but as well as the forthcoming fixtures the most pressing matter for offshore sailors this week is the hope of finding four fellow racing sailors alive in the Atlantic Ocean. As Afloat reported last night, renewed calls have been made for authorities to resume a search for a Brtitish crew from a 40–yacht returning from racing in the Caribbean.

On the UK South coast, a fleet of 40 yachts from five nations will compete in RORC's Myth of Malham Race while on the Irish east coast up to 20 are expected on ISORA's 100–mile race from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead sailed under the burgee of the National Yacht Club.

One boat that will miss the start is Isle of Man regular, Polished Manx, a Sigma 33 that was dismasted and rescued a fortnight ago in a punishing race off Holyhead. It had been hoped that the yacht would be back on the startline on Friday but instead the aim now is to be ready for the Liverpool race on May 28th. Still not a bad turnaround!

The exact Irish Sea course to be sailed on Saturday will not  will be published until the eve of the race, next Friday evening, and may include one of ISORA's innovative new virtual marks. 

The race, which is also one of the qualifying races for next month's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow, will start in Scotsman's Bay in Dublin Bay between the DBSC 'Pier' mark and an adjacent committee boat flying a NYC burgee.

According to the Sailing Instructions, (downloadable below as a pdf file) the finish line off the Welsh coast shall be between the end of the Holyhead breakwater and the Clippera Buoy – 0.6 miles off pier head, bearing 067(T).

#rorc – The RORC Season's Points Championship continues this May Bank Holiday with the challenging 230-mile Myth of Malham Race. A fleet of approximately 40 yachts, from five different nations, will take part with 10 yachts racing in the Two-Handed Class. The race is of great significance in the RORC Season's Points Championship, as the route mirrors the start of the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race and has a weighted points factor for teams looking to increase their overall score for the season.

The course can be a described as a long windward leeward, starting from Cowes with the top mark as the Eddystone Lighthouse, approximately 12 miles SSW of Plymouth Sound, and finishing in the Solent. The lighthouse was built between 1878 and 1892 and is mentioned in Herman Melville's epic novel Moby-Dick. At 49 metres (161ft) high, Eddystone's light is visible from 22 miles and, along with Bishop Rock, it is the tallest lighthouse managed by Trinity House.

The end of May is typically a time of changeable weather in the UK and the Myth of Malham Race is shaping up to be a real tactical challenge. The south coast of England has complex and significant tidal flows, measuring as much as five metres at the Eddystone Lighthouse and weather forecasts are predicting varied wind speed and direction along the route. Correctly anticipating whether to stay offshore or come inshore will be a big factor in any teams performance.

Jean Yves Chateau's Iromiguy won IRC Four in last year's Myth of Malham Race; the Nicholson 33 is one of the legendary yachts of RORC racing, having won the Fastnet Trophy in 2005.

"I really enjoy RORC races, especially the Fastnet and Myth of Malham because they are very well organised and the course is very tactical," commented Jean Yves Chateau. "I have owned Iromiguy since 1976 and I will never sell her - like the name of her next race, she is a myth! We have won so many races in Iromiguy and most of the crew have been the same for all those years. The route for the Myth of Malham is so interesting, it is the reason I prefer offshore racing to regattas. The overall tidal flow is well documented but there are local effects that can really change your approach. Timing is everything, you have to look forward and anticipate when you will be at a certain point on the course to decide what you will do immediately and that is an ever changing position - it fascinates me. We will sail Iromiguy from Boulogne to Cowes several days before the start and, after the race, we will sail her back to France. It is a lot of miles but we know well in advance when the race will take place and that it will be well organised - that makes it easy for us to plan and prepare for the best."

Yachts run by Sailing Logic have won the RORC Sailing School Yacht of the Year for the last nine years. This year, the Hamble based racing school have added two First 40s to their fleet: Arthur and Galahad Of Cowes will be making their offshore racing debut in the Myth of Malham Race.

