RORC Double-Handed Champion James Harayda on His Vendee Globe 2024 Plans (Video)

25th March 2023

Afloat.ie Team

In 2024, Double-Handed Champion James Harayda will take on his first 'Everest of Ocean Racing', the solo 2024 Vendée Globe. Watch his vid below

Royal Ocean Racing Club member, and aspiring Vendee Globe Sailor, James Harayda is just 25 years old and already a two-time British Double Handed National Champion, racing with teammate Dee Caffari on Sun Fast 3300 Gentoo.

In 2022, racing in the IMOCA Class, James Harayda completed the 3,600nm Route Du Rhum solo race. As the youngest skipper, Harayda came 14th in a world-class fleet of 38 boats.

James has an astonishing season planned for 2023, including racing his IMOCA Gentoo Sailing Team double-handed in the RORC Myth of Malham, Morgan Cup and the Rolex Fastnet Race. James will be competing in the full IMOCA Globe series, including, the Bermuda 1000, Défi-Azimut, Transat Jacques Vabre, and the Retour a La Base.

In 2024, James will take on his first 'Everest of Ocean Racing', the 2024 Vendée Globe.

Listen into his RORC talk below

Published in RORC, La Route du Rhum Race, Vendee Globe

Published in RORC

Tagged under

Royal Ocean Racing Club

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THE RORC:

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and the IRC European Championship (includes the Commodores' Cup) in the Solent
The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600, based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success. The 10th edition took place in February 2018. The RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014
The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4,000

At A Glance – RORC

RORC Race Enquiries:

Royal Ocean Racing Club T: +44 (0) 1983 295144 E: [email protected] W: http://www.rorc.org/

Royal Ocean Racing Club:

20 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NN, Tel: 020 7493 2248 E: [email protected]

2026 RORC Key dates

Key RORC 2026 dates extracted from the programme:

January–February 2026
• 11 January – RORC Transatlantic Race (Lanzarote to Antigua)
• February (dates vary) – Nelson’s Cup, Antigua
• 23 February – RORC Caribbean 600

May 2026
• 2 May – Cervantes Trophy Race (Cowes to Le Havre)
• 15 May – North Sea Race
• 22–25 May – IRC European Championships, International Poole Regatta
• 23 May – Myth of Malham Race
• 30 May – De Guingand Bowl Race

June 2026
• 12 June – Morgan Cup (Cowes to Dartmouth)
• 20 June – Round Ireland Race (Wicklow)

July 2026
• 3 July – Cowes–Dinard–Saint Malo Race
• 25 July – Channel Race

August 2026
• 8 August – Baltic Sea Race (Helsinki)
• 9 August – Round Britain and Ireland Race (Cowes)
• 26–29 August – IRC National Championship (Dartmouth)

September 2026
• 4 September – Cherbourg Race

October 2026
• 17 October – Rolex Middle Sea Race (counts towards 2027 championship)