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Tom Kneen of the Royal Irish YC is "Sailor of the Month (Offshore)" for July

1st August 2025
Tom Kneen. The unusual spelling of his name suggests that somewhere in the distant past, an ancestor came from the Isle of Man
Tom Kneen. The unusual spelling of his name suggests that somewhere in the distant past, an ancestor came from the Isle of Man

The Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race,with its 441-strong fleet, has been a complete eye-opener for most offshore sailors. It indicated that, for now at least, the performance focus has shifted decisively to France and the Western Mediterranean. Thus, although it was a baptism of fire for the Royal Irish YC two-boat Admiral's Cup team, the fact is that apart from half a dozen outstanding boats in other classes, the Admiral's Cup fleet did very well as a group in the final Fastnet placings.

Thus, although Tom Kneen's JPK 1180 Sunrise IV finished at mid-fleet in AC terms, she was clearly the top-placed Irish boat at 17th overall, and Tom Kneen is our "Sailor of the Month (Offshore) for July 2025.

Afloat.ie Team

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