Royal Ocean Racing Club Announces the Return of the Easter Challenge Regatta

29th February 2024

Fujitsu British Soldier at RORC Easter Challenge Credit: Paul Wyeth

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has announced the return of its Easter Challenge, a much anticipated event that kick-starts the racing season for many teams. The training regatta, which has been running for over 20 years, offers an excellent opportunity for world-class coaching that is complimentary for all entrants.

RORC Racing Manager, Steve Cole, said, “The overall aim of the RORC Easter Challenge is to improve the performance of any team, regardless of their skill level. We want the sailors to gain from it, and the coaches have been chosen especially with that in mind. The RORC Race Team will split the fleets into IRC classes, but for this regatta, we also try to put boats together that have similar training requirements. This makes the best use of the coaches at the regatta. The coaching system is very interactive.”

Leading the coaching team is Mason King, supported by Ian Walker and North Sails experts, who provide on-water coaching, as well as video debriefs after racing on Friday and Saturday. World Sailing Rules on outside assistance are relaxed, so for no additional cost to all the teams, hand-picked coaches provide pin-point assistance to get crews of any level up to speed.

The regatta will take place over three days from Easter Friday to Easter Sunday in The Solent, with courses designed to practice boat handling and performance over a range of sailing angles. This creates various options in sail choice, racing mode, plus deck and rig set up, all under the watchful eye of experts who will offer help to improve performance.

In addition to the racing, a competitor WhatsApp group will be active throughout the RORC Easter Challenge, providing information about the intentions of the Race Committee, while also serving as a two-way channel for competitors to request coaching advice during racing.

This year's regatta is supported by the Royal Yacht Squadron, with competitors welcome to The Pavilion on the Squadron lawn throughout the event and for video debriefs. The RORC Easter Challenge awards traditional prizes of Easter Eggs, but the real winners are all the sailors, improving every aspect of yacht racing ability at a safe and friendly regatta.

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