RORC Myth Of Malham Draws Strong Offshore Fleet Again

21st May 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Channel Charge — The 2026 RORC Myth of Malham Race fleet powers out of the Solent from Cowes with colourful spinnakers flying on the 235-nautical-mile offshore test to Eddystone Lighthouse Credit: Paul Wyeth

The RORC Myth of Malham Race returns on Saturday 23 May with a strong offshore fleet set for the 235-nautical-mile challenge from Cowes to the Eddystone Lighthouse and back. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron, the race starts from the Squadron Line at 1000 BST.

A fleet of 45 IRC yachts and six multihulls will line up for one of the key early-season tests in the RORC calendar. The race forms part of both the 2026 Cowes Offshore Series and the RORC Season’s Points Championship.

Crews will leave the Solent before heading west along the English Channel to round the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth. The race is known for demanding tidal strategy, tough upwind sailing and fast downwind returns.

Last year’s overall IRC winner, Géry Trentesaux’s Ker 43 Long Courrier, does not return. However, runner-up Noël Racine’s JPK 1030 Foggy Dew is back after missing overall victory by less than three minutes on corrected time in 2025. Dan Fellows’ Sun Fast 3300 Orbit also returns after finishing third overall last year. Zeb Fellows again skippers the yacht with sister Bella Fellows among the crew.

Sun Fast 3300 Orbit, skippered by Zeb Fellows, returns to the Myth of Malham after securing third overall in the 2025 edition of the RORC offshore race. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The RORC youth programme will also feature prominently. The Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin will be sailed by the youth team preparing for this year’s Round Britain and Ireland Race.

The growing two-handed division includes entries from Britain, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands. Sam White’s JPK 1080 Mzungu! returns after winning IRC Two-Handed in 2025. Rob Craigie’s Bellino, racing with RORC Commodore Deb Fish, is also back after placing third in class last year.

Bellino, raced two-handed by Rob Craigie and RORC Commodore Deb Fish, is among the experienced short-handed teams competing in the 2026 Myth of Malham Race. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The multihull fleet includes six entries led by Vince Willemart’s Rapido 40 Adamas, winner of the 2025 MOCRA division. Brendan Seward’s DMS Vinyl, sailed with round-the-world yachtsman Pete Goss, is among the standout multihull entries.

The race continues a long offshore tradition within the RORC programme and is named after John Illingworth’s famous Myth of Malham yacht, which won the Fastnet Race in 1947 and 1949.

Spectators can watch the start from Cowes Parade, while all competing boats will carry satellite tracking for live online coverage.

Published in RORC, Offshore

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)