RORC
Club page November ISAF meetings
The ISAF machine rolled into Palma, Majorca in November. One burning and contentious issue was ISAF dropping the Sailor Classification Code. This submission was removed following a huge outcry from the sailing world, as many class associations and event organisers rely on the code to sort out their amateurs from their professionals.
At RORC we use the classification code for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup, where the number of professionals is severely limited; and while everyone recognises the code is not perfect it does allow a consistency of decision-making across all events.
Dynema lifelines out
One item of interest to the offshore community is the reversal of the decision made five years ago to allow the use of HMPE (Dynema to all you sailors) in lifelines for Offshore Special Regulations Cat- egories 0 to 3, which essentially covers safety in offshore racing. A series of accidents where crew fell into the water as a result
RORC has decided to send the fleet meandering through the Canaries as a test of navigation skill, boat handling and seamanship rather than simply allow them to head directly south in search of the trade winds and onwards to the finish 2,700 miles away on the island of Grenada.
The Grenada government has been an enthusiastic partner in the setting up of this standalone RORC event and will give all the teams an enthusiastic welcome when they finally reach the island. Another supporter has been Camper and Nicholson Marinas, who will host the finish in their Port Louis Marina in St George’s, the capital of Grenada.
While the fleet is not as big as we were hoping for, it is allowing nearly 100 sailors to experience a transatlantic crossing in boats ranging from 34 to 100ft, with the biggest and fastest being the Finot Conq 100-footer Nomad IVwhich should, by my reckoning, be the first to finish. The race will be run under IRC and it is difficult to pick a winner; the Reichel-Pugh 78 Lupa of London is a known race-winning cruiser-racer and I am sure will have a strong chance of success, so too will an Imoca 60 and a single Class 40 both of which sail well above their rating downwind. It will be hard to call but well worth watching with the boats being provided with trackers by race part- ner Westerhall Rum – a local Grenada distillery.
RORC Caribbean 600
The 2015 race looks as if it could turn into a battle of serious offshore racers with Mike Slade’s Leopardbeing joined by Syd Fischer’s newly ‘re-hulled’ Ragamuffin 100. It will also mark the first outing for George David’s new Rambler 88and many expect Jim Clarke’s new 100-footer Comancheto put in an appearance as well. ‘If Syd can get Ragamuffinto Antigua after the Hobart then why not Comanche?’ is the talk on the dock.
Close astern will be the Maxi 72s Bella
The girls of Volvo Ocean Race entry Team SCA congratulate each other having snuck in front of Spain’s Mapfre in the closing stages of Leg 1 to Cape Town. Probably not coincidentally… several crew changes were announced for Mapfre during the stopover
of HMPE failure have highlighted the potential fragility of this material. The use of Dynema will, however, be allowed for Category 4 and above, in other words for use in day races; the working party that was set up to look into the use of this material will con- tinue to monitor its use inshore to keep abreast of development. The RORC has always been against the use of Dynema and the like in lifelines and had already banned its use for all RORC races, requiring all boats to use stainless steel lifelines.
RORC Transatlantic Race
Ten or 11 boats will line up for the inaugural RORC Transatlantic Race which is organised in association with the International Maxi Association starting at the end of November. By the time you read this most will have finished what is essentially a delivery trip to the Caribbean but with some meaningful trophies to win along the way! The race starts in Lanzarote, the most eastern island of the Canary chain, and Puerto Calero Marina is the host port for the run- up to the start. It is a fitting venue because the Calero family are all keen racers and have provided their (excellent) facilities for major events such as the RC44 and TP52 Worlds and as a training venue for a number of Volvo Ocean Race teams, the most recent being the ladies team of SCA.
As Lanzarote is the most eastern of the Canary Islands the 44 SEAHORSE
Mente, Robertissimaand Shockwave, which is back to defend her win last year. Also in the mix are Irvine Laidlaw’s Reichel-Pugh 82 and the TP52 Sorcha. Once again, it will be difficult to predict a handicap winner.
With 25 boats entered before the end of October, it looks likely to be another bumper year for the RORC Caribbean 600... and with record entries in the Rolex Middle Sea and Rolex Sydney Hobart races, it begs the question ‘why is offshore racing so popular right now?’
RORC Yacht of the Year
This year’s Somerset Memorial Trophy for outstanding racing achievement by a RORC member during the season has been awarded to Anthony O’Leary’s Ker 39 Antix. Although O’Leary did little offshore racing this season his performance in winning the RORC Easter Challenge and the IRC Nationals and his contribution to the winning Irish team in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup were noted by the RORC committee as an outstanding achieve- ment and campaign.
Three years ago O’Leary had to call off his efforts to build a team to defend the Commodores’ Cup which they won in 2010 and vowed to return with a competitive team for the 2014 event. He was ably supported by American Marc Glimcher and his Ker 40 Catapult and fellow Irishmen RORC Vice-Commodore Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling, who chartered and campaigned the Grand Soleil 43 Quokka for the event. O’Leary has constantly updated his six- year-old design to keep it competitive, winning this year’s IRC Nationals for the first time after many years of trying. Eddie Warden-Owen, CEO
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GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
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