Sun Hill IV Claims RORC Cowes-St Malo Race Overall Victory

6th July 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Cup Glory – François Charles and the Sun Hill IV crew celebrate with the King Edward VII Challenge Cup after winning overall under IRC in the 2026 RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race Credit: RORC

France's Sun Hill IV claimed overall victory in the 2026 RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race after a fast and tactical 150-nautical-mile passage across the English Channel. The Royal Ocean Racing Club's largest offshore fleet of the season saw 79 boats start from Cowes in sunshine and a building breeze. Competitors faced a demanding beat through the Solent before lighter, more variable conditions prevailed as they approached the finish in St Malo.

François Charles' French J/133 Sun Hill IV lifted the historic King Edward VII Challenge Cup after winning overall under IRC. James Neville's Botin 52 Ino Veritas finished second overall and won IRC Zero, while Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino completed the overall podium.

Leading Charge – The French J/133 Sun Hill IV, skippered by François Charles, powers towards overall IRC victory in the 2026 RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

For the Morlaix-based crew, victory marked redemption after receiving a two-hour penalty for an over-early start in the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race. "We did not get off to a great start," said Charles. "But things went well through the Solent, and we stayed in touch with the front of the fleet."

He said an early decision to head south towards Alderney proved decisive in the lighter conditions. "We hoped to win IRC One, but to win overall and lift this magnificent trophy makes us incredibly proud. The Cowes-Dinard is never easy, so this is a very happy crew," he added.

One of the standout performances came from Bellino, raced double-handed by owner Rob Craigie and RORC Commodore Deb Fish. Alongside third overall under IRC, the Sun Fast 3600 won IRC Three and the opening round of the 2026 IRC Two-Handed National Championship.

Double Reward – Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, co-skippered by RORC Commodore Deb Fish, won IRC Three and the opening round of the 2026 IRC Two-Handed National Championship. Photo: Paul Wyeth

"It is very satisfying to win this race because St Malo is always a hard one to do well in," said Fish. "The start really mattered. After that, it was about staying a little high and then keeping the boat fast through a lot of mode changes."

She added that reliability was critical in double-handed racing. "With just two people, reliability and trust are everything. Rob is brilliant at that, and it means you can go below, sleep and recover, knowing the boat is still being sailed to the maximum."

Johnny Vincent's Pace claimed monohull line honours aboard his Volvo 70.

Fast Finish – Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace claimed line honours after leading the fleet home in the 2026 RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race. Photo: Paul Wyeth

In the multihull fleet, Christophe Bogrand's Sterec Ultime took line honours, while Didier Bouillard's Minor Swing secured victory after MOCRA time correction. Nicolas Lemarchand's Weeecycling won the Class40 division.

Class Winners

IRC Zero: Ino Veritas (James Neville)

IRC One: Sun Hill IV (François Charles)

IRC Two: Bulldog (Derek Shakespeare/Alastair Walton)

IRC Three: Bellino (Rob Craigie)

IRC Four: Tous A Bord (Cédric Milnaire)

IRC Two-Handed: Bellino (Rob Craigie & Deb Fish)

Published in RORC, Multihull

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)