Three major offshore titles will be decided when the Royal Ocean Racing Club fleet sets out on the Nautical Cloud Cherbourg Race on Friday, 4 September.

The traditional 75-nautical-mile sprint from Cowes to Cherbourg is the final event of the 2026 RORC Season’s Points Championship, the seventh and final race of the Cowes Offshore Series and the deciding round of the IRC Double Handed National Championship. Forty IRC boats and two multihulls are entered.

Finish Line – Cherbourg awaits the RORC fleet after a 75-mile Channel sprint from Cowes that will bring three 2026 offshore championships to their conclusion. Photo: Arthur Daniel

The first warning signal is scheduled for 1750 BST, with the fleet initially heading west before tackling the Channel crossing to Normandy.

RORC Season Reaches Finale

After a programme stretching from the RORC Transatlantic Race to the 1,805-nautical-mile Round Britain and Ireland Race, the championship season finishes with one of its shortest contests.

Trevor Middleton’s JPK 1180 Black Sheep is among the established campaigns returning for the finale after finishing fifth overall in the Channel Race.

RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog has also enjoyed a strong season, including second overall in the Myth of Malham Race and an IRC Two victory in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race.

Three-time RORC Season’s Points Championship winner Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, raced with RORC Commodore Deb Fish, is another leading contender. Bellino won the Myth of Malham Race overall, took second in the North Sea Race and third in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race.

Rob Cotterill’s J/109 Mojo Risin’, Noël Racine’s JPK 1030 Foggy Dew, Ross Applebey’s Lightwave 48 Scarlet Oyster and the Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin are also among the established campaigns making one final start in 2026.

Final Push – Rob Cotterill’s J/109 Mojo Risin’ returns for the Cherbourg Race as one of the established RORC campaigns seeking a final score in the 2026 season. Photo: Paul Wyeth

One Last Chance – Ross Applebey’s Lightwave 48 Scarlet Oyster lines up in IRC Two for the 75-mile dash to Cherbourg and a final opportunity to add to its 2026 RORC campaign. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Double-Handed Title on the Line

Sixteen boats are entered in IRC Two-Handed, where the race will decide the 2026 IRC Double Handed National Championship.

Craigie and Fish won the opening championship race, the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, aboard Bellino, ahead of Nick Martin’s Sun Fast 3600 Diablo. Both return for the deciding round.

Title Chase – Nick Martin’s Sun Fast 3600 Diablo heads to Cherbourg with the IRC Double Handed National Championship at stake after finishing second to Bellino in the opening round. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Jean-Eudes Renier’s Pogo RC Midnight Blues comes into the race after winning IRC Two and IRC Two-Handed in the Channel Race and taking third overall under IRC.

Simon Bamford’s Sun Fast 3300 Kestrel, Gavin Howe’s Sun Fast 3600 Tigris, Mike Moxley’s HOD 35 Malice, Simon Farren’s A40 RC Warrior and Inka Luhrs and Richard Bretherton’s Sun Fast 3200 Zanzibar add further depth to the double-handed entry.

From 1,805 Miles to 75

Several crews face a sharp shift in focus after completing the Round Britain and Ireland Race only weeks ago.

The Army Sailing Association’s Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier, Kestrel, Tigris, Zanzibar, Andrew Tseng’s Nicholson 55 Quailo III, Swan 44 Astrid and RORC Griffin are among those switching from the 1,805-mile offshore marathon to a 75-mile Channel sprint.

Marathon to Sprint – The 1972 Swan 44 Astrid makes the rapid transition from the 1,805-mile Round Britain and Ireland Race to the 75-mile Cherbourg season finale. Photo: Paul Wyeth

For the Griffin Pathway sailors, Cherbourg provides another opportunity to compete against experienced RORC offshore teams after a programme that has progressed from the shorter Cowes Offshore Series races to the Round Britain and Ireland challenge.

Anglo-French Fleet for Channel Sprint

The French challenge includes Géry Trentesaux’s Sydney GTS 43 Long Courrier, which sits at the top of the IRC rating range and is expected to be among the leading monohulls on the water.

French Challenge – Géry Trentesaux’s Sydney GTS 43 Long Courrier heads the IRC rating range in a strong Anglo-French fleet for the season-ending Channel crossing. Photo: Paul Wyeth

IRC Three is the biggest division with 18 boats, including Bellino, Diablo, Foggy Dew, Fujitsu British Soldier, Kestrel, RORC Griffin, Tigris and Warrior.

IRC Four has 13 entries ranging from the Contessa 32s Alcyone and Jemima of Farley to the 1972 Swan 44 Astrid, JPK 1010s Elaine Again and Jangada, and Sun Fast 3200 Zanzibar.

Two multihulls complete the entry, with Didier Bouillard’s Dazcat 1295 Minor Swing joined by Jonathan McColl’s Shuttleworth 34 Shockwave.

After thousands of offshore miles during the 2026 season, the championships now come down to one final crossing of the English Channel.