London's Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has big plans to promote youth sailing in 2024.

Over the years, through the generosity of RORC members, the Griffin Fund has assisted in providing race boats and experienced sailors to improve young sailors’ understanding of offshore racing. An exciting evolution has started with quite a bang for 2024.

Nearly three hundred sailors, 18-30 years of age, contacted the RORC with 200 attending a Griffin Zoom Webinar held on January 11th by the Griffin Project Team.

The panellists were Chair Jim Driver, Charles Darbyshire from FourthCape, and RORC Commodore Deb Fish.

The plan going forward is to select 40 young sailors to join one of two 3-day selection weekends in The Solent on the new Sun Fast 30 One Designs. 20 of those sailors will be chosen to form 4 crews that will train and compete as the RORC Griffin Teams of 2024. Each team will race two RORC races, and either the Cowes – St Malo or the Drheam Cup.

Sun Fast 30 One Design

Griffin24 Coach Dee Caffari - Dockside after completing RORC Transatlantic Race as co-Skipper of MOD70 Limosa

“We have had a fantastic response to our webinar and we are receiving applications from sailors from far and wide and not just UK,” commented Griffin Chair Jim Driver. “Having spent years amongst the ‘Oppie fleet’ as a ‘dad’ , I know there is a huge amount of talent that hasn’t yet stepped onto an offshore boat. We’d love to have dinghy and sportsboat sailors apply, and with a strong performance-sailing background you’d have a good chance of being invited to selection.”

The closing date for entries in this stage of Griffin24 Selection is January 31st at midnight.

Coaches supplying their own time free of charge for the training weekends in March are expected to include Shirley Robertson, Dee Caffari, Steve Hayles, Ian Walker and top sailors from North Sails.

Apply to join a Griffin24 Training and Selection Weekend here