Offshore racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) returns to Europe on the 29th of April with the Cervantes Trophy Race, the traditional opening domestic race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, the world's largest offshore racing series.

Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes, boats will race west out of the Solent and then across the English Channel via marks bound for Le Havre. The final race course decision will be made close to the start with a target time of approximately 24 hours.

The imposing Cervantes Trophy will be awarded to the boat with the best corrected time under the IRC Rating Rule. A RORC fleet approaching 100 teams is expected with race crew from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Spectators can watch the impressive start from the Cowes Parade and the along the shores of the Western Solent. A warm welcome awaits all competitors at the oldest yacht club in France, the Société des Regatés du Havre, established in 1838.

Cervantes Trophy Race Entry List

The Ker 43 Baraka GP, a former Round Ireland Race winner Photo: Rick Tomlinson

IRC Zero & Class40

The Dutch Ker 43 Baraka GP, sailed by the De Graaf family, is the scratch boat for the race under IRC. Co-skippered by Olivier and Dirk De Graaf, Baraka GP is returning to offshore racing after a three year hiatus. Lloyd’s Yacht Club has a long and distinguished history racing with the RORC since 1951. The fifth ‘Lutine’ is an X-55 skippered by James Close. The pocket-rocket in IRC Zero is Mark Emerson’s A13 Phosphorus II which like Baraka is best suited to fast downwind conditions. As the lowest-rated boat in the class, Phosphorous II is given time against their class rivals under IRC. Assuming a 24-hour race, Baraka will give just over two hours to Phosphorous. Renaud and Gilles Courbon will be racing Class40 The 3 Bros. The Courbon family are from Société des Regatés du Havre and, like Baraka GP, will be among the favourites for Line Honours in the Cervantes Trophy Race.

Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine’s J/133 Pintia Photo: Paul Wyeth 

IRC One

Jonathan Butler’s Swan 62 Coco de Mer is the scratch boat in IRC One. The lowest rated are a brace of Figaro IIs. Less-Beton 4 will be raced by Miguel Antao & Alexandre Van Cauwenberghe, and Tuff Tuff Tuff raced by Pascal Tuffier. Over 17 different designs will be competing in IRC One. Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine’s J/133 Pintia will be racing to their home port, the team of family and friends have won the Cervantes Trophy on three occasions. RORC Treasurer Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog, overall class winner for 2022, will be racing to Le Havre with an almost identical IRC rating to Pintia. 2021 class winner and runner up last year, Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood will also be in action. Seven Beneteau First 40s are expected, including Richard Powell’s Rogan Josh, Ronan Banim’s Galahad of Cowed, Chris Brooks’ Skylander and Sailing Logic’s Merlin of Cowes.

Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews on Sun Fast 3200 Cora Photo: Rick Tomlinson

IRC Two-Handed

Over 30 teams will be racing in IRC Two-Handed, with many renewing their rivalries from last year but also joined by new competition. Last year’s RORC Yacht of the Year, Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada, will not be racing to Le Havre but most of the top contenders from 2022 will be in action, including class winner for the 2022 Cervantes Trophy; Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews on Sun Fast 3200 Cora. Rob Craigie & Feb Fish on Sun Fast 3600 Bellino have won IRC Two-Handed for the RORC Season’s Points Championship three times. Nick Martin & Cal Finlayson racing Sun Fast 3600 Diablo was third in class last year.

Eleven Sun Fast 3300s are expected to be racing double-handed in the Cervantes Trophy Race. Well-known competitors are back RORC racing, including Jim and Ellie Driver on Chilli Pepper, Nigel Colley & Matt Smith on Fastrak XII, and Jon Tyrell’s Wild Pilgrim. New to the Sun Fast 3300 family are Ian Hoddle with Gameon and Janusz Madej’s Polish entry My Way.

Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster Photo: Paul Wyeth

IRC Two

With over 30 entries, IRC Two is the largest class and contains the majority of the IRC Two-Handed entries. Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster returns to the fray with an established full crew after a long winter lay-up. Scarlet Oyster has scored impressive results in the big RORC races for the last ten years but has only won class for the RORC Season’s Points Championship once. Proven fully-crewed winners in the IRC Two include Noel Racine’s JPK 1030 Foggy Dew, and two British Sun Fast 3600s: Trevor Middleton’s Black Sheep and The Army Sailing Association’s Fujitsu British Soldier. Two classic designs are set for a personal duel in the Cervantes Trophy Race. Ben Morris’ 1972 Swan 55 yawl Lulotte, and Andrew Tseng’s 1971 Nicholson 55 Quailo III. The two boats virtually level rate under IRC with Lulotte giving Quailo III just three seconds an hour.

Gavin Howe’s wooden classic Julian Everitt designed Wavetrain Photo: Paul Wyeth

IRC Three

Over 20 teams are expected to be racing in IRC Three, in at least nine different designs of performance cruisers. The top three rated boats under IRC are Mike Moxley’s HOD35 Malice, overall winner of the 2022 Cherbourg Race. Calum McKie’s Grand Soleil 37 Boracic is racing and hails from DOSC in Dubai. Gavin Howe is racing his Sun Fast 3300 Tigris two-handed with Mike Donovan. However, Howe’s wooden classic Julian Everitt-designed Wavetrain is also racing with an under 25 double-handed team of Jaco Ceresole & Heather Quinn. Seven Sun Fast 3200 will be in action, and six J/109s including Mike Yates’ J/109 JAGO, racing double-handed. JAGO made the IRC Three podium in five races in 2022. Two J/99s will both be racing double-handed, Wayne Palmer’s Jam from the Hamble racing with Mark Emons and An Ael 4 from Le Havre, raced by Jerome Baudy & Clement Garitan.

Samuel Dumenil & Antoine Runet JPK 960 Casamyas Photo: Rick Tomlinson

IRC Four

The top rated boats in IRC Four are two JPK 960s from France. Samuel Dumenil & Antoine Runet will race Casamyas which is based in Le Havre and won class in the 2022 Cherbourg Race. Marc Willame’s Elma, also from le Havre, will race double-handed with Antoine Jeu. The lowest-rated boats in the class are two Contessa 32s. Christophe Declercq’s Lecas from Belgium is the lowest-rated boat out of 93 entries under IRC. Lecas’ immediate competition will be Jeremy Swetenham’s Jemmana, based in Lymington. Kirsteen Donaldson’s X-332 Pyxis was third in IRC Four for the 2022 season and is the lowest-rated boat racing in IRC Two-Handed.

The impressive silver Cervantes Trophy was presented to the RORC in 1972 by Bob Watson, who commissioned a series of Sparkman & Stephens yacht designs all called Cervantes. In 1971, the British Prime Minister Ted Heath’s Morning Cloud, Watson’s Cervantes IV, and Arthur Slater’s Prospect of Whitby won the Admiral’s Cup for Great Britain. It was also the first year a woman had been selected for the British Admiral’s Cup Team; Bob Watson's daughter Liz was a regular member of the Cervantes crew.

The Cervantes Trophy Race is part of the 2023 RORC Season's Points Championship, the ten-month series comprises of 15 testing offshore races. Over 600 international teams are expected to compete this year. Every race had its own famous prize for the overall winner after IRC time correction with more coveted trophies for class honours.