Orthopaedic surgeon, Ronan Banim, will be racing on Galahad this season. "Until last year, I had done very little offshore sailing but after competing in the Round Ireland Race I decided to do a Fastnet campaign with Sailing Logic and it was absolutely tremendous. So much so that I will be racing with the RORC for much of this season on Galahad and I am in the process of joining the club. I find offshore sailing mesmerising, there is something new to learn every race. The first RORC race we did last year was the Myth of Malham and it was a very changeable race with the wind dying near Eddystone, then picking up for a fast sail back to the finish - it was really exciting. This year I am looking forward to what I hope to be a fantastic and challenging race and to enjoy it with a group of people that I probably haven't even met before but who all share the same interest in offshore racing."

Line Honours for the Myth of Malham is likely to come down to a duel between two IMOCA 60s: Chris Le Prevost's Rosalba, and the new Artemis Ocean Racing 2. Led by Mike Ferguson, the team behind Artemis Ocean Racing 2 won the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race overall onboard the first Artemis Ocean Racing. "This year we will be taking part in a number of RORC races in partnership with Team Endeavour," explained Mike, who will skipper Artemis for the race.

"For the Myth of Malham Race, half of the crew will be injured servicemen and we will be racing a full season with RORC as Artemis Team Endeavour. These guys are getting the opportunity of racing with professionals for six of the RORC races in the Channel and one of them will be lucky enough to be selected for the Round Britain and Ireland with Brian Thompson as skipper. For the Myth of Malham Race, we are expecting a close battle with Rosalba and we know we will be up for the challenge. Two of the injured servicemen raced the Fastnet on board last year and their attitude was top notch. The only real problem was making them take a break, their enthusiasm was amazing and that has a positive impact for the whole team."

The Myth of Malham Race is the third race of the 2014 RORC Season's Points Championship. The Myth of Malham Cup will be awarded to the yacht with the best corrected time racing under the Spinlock IRC Rule. The trophy and race are named after the yacht Myth of Malham which was a 37'6" sloop built in 1947 by Hugh McClean & Co at Greenock and designed by John Laurent Giles for John Illingworth. Myth of Malham won the 1947 and 1949 Fastnet Races and in 1957 was part of the winning team for the first Admiral's Cup.

#rorc – The domestic season for the RORC Season's Points Championship kicked off with a test of tactics and endurance for the international fleet of yachts racing from Cowes to Le Havre for the Cervantes Trophy writes Louay Habib. The main tactical conundrum was a windless area in the middle of the Channel. After over 24 hours of racing, a large number of the fleet were compressed in a tight pack, flying spinnakers into the finish line with many yachts finishing within minutes of each other. The Last boat home finished within three hours of the leader.

Gaetan Bourdeaux's team racing French Sunfast 32, Callipyge was one of the last yachts to finish but after time correction was declared the overall winner of the race and lifted the Cervantes Trophy for the first time. Gaetan is from Brittany and bases the yacht in Deauville, Normandy. Callipyge is a family boat, and although Gaetan and his brother have sailed the boat since 2002, it is the first time they have competed it in a major offshore race.

"Are you serious?" responded Gaetan when he heard of the victory. "That is hard to believe but great news! We are a team of four, I sail with my younger brother Gabriel and two friends. This is our first proper offshore race but we race Dragons, which is a good school to learn how to sail. Everbody took the helm and we all slept enough, so we were not too tired and as we are all back to work tomorrow, that is a good thing! I think our tactic to keep up the best boat speed worked well for us. On the water, we were behind everybody and we knew that we would be one of the last to finish but we knew that if we could stay near the other boats we would do well. Also we had the fortune of a favourable current towards the finish, whilst other yachts had current against them. We will definitely be celebrating with a good meal and fine wine tonight!"

Line Honours went to to Rob Lutener's, Ker 40, Cutting Edge withEd Broadway's Hooligan VII just behind as the pair finished the race locked in a duel for the line. Cutting Edge put in a text book light airs gybe to make the finish line first by just 20 seconds. However after time correction, Hooligan VII beat Cutting Edge by just over 4 minutes. Both of these yachts are vying for a place to represent England in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup. If the opening encounter is anything to go by, these two yachts will have a phenomenal battle during the remainder of the trials.

In IRC One, Steven Anderson's Cracklin' Rosie was the winner, beating a field of very slippery boats including the two Ker 40s, Mills 39, Zero II and King 40, Cobra. Cracklin' Rosie's big race this season will be the RORC Transatlantic Race and the majority of the crew are planning to take part.

