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RORC Appoints Paul Arkwright as New General Manager

7th June 2026
New Man At The Helm — Paul Arkwright, newly appointed General Manager of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, brings extensive international yacht club leadership experience to the role.
New Man At The Helm — Paul Arkwright, newly appointed General Manager of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, brings extensive international yacht club leadership experience to the role

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has appointed Paul Arkwright as its new General Manager. Arkwright takes up the role on 8 June and joins the club following his tenure as General Manager of Hebe Haven Yacht Club in Hong Kong. He brings extensive experience in yacht club management, membership organisations, hospitality and events.

At Hebe Haven, Arkwright oversaw club operations, member services, facilities management, events and strategic development at one of Asia's leading yacht clubs. His career has also included senior leadership positions across the marine, publishing and events sectors.

RORC Commodore Deb Fish welcomed the appointment. "We are delighted to welcome Paul Arkwright as our General Manager," she said. "Paul's leadership experience, member-focused approach and understanding of the sailing club environment make him very well placed to support the Club as we continue to develop for our members and the wider RORC community."

Arkwright will work alongside the club's Flag Officers, committee members, staff and volunteers across its London and Cowes clubhouses.

Speaking about his new role, Arkwright said he was looking forward to joining the organisation. "I am delighted to be joining the Royal Ocean Racing Club, an organisation with an outstanding reputation and a remarkable history within our sport," he said. "I look forward to meeting members, volunteers and staff, and to supporting the Club as it continues to build on its many successes."

The appointment follows the recent arrival of Ben Willows as RORC's first Sporting Director.

Together, the two roles form part of an expanded senior leadership structure. The Sporting Director will focus on racing, rating, partnerships and participation, while the General Manager will oversee membership, clubhouse operations, shoreside activities and the day-to-day management of the club's facilities.

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)

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