The 704-mile Round Ireland Race will sit at the heart of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) 2026 programme, forming a key midsummer test in a ten-month offshore calendar.
The race, run with Wicklow Sailing Club, starts on 20 June and is one of the longest and most demanding courses in the championship. RORC describes it as a “core pillar” of the season.
The club has released its 2026 Notice of Race, setting out a global schedule of more than a dozen events scored through the Season’s Points Championship. The structure is built around the IRC and MOCRA rating systems.
The fleet drives into the trades at the start of the 2025 Caribbean 600, combining fast conditions with intricate island navigation. Photo: Tim Wright
The season opens on 11 January with the Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Antigua. The Nelson’s Cup and the RORC Caribbean 600 follow in February, delivering almost 4,000 miles of racing within weeks.
Boats clear the Solent on the outbound leg to Le Havre in the early-season Cervantes Trophy, a key opener to the offshore spring schedule. Photo: Paul Wyeth
Spring turns to the Solent for the Easter Challenge and a sequence of early-season offshore races. The Cervantes Trophy Race starts on 2 May, followed by the North Sea Race, Myth of Malham and De Guingand Bowl. The IRC European Championships are set for the International Poole Regatta from 22 May.
Competitors accelerate from Cowes at the beginning of the long-running cross-Channel classic to Dinard and St Malo, a summer mainstay of the RORC calendar. Photo: Paul Wyeth
Following June’s Round Ireland Race, July brings the Cowes–Dinard–Saint Malo Race on 3 July and the Channel Race on 25 July.
From 8 August, the Baltic Sea Race introduces long-distance northern sailing from Helsinki. A day later, the 1,800-mile Round Britain and Ireland Race begins from Cowes, widely regarded as one of the most technical events in the championship.
Tightly fought inshore racing defines the IRC Nationals, where class champions are decided across a high-intensity championship format. Photo: Paul Wyeth
The IRC National Championship runs from 26–29 August in Dartmouth. The Cherbourg Race on 4 September is the final qualifier for the 2026 points series.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race starts on 17 October but will count as the first scoring event of the 2027 season.
The Cowes Offshore Series returns for a second year, offering a structured set of Solent-based offshore courses aimed at both experienced teams and crews building towards longer events. RORC says the format provides “accessible, high-quality competition”.
The Season’s Points Championship uses a High Points Scoring System with bonuses for major races. Totals are based on a team’s best five offshore results plus bonus points, with trophies across IRC classes, multihulls, Class40s, two-handed entries and youth, training and service categories.
RORC states the 2026 programme delivers international variety, from Atlantic trades to northern waters and full circumnavigations.
Sailors and teams gather to recognise the season’s standout performances at RORC’s annual awards evening, marking the formal close of the racing year. Photo: Rich Bowen
The annual dinner and prize giving in November will close the season.