"Especially around Bembridge and in the middle of the Channel, we were a good sign post for holes in the wind!" exclaimed Steven. "But it was an interesting race, there were plenty of decisions to be made and we were very pleased that we managed to get the boat going so well and stay in touch with the yachts in our class, as we are rated the slowest yacht in IRC 1. It was very rewarding to get good boat speed, we got passed a lot of the competition using our very small VMG kite, which we only took at the last minute. It kept us going, keeping its shape in the light airs and we sailed the shifts well after Cussy Buoy. We are really pleased, it is a great way to start the season and thank you to the yacht club in Le Havre for a warm welcome and an excellent seafood lunch!"

In IRC Two, Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout racing Belgian MC34, Azawakh were the winners. Jim Dobie racing Sailing Logic's British First 40, Lancelot was second with Richard Patrick's First 40, Dusty P third.

"This is our first race and to win IRC 2 is great news!" commented Eric Van Campenhout. "Vincent and myself bought the MC34 almost by chance, we were on the ferry after last year's Cherbourg Race and spoke with Sam Marsaudon the builder of the boat and I knew that this was the boat for me. Vincent Willemart and myself have raced against each other for many years and we decided to unify our teams together and start a new campaign on Azawakh. In October, to get ready for a new RORC campaign, we sailed the boat to Belgium and started our winter training.

The Cervantes Trophy Race was very light at the start and the tactic we used to make an advantage was to take a trajectory that was not in a straight line but to the east, curving below the other boats. We knew that our Code Zero is an excellent sail and this line would allow us to use it. Also, with this position on the course, the predicted loss of wind mid-Channel would probably fill in from the east first and we would be closer to the new wind than the other boats. The Code Zero proved to be an excellent weapon and we took the advantage in the middle of the Channel."

Congratulations to other class winners; John Allison's J/109 Jumbuck was the victor in IRC Three, beating fellow British J/109 Diamond Jem, skippered by Robert Stiles by just 7 minutes on corrected time. Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK 10.10 was third in class, racing Two Handed.

In the 15-strong Two Handed Class three French yachts made up the podium, Jean-Louis Stalain's First 31.7, Max was the victorious, Philippe Auber's JPK 9.60 was second, whilst Pierre Viard & Nicolas Siloret's Prism 28, Adrenaline was third.

"The Société des Régates du Havre have been tremendous hosts." commented RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott. "The club was willing to keep the bar open all last night and was open at 5 a.m. for breakfast, even though we didn't get any finishers until midday. Their enthusiasm was terrific. Yachts were finishing so close together, you could see them from the balcony, a mass of spinnakers on the horizon descending on the Committee Boat. Well done to everyone who completed a light, challenging and tactical race. It was fantastic to see the persistence of the fleet with very few retirements and lots of boat on boat action. The RORC have received very positive feedback, the Cervantes Trophy Race has been a great start to the domestic season and the warm and sunny weather has definitely helped."

A prize giving for the Cervantes Trophy Race will be held at the London Clubhouse of the Royal Ocean racing Club on Thursday 5th June, all competitors will be welcome. The next race in the RORC Season's Points Championship will be the points weighted Myth of Malham Race, starting on Saturday 24th May from Cowes around the Eddystone Lighthouse.

For more details and full results from the Cervantes Trophy Race go to: www.rorc.org

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's domestic offshore programme starts tomorrow with the Cervantes Trophy, which takes the fleet from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes across the English Channel to Le Havre. With a fleet of just under 60 yachts from five different countries, it is the French, with 21 boats, who are taking the challenge to the Brits in the hope of continuing the dominance they showed in 2013. The Cervantes Trophy is also the first offshore trial race for yachts vying for selection to represent England in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup to be held this summer in the Solent.

RORC's offshore programme of 10 races in the Channel and North Sea attracts serious offshore racers and some interesting boats. The fastest boat in the Cervantes Trophy and the most likely to take line honours in the race is Chris Le Prevost's IMOCA 60, Rosalba, which recently crossed the English Channel in a ballistic seven hour sprint. Close behind Le Provost will be two Ker 40s, a design that excels offshore. Edward Broadway's Hooligan VII and Rob Lutener's Cutting Edge will do battle to win both IRC One and the race overall. Both boats are also competing for a place in one of the English teams for the upcoming Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup.

