The first sailing race to France for the 2011 RORC Season's Points Championship proved to be a real cracker with several classes enjoying some extremely competitive racing writes Louay Habib. With over 100 entries for the race, the Royal Yacht Squadron Line was a cauldron of activity and a magical sight as the fleet set off downwind under spinnaker towards The Needles. After a beat around the south side of the Isle of Wight, the fleet rounded the Nab Tower to bear away for a fast passage across the English Channel. The 2011 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race provided some spectacular racing.

The majority of the fleet completed the 125-mile course in less than 20 hours. Gray and Laidlaw's Farr 52, Bob, took line honours by nearly three hours and won the Cervantes Trophy for best yacht overall on corrected time.

"We had a great Cervantes," explained Bob's trimmer and driver, John Brinkers. "The blast reach in fresh conditions was very exciting. We had 29 knots of breeze at one stage, blasting along under jib top and genoa staysail on the leg from Nab Tower to the buoy off Le Havre. As we came off one big wave, the boat accelerated to just under 22 knots with big whoops from the crew. All credit to skipper Brett Aarons and the Bob team for impressive crew work. They did a great job."

Charles Ivill's Grand Soleil 54, John B corrected out as winner of IRC One. Two First 44.7s had a close battle for second in class. John Stapleton's Vespucci's Black Sheep eventually took the runner up spot in IRC One. Andrew Arthur's Koko Kai was third. The class also contained four identical Challenge 72s competing for the Tall Ships Youth Trust. Stephen Durkin's Challenger 4 was first home in an elapsed time of just over 18 hours. The Tall Ships Youth Trust is dedicated to the development of training young people through sailing and the Cervantes Trophy Race was part of their preparation for the Rolex Fastnet Race later this year.

RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine scored his first win of the season, taking IRC Two in his First 40, La Réponse. Neil Kipling's J 122, Joopster enjoyed the fresh conditions to claim second place in class but by less than two minutes on corrected time from X 40, Exception, owned by Frenchman Patrick Ponchelet.

Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, won class in the Cervantes Trophy for the second year running. Enjoying the big breeze, the Le Havre based yacht was the first boat home in IRC Three and class winner on corrected time. William Hutchinson's Dutch Ff110, Fandango, had a high-speed surfing duel with David Aisher's J/109, Yeoman of Wight, crewed by the British Keelboat Academy. Fandango took second place by just 23 seconds on corrected time.

IRC Four was decided by just 30 seconds on corrected time with two French yachts battling it out. Philippe Rios' Dufour 34, Gwaihir Ventur won the class with Frederic Waniart's Aphrodite 101, Vim, second. Dorset-based Ian Braham, at the helm of his MG 346, Enigma, was third.

19 yachts raced to Le Havre Two-Handed, nearly double the amount from last year's Cervantes Trophy Race. Vim scored a memorable win, beating Rolex Fastnet winner, the X 35 Exile/Mirabaud, skippered by Nicolas de la Fourniere. Peter Olden's A 35, Solan Goose of Hamble, was third.

After enjoying the warm hospitality of Le Havre, competitors returning to Cowes enjoyed a race back across The English Channel. The Trophée Guillaume Le Conquérant is organised by the Société des Régates du Havre in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Island Sailing Club.

Racing resumes for the RORC Season's Points Championship on the 14th May with the De Guingand Bowl Race.

Provisional Results:

IRC OVERALL
1. Bob, Farr 52, R Gray & S Laidlaw
2. John B, Grand Soleil 54, Charles Ivill
3. La Réponse, First 40, Andrew McIrvine

IRC ZERO:
1. Bob, Farr 52, R Gray & S Laidlaw

IRC ONE:
1. John B, Grand Soleil 54, Charles Ivill
2. Vespucci's Black Sheep, First 44.7, John Stapleton
3. Koko Kai, First 44.7, Andrew Arthur
4. Challenger 4, Challenge 72, Tall Ships/Stephen Durkin

IRC TWO:
1. La Réponse, First 40, Andrew McIrvine
2. Joopster, J 122, Neil Kipling
3. Exception, X 40, Patrick Ponchelet
4. Arabella ,J 111, Niall Dowling

IRC THREE:
1. Foggy Dew, JPK 10.10, Noel Racine
2. Fandango, Ff110, William Hutchinson
3. Yeoman of Wight, J 109, David Aisher/British Keelboat Academy

IRC FOUR:
1. Gwaihir Venturi, Dufour 34, Philippe Rios
2. Vim, Aphrodite 101, Frederic Waniart
3. Enigma, MG 346, Ian Braham

IRC TWO-HANDED:
1. Vim, Aphrodite 101, Frederic Waniart
2. Exile/Mirabaud, X 34, Nicolas de la Fourniere
3. Solan Goose of Hamble, A 35, Peter Olden

CLASS 40:
1. MAXVMG, Class 40, Mark Denton
2. Partouche, Class 40, Christophe Coatnoan

Rosslare Europort

Rosslare-Europort is located on the south-eastern tip of Ireland, and is the closest point in the south of the country to the UK and continental Europe.

There are regular sailings to Fishguard (with Stena Line); to Pembroke, Cherbourg, and Roscoff (with Irish Ferries); to Cherbourg (with Celtic Link Ferries); and to Le Havre (with UECC).

Rosslare-Europort, being the closest point from the southern part of Ireland to the UK and the European Mainland, is a hub of all the major RORO Passenger and Freight services operating the southern Irish Sea and Continental routes.

Enquiries relating to timetables, rates, fares, etc. on existing services should be addressed directly to the relevant shipping line (contact information is available on their respective websites – see links below).

Ferry Reservations – Please visit our partner site, aferry.to, to find out about the route schedules and booking information.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Sea – There are regular services to Cherbourg, Fishguard, Le Havre, Pembroke, and Roscoff. Book a sailing here.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Rail – There is a railway station in the port itself, Rosslare-Europort station. There are services to Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, and Limerick. See Irish Rail's website for more information.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Bus – Bus Eireann provide good services at Rosslare, linking it with Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, and it is possible to get connecting buses from there to your final destination. For more information, see Bus Éireann's website.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Car – Rosslare Harbour is located on the N25 route, which runs across the south of the country, connecting Rosslare with Waterford and Cork. If travelling from Dublin, take the N11 south to Wexford, from where you can turn onto the N25 east to Rosslare Harbour. If hiring a car, check out our car hire guide.

Rosslare Harbour Accommodation – Please see our Rosslare Harbour Accommodation page.

More Information – Rosslare Europort is operated by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), and more information can be found on their website.

 

Trade enquiries regarding port access, rates, etc. should be addressed to:

Rosslare Europort  John P Lynch, General Manager Rosslare Europort, Iarnród Éireann, Terminal Building, Rosslare Europort, Co Wexford. Tel: +353 (0) 53 915 7970 , ax: +353 (0) 1 886 0511 , or email: [email protected]