RORC Introduces New Cowes Offshore Racing Series

13th April 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Quailo 3 and Hair of the Dog racing past The Needles in the Solent. The RORC is preparing for the new Cowes Offshore Racing Series, set to launch in May 2025 Credit: Paul Wyeth

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has launched the Cowes Offshore Racing Series. This new initiative features a seven-race programme beginning in 2025, running from May to September.

The series, excluding the Fastnet Race, welcomes a range of boats and sailors. Competitors will vie for Assuage Trophies, with the best five race results counting towards each team's score.

The inaugural race, the Cervantes Trophy Race to Le Havre, kicks off on 3rd May. With 85 entries so far, excitement is building for the season opener.

RORC Commodore Deb Fish will race in the series. She remarked, "We created this series to be accessible to everyone." It aims to cater to teams with limited time and budget.

The newly renovated RORC Cowes clubhouse will provide facilities such as a restaurant and bar and serve as the social hub for the event.

Entries include Andrew Tseng's Nicholson 55 sloop, Quailo 3. Tseng expressed, "The series offers the joy of competitive offshore racing with a good-sized fleet."

For novice teams, Tseng noted, "It offers a familiar and supportive setting to gain experience.” He added, "If you love offshore sailing, why wouldn’t you take part?"

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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)