While the boat will be hoping to earn a place one of the English teams, Ed Broadway confirmed there was an added incentive for the crew onboard Hooligan VII. 'We've never actually won this race, so it would be great to win it in its own right and get some points on the board. We're sailing with most of our potential Commodores' Cup crew, many of whom raced onboard last season as well; looking at the forecast they'll be wrapping up warm and huddling for warmth on the rail - it'll be a cold one this weekend!'

Each year the RORC sees an increase in the number of boats being raced two handed and the competition continues to increase with 15 boats competing not only for the Two-Handed Class but for the overall honours as was seen a number of times last season by the father and son team who won the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race. Ian Hoddle's Figaro II, Rare, is the highest rated boat sailing in the Two-Handed Class, which includes Nick Martin's J/105, Diablo-J, which was RORC Yacht of the year in 2012.

After finishing the RORC 2013 season in 4th place in the Two-Handed Class, Nick Martin has been very busy. 'Since the last Cherbourg race in September, I've done the Rolex Middle Sea and Sydney-Hobart Races, but know I'll be a bit 'rusty' for this one!' A long term competitor in the Two-Handed Class and returning with a new co-skipper, Francois Turpault, Nick is impressed with the annual growth of competition. 'I'm convinced two handed racing remains the ultimate challenge. The thrill of competing and potentially performing well against fully crewed boats is highly attractive and the entire experience, from pre-race preparation through to actual performance, is greatly intensified with just 2 people and the end satisfaction is worth it. There's certainly never a dull moment!'

IRC Two sees the beginning of this year's campaign for Ian Hoddle aboard his modified Figaro II, Rare, which will culminate in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race in August. Rare was refitted and readied for the 2010 edition of the race, however an electrical fault on the night before the start put paid to their plans. This race is very much unfinished business for Ian. Throughout the season Ian will be raising awareness for the charity CLIC Sargent, a charity focused on helping children with cancer. The class also includes the British Army Sailing Association's J/111, British Soldier, skippered by Phil Caswell.

Last year's RORC Yacht of the Year, Courrier Vintage, will be racing to Le Havre under a new name and with a new crew. Now namedAzawakh the MC34 Patton is owned by Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout and will be a hot contender to retain the Cervantes Trophy, which Géry Trentesaux won on the same yacht last year. Vincent and Eric have been successfully RORC racing for many seasons, most recently with the JPK 10.10 Wasabi and the JPK 110 Rackham.

With 21 entries IRC Three will be the largest class in the Cervantes Trophy Race. Iain Kirkpatrick's X 37, Fatjax, is an extremely successful East Coast yacht and the top British yacht in IRC Three for the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race. They will be looking for a great result to boost their claims for a spot in one of the top English Teams for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup.

IRC Four contains the majority of the Two-Handed entries, including several seasoned campaigners: Matthias Kracht's Ultreia! and Kirsteen Donaldson's X 332 Pyxis. Pierre Viard and Nicolas Siloret's Prism 28, Adrenaline, will be racing Two-Handed and is the smallest yacht in the race. Last year's IRC Four champion, Noel Racine's JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew, will be racing fully crewed, as will veteran RORC competitor, Harry Heist's S&S 41, Winsome.

"It is very good to see such a strong fleet in the opening European offshore of the season," says RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott. "The RORC really appreciate the support of our French competitors making the trip in such numbers with well prepared yachts and crew. A significant number of entries will be racing Two-Handed and we are expecting a very competitive class. Three of the race destinations are established races across the Channel to France; the Cervantes Trophy Race to Le Havre and later in the season we will also be racing to St Malo and Cherbourg. However, this year the championship will include some new venues as well, allowing competitors to experience new courses and destinations whilst racing with the RORC."

#rorc – In a show of early season strength, Irish IRC champion Antix has won RORC's Easter Challenge regatta on the Solent. Anthony O'Leary's Royal Cork team on the Ker 39 was the class act of the regatta posting a 1-2-1-1, to finish 9.5 points ahead of James Gair's Cowes Race School crew on Zero II, the only boat in IRC One, to claim a point off the Irish former Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup winners today.

Blistering sunshine, great visibility and a stiff, consistent breeze - sadly none of this featured on the final day of racing at the RORC Easter Challenge. As a slow moving front passed overhead, the Solent received a relentless deluge with the visibility dropping off enough to make it hard to see the weather mark. Conditions then deteriorated further with the deluge becoming a torrent, many crews turning on their yachts' navigation lights, despite it being lunchtime. Nonetheless, the wind held during the day allowing PRO Stuart Childerley and the RORC race management team to lay on four races in the central/eastern Solent.

"We have got good upwind speed in our fleet," observed tactician David Lenz. "In IRC One there is a big mixture of boats - some like Tokoloshe get up and go downwind. Some days will suit them and some days won't."

Lenz said that Antix's crew had benefitted this weekend from the coaching laid on by Jim Saltonstall, his colleagues and, from across the pond, the North U Regatta Services team of Andreas Josenhans and Chuck Allen. "They helped us with our starts and we are able to hold a lane for a good few minutes, even though it is hard against the faster boats. But we had good speed - high and fast, so we were able to mix it with the big boats."

Finishing in sixth place in IRC One was Ed Broadway's black Ker 40, Hooligan VII. "We did better today because we like a bit more wind," said Broadway. "Apart from the weather it was very exciting racing - particularly the last race where Baraka and us finished within a boat length of one another, under kite - a final high"

This is the Hooligan team's second season in their boat, and the crew is currently gunning to get selected for the British team in this summer's Brewin Dolphin Commodore's Cup.

Also scoring three bullets today was Peter Morton's new Salvo, the JND35, raced previously as the French-owned Gaia of Bernard Moureau. However this performance in IRC Two was not enough to topple Simon Henning's Mumm 36, Alice.

"It wasn't the most pleasant conditions, but at least there was breeze and they did really well to get four races in," said Mike Henning, the Alice owner's son, who was racing on board.

While Alice has been in the Henning family since 1996, over the winter it has been modified with a new rig featuring swept-back spreaders and increased sail, that has also shed its runners and overlapping jib. This is the first major IRC regatta the boat has done since these modifications. "We had some discussions with Mark Mills, who was involved in the mods," continued Mike. "We have got more optimisations that can be done, but we are quite pleased with it so far."

A third boat to score three bullets in today's four rainy races was David Franks' former IRC Nationals winning JPK 10.10, Strait Dealer, that ended up claiming IRC Three ahead of Benoit D'Halluin's A-35 Dunkerque Plaisance - Gill Racing Team.

This was the Strait Dealer crew's first 2014 outing on their boat and Franks said that the RORC Easter Challenge had provided a good warm-up. "We started a bit slow, but we got faster. The Easter Challenge is a lovely warm-up for the season and it has a nice feel to it. This year it was rainy, but we had the wind and the Race Committee did a good job with some pretty big shifts to deal with."

After being the dominant force of the first two days of the RORC Easter Challenge, Louise Morton's crew on their Quarter Tonner Espada, had an off-day while Ian Braham's Parkstone Yacht Club team on their 22 year old MG 346 Haven Knox Johnston Enigma, was another to score three wins in four races, causing them to close to within 1.5 points of Espada.

"We had a great day - there was a little bit more wind, which suits us," said Braham. "We struggled a bit on the first two days with the Quarter Tonners that are really quick in the light stuff. We are a bit heavier and today that allowed us to stretch our legs and get going a bit."
Braham said that this was the first RORC Easter Challenge they have sailed in about six years and they enjoyed the training being laid on. "We went to the post-race briefings and there was some interesting things that we learned particularly about starting which we were applying today and yesterday."

RORC CEO Eddie Warden Owen, who was also part of the coaching team for the Easter Challenge, felt the regatta had gone well, even though today's conditions were miserable. "The wind was challenging for the new race officer Stuart Childerley and his team. But they did a very good job and I think everyone has had a great time.

"This is a regatta where there's training with racing and we fully appreciate North Sails for their support in bringing two very good technical guys from America to help with the setting up of the boats. Everyone has appreciated that and I think the general standard has risen. I really believe that this Easter weekend should be much bigger."

Full results here