Strong Winds Test Crews At RORC Easter Challenge Opener

4th April 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Sharp Smart: John Smart's J/109 Juke Box drives hard through Solent chop during day one of the RORC Easter Challenge in Cowes, with the crew hiking in strong breeze and testing conditions Credit: Paul Wyeth

Cowes, Isle of Wight — The RORC Easter Challenge opened in brisk south-westerly winds on Friday, delivering testing conditions for more than 200 sailors. Winds of 15 knots, gusting to 30, created a demanding Solent racecourse for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s early-season regatta, supported by North Sails.

Principal Race Officer Stuart Childerley and the race team ran practice starts before a windward-leeward race and a Solent marks course for all classes. After racing, crews gathered at the Cowes clubhouse for a structured video debrief led by coaching coordinator Richard Moxey, Olympian Vita Heathcote, North Sails’ Ronan Grealish and coach Phil Deveraux.

Sessions focused on boat handling, sail trim and performance in gusty conditions. “The key is not just the hoist itself, it is the communication that comes before it,” said Deveraux. “Everyone on board has to be seeing the same picture… A good hoist is rarely about one perfect action; it is about the crew working together.”

In IRC 2, David Franks’ J/112 Leon delivered two race wins to lead the class after day one. Leon secured victory in the opening race by 3 minutes 51 seconds on corrected time, ahead of the Army Sailing Association’s Fujitsu British Soldier, with Elysium IV third. The second race followed a similar pattern, with Leon extending its lead and maintaining a consistent margin over its rivals.

In IRC 3, John Smart’s J/109 Jukebox, with Cork Olympic helmsman Mark Mansfield onboard, also posted two wins from two starts. Jukebox won the first race by 1 minute 59 seconds from Frank 4, with Winsome third, before increasing its advantage in race two.

Elsewhere, Chris Shipman’s J/109 Rioja used the regatta as a development platform ahead of a mixed inshore-and-offshore campaign. North Sails’ Ruaridh Wright joined the team for the opening day. “Rioja is relatively new… the whole focus was on keeping things simple,” Wright said. “It was about getting round the course in a tidy fashion and making sure everyone settled into their roles.”

Wright noted steady progress during the day, with improved coordination and solid early results despite a newly formed crew. “The next step is to build on it, improve communication and keep repeating the good habits,” he added.

Racing continues over the weekend with further training and competition scheduled.

Published in RORC, J109

Published in RORC

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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)