Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) Honorary Secretary Stephen Tudor is stepping down as Chair of the GBR IRC Committee after five years in the role, saying the time is right to end more than a decade of service on the committee.

Tudor, a long-standing figure in Irish Sea offshore racing, was first elected to the GBR IRC Committee in September 2015 and became chairman in 2021.

“After careful consideration I have decided that now is the right time for me to step down from my role as Chairman of the GBR IRC Committee, and to retire from the Committee,” Tudor told Afloat.

“It has been an honour to serve the IRC community over many years.”

IRC Nationals Expansion a Highlight

Tudor identified the expansion of the IRC National Championships beyond the Solent as one of the significant developments during his time on the committee.

“Seeing the IRC Nationals expand beyond the Solent has been a significant milestone, opening new opportunities for sailors and host clubs alike,” he said.

The development was again discussed at this month’s committee meeting in Lymington, where members noted the benefit of holding the GBR IRC Nationals outside the Solent in non-Admiral’s Cup years and incorporating the championship into an established event.

The committee heard that IRC certificate numbers in Britain remained broadly stable in 2026, running slightly below 2025, while major championships and events continued to attract healthy entries.

The IRC European Championship at Poole attracted 52 boats, including 42 UK and 10 northern European entries.

YTC and Newcomers to Racing

Tudor also singled out the RYA’s YTC scheme and efforts to make rating-system racing accessible to newcomers.

“The success of YTC as a welcoming introduction to IRC has been another highlight, helping more people engage with rating systems in a positive and accessible way,” he said.

The committee was told that YTC had rated 2,063 boats so far in 2026, compared with 1,800 in 2025. The meeting heard that most of its growth appeared to represent additional participation rather than boats migrating from IRC.

Tudor said he had been particularly keen to see systems developed to support competitors at the beginning of their racing experience, ensuring their first steps into IRC-related racing were “positive, clear and encouraging”, while recognising the wide variety of boats seeking IRC certificates.

“The range is enormous,” he said.

He also welcomed the increasing prominence of IRC in event and regatta titles. Tudor said the ambition behind developing the IRC Nationals had been to replicate some of the success of rugby’s Six Nations by bringing a stronger sense of national identity to what had previously been regional championships.

“I hope to see that drive and momentum continue,” he said.

For Tudor, however, the underlying objective of IRC remains straightforward.

“The underlying theme behind IRC is the aim to provide fair, competitive racing,” he told Afloat.

“The discussion after racing should be about the fantastic spinnaker drop right on the mark, a good or bad start, or about the disastrous gybe — the fun racing stuff!”

IRC Grand Prix Framework

The Lymington meeting also heard details of a proposed IRC Grand Prix framework for designated top-level events.

The committee minutes emphasise that IRC GP would not be a separate rating formula. The existing IRC rating engine would remain in place, but designated events such as the Admiral’s Cup, Sardinia Cup and Maxi racing could operate with a substantially higher level of measurement, verification and scrutiny.

The proposed framework is intended to accommodate sophisticated features including rotating rigs, interceptors, unusual appendages and movable ballast through more detailed declarations and stricter measurement requirements.

Subject to further development, IRC GP could be announced after the 2027 Admiral’s Cup.

AI and Racecourse Design

The committee also discussed potential applications for AI and data analysis, including combining race results, course geometry, weather and boat-performance information to examine rating or course-design anomalies.

AI could eventually assist race officers in designing courses that better balance different boat characteristics, although members were cautious about increasing complexity and recorded little enthusiasm for multiple IRC ratings for different course types.

The meeting also noted significant crossover between North Wales and Irish events, reflecting the established links across the Irish Sea in which Tudor and other ISORA organisers have played a prominent role.

Afloat has previously chronicled Tudor’s role in the development of modern ISORA, working alongside chairman Peter Ryan to develop cross-channel offshore racing.

Tudor Continues as ISORA Honorary Secretary

Tudor will attend the IRC World Congress in October as his final duty before retiring from the GBR IRC Committee, although he hopes his involvement with IRC will continue in a supporting role where required.

“I have valued the professionalism and passion of everyone involved with IRC, at the Rating Office, at Committee, and at the IRC World Congress,” Tudor said.

“I leave confident that IRC will continue to develop and thrive, and keep its relevance to all fleets — boats large and small, from cruisers to out and out racers — and continue to offer something for sailors of all levels of experience and in all styles of racing.”

There is no retirement from Irish Sea offshore administration, however.

“I do, of course, continue with my role as Hon Sec of ISORA,” Tudor told Afloat.

His next duty will be ISORA’s AGM on 14 November, when the association will review its 2026 season and look ahead to its 2027 programme.