Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

afloat headers RORC

2025 UK IRC Nationals in Cowes Will Coincide with RORC Centenary Celebrations

3rd October 2024
The GBR IRC Committee's recent meeting heard the popularity of offshore and two-handed racing remains strong, and the 2024 IRC National Championships saw a great entry in Poole
The GBR IRC Committee's recent meeting heard the popularity of offshore and two-handed racing remains strong, and the 2024 IRC National Championships saw a great entry in Poole Credit: Paul Wyeth

The GBR IRC Committee's recent meeting focused on its 2025 calendar, which includes the IRC Nationals in Cowes, which will coincide with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) centenary celebrations.

The committee, which includes members representing owners from around the country and key organisations, recently held its annual meeting to discuss topics such as trends in racing participation, economic challenges, and technical updates for the IRC rating system.

The popularity of offshore and two-handed racing remains strong and the 2024 IRC National Championships saw a great entry in Poole with positive feedback on the racing and the pre-event equipment inspection processes even as inshore participation faces challenges due to rising costs and economic factors. The committee discussed ways to address rising costs and encourage greater participation, particularly among younger sailors.

Technical updates included a summary of the 2025 IRC rule changes and a report on the continued development of the IRC application portal aimed at improving the user experience. In response to IRC Congress submissions there was enthusiastic discussion around maintaining clear sail limitations to prevent excessive inventory advantages during events.

The committee highlighted that independent equipment inspection during events is highly beneficial, primarily focusing on education. They noted that sail stamps, introduced this year, and also the publication of IRC Boat Data, have facilitated the verification of data against certificates, enhancing the overall inspection process.

The IRC Advocate Scheme continues to thrive, boosting developing IRC at local clubs and improving engagement with the racing community. The meeting also highlighted the growing success of the RYA YTC system, which has expanded from 500 to 1,500 boats, and the importance of its role in introducing new sailors to IRC racing.

Published in RORC
Afloat.ie Team

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button

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