RORC And YCCS Share Early Lead In Sardinia Cup Return

3rd June 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Island Chase — Rival crews power downwind through the crystal waters of the La Maddalena archipelago during the opening coastal race of the revived Range Rover Sardinia Cup off Porto Cervo Credit: Studio Borlenghi

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and host club Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) share the lead after the opening day of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup in Porto Cervo. The prestigious offshore team regatta returned to the calendar on 2 June after a 14-year absence, attracting 20 boats representing ten yacht clubs.

The new format sees each club field two boats, one in each of the event's two classes. Team rankings are decided by the lowest combined score. Competitors raced a coastal course of approximately 30 miles in Sardinia Cup Class 1 (SC1) and 22.5 miles in Sardinia Cup Class 2 (SC2).

Sailed in a light Mistral breeze of 10 to 12 knots, the course took the fleet through the La Maddalena channel and around Spargi before returning to Porto Cervo.

In SC1, James Neville's TP52 Ino Veritas, representing RORC, claimed victory after a closely fought race. Second place went to Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Django WR, while Roberto Lacorte's RocketNikka finished third for the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa.

Rock Route — James Neville's TP52 Ino Veritas races close to the rugged Sardinian coastline on its way to victory in the opening SC1 coastal race for RORC. Photo: Studio Borlenghi

The RORC Gold team's Jolt 3 crossed the line in contention for second place but dropped to fourth after receiving a 3.3-point penalty.

In SC2, Niklas Zennström's IRC 41 Ran delivered another win for RORC interests, finishing 51 seconds ahead of the YCCS entry Django JP, helmed by Alberto Bolzan. Third place went to the Estonian Carkeek 40 MK2 GP Nola.

Beacon Battle — Niklas Zennström's IRC 41 Ran passes a lighthouse during the SC2 contest, securing victory for the RORC Gold team on day one of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup. Photo: Studio Borlenghi

After the opening race, RORC and YCCS are tied at the top of the provisional team standings, with the RORC Gold team in third. A long-distance race of approximately 130 miles is scheduled for Wednesday, 3 June. Forecasts indicate stronger Mistral winds as competitors head south along Sardinia's east coast before returning to Porto Cervo.

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)