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One for the list In 2012 the Reichel-Pugh 100 Esmit Europa and her triple gold medallist skipper, Jochen Schümann, took advantage of a Mistral to
One of the standout European events raced under the IRC system is the Giraglia Rolex Cup in St Tropez which takes place each June. A collaboration between the Yacht Club Italiano and the Yacht Club de France started the Mediterranean’s oldest offshore race in 1953 and this year it celebrated its 64th edition. This nicely mixed-format regatta is made up of a series of inshore races around the Gulf of St Tropez followed by the 241nm offshore race around the Giraglia Rock off the northern tip of Corsica finishing this year in Genoa. The race is unusual in that it finishes in different locations; San Remo was the destination when I participated in 2012 which coincided with strong Mistral conditions for a fast ride around the course. In 2014 it finished in Monaco to celebrate the opening of the brand new Yacht Club de Monaco clubhouse.
A total of 302 boats entered the regatta this year, with 266 boats committing to the Giraglia offshore race. Both of these are record numbers and approximately 10 per cent up on previous years. The maxi yacht Esmit Europaholds the race record of 14h 56m 16s; however, Esmitis not racing this year and so it will be up to Lindsay Owen-Jones’s Wallycento Magic Carpet3 to try to break a record that, considering the conditions that occurred in 2012, will be very hard to beat. Clubs involved in the running of the event are Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, the Yacht Club San Remo and the Cercle Nautique et Touristique du Lacydon. This is one regatta that must be done.
MOD 70s up for the fight
The 2016 RORC Transatlantic Race starting from the Marina Lanzarote in Aricife in November is going to see a huge battle between the MOD 70s, for the first to arrive in Grenada. Concise Xand Phaedo III match-raced across the Atlantic in last year’s race and will this year be joined by MOD 70 Musandam Oman Sail who they raced against in the Volvo Round Ireland Race at the end of June.
However, the new kid on the MOD 70 block is Giovanni Soldini with, we are told, a not so secret weapon – a foiling MOD 70! If this is true, it will up the ante for line honours as Soldini and sponsor Maserati are continuing their rolling record-breaking campaign that he started in a ‘used’ Volvo 70.
56 SEAHORSE
destroy the course record for the 241nm Giraglia offshore race with a new time just under 15 hours. The only boat with any chance of beating that mark this year is the Wallycento Magic Carpet3
; but given that Esmit is the former Alfa Romeo those odds look slim to zero
Monohull interest is from a bevy of well-known yachts including Mike Slade’s 100ft Leopard which has been chartered for the race. Last year’s monohull line-honours winner and overall winner under IRC, the 100ft Finot-Conq Nomadwill also be back. Two boats to watch for will be the new DSS-equipped Infiniti 46 Maverick and a brand new Marc Lombard-designed IRC46 for Giles Redpath. Giles is planning a full 2017 RORC championship season and the Transatlantic Race will be the first event of his campaign. In the 45ft bracket James Heald’s Swan 45 Nemesis was the first boat to enter the 2016 race and he should have good competition from Ossie Stewart’s Dufour 45 Island Girl. Starting from the new Marina Lanzarote in Arecife, the race
hosts are once again the Calero family who are no strangers to raceboats and major regattas. They have organised a full week of hospitality before the start. Go to
rorctransatlantic.rorc.org.
RORC Cowes… Week
Cowes Week offers something for everyone and this year at our Cowes club there is a full social calendar for the week already in place. An Olympic theme was chosen by the RORC Cowes Week committee with the star attraction the Olympus Ball on 9 August. No doubt we will see togas and gladiator outfits even though the dress code is black tie... Book early as numbers are limited. Our week starts with a launch party on Friday 5 August, followed by the Commodore’s cocktail party. The week is rounded out with the fireworks party on