James Neville's Botin 52 Ino Veritas claimed both line honours and the overall IRC victory in the 2026 RORC Channel Race after a demanding 150-nautical-mile contest in strong Solent and English Channel conditions. The double success delivered both the Hugh Astor Trophy and the Channel Challenge Cup ahead of the team's Admiral's Cup campaign.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club race featured winds reaching 25 knots, tactical tidal decisions and fast reaching conditions that tested crews across the fleet.
Neville's crew completed the course first on the water before also securing overall IRC honours after corrected time.
Ker 46 ROST–Van Uden, skippered by Laura Louise van Veen, finished second overall under IRC. Jean-Eudes Renier's Pogo IRC Midnight Blues, sailed double-handed with Joe Lacey, completed the overall podium.
Speaking after the race, Neville said the victory followed one of the toughest Channel Races he had sailed.
"Any time you race 150 miles in 25 knots, you know you have been in a proper race," he said.
He described a close duel with Khumbu, which briefly passed Ino Veritas under masthead zero before suffering a gear failure while the two yachts were locked together.
"We were regularly sailing at 17 to 20 knots and saw 24 knots at times," Neville said. "Crew work and communication are everything."
He added that the race formed an important part of the team's preparations for the Admiral's Cup.
"The objective was line honours, so we are very pleased to have achieved that and to win overall under IRC as well."
Class Winners
In IRC Zero, Ino Veritas led home ROST–Van Uden, with Graeme Lewis' Venomous taking third after Khumbu retired with gear failure.
Jacques Pelletier's L'Ange de Milon won IRC One ahead of Trevor Middleton's Black Sheep, while the Tall Ships Youth Trust's Challenger 4 completed the podium.
Jean-Eudes Renier's Midnight Blues won IRC Two and also claimed the IRC Two-Handed prize.
Renier said the race suited the Pogo's strengths.
"The conditions suited Midnight Blues because the long downwind section was exactly what the boat was designed for," he said.
The French skipper said the boat demanded constant attention upwind but rewarded the crew on the long reaching legs, where speeds approached 19 knots.
Bellino Narrowly Misses Runner-Up Spot
There was Irish interest in the closely fought two-handed competition.
Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland's Sky Business–GameOn finished second, edging Bellino, sailed by Rob Craigie and RORC Commodore Deb Fish, by just nine seconds on corrected time.
The margins remained exceptionally tight throughout the fleet, with less than 31 minutes separating second and eighth places after IRC correction.
As Afloat reported earlier, Bellino embarks on a fully crewed Round Britain and Ireland Race next month with two talented Irish offshore sailors next month.
Tight Racing Across the Fleet
Noël Racine's Foggy Dew won IRC Three by nine seconds from Sky Business–GameOn, with Bellino completing the podium.
Ed Mockridge's Elaine Again claimed IRC Four, while James Holder's Grainger TR36 Uno secured both multihull line honours and the MOCRA class victory.
Holder praised the challenging course after adding another major offshore victory to Uno's successful season.
The RORC Season's Points Championship now moves to August with the Baltic Sea Race from Helsinki followed immediately by the Round Britain and Ireland Race from Cowes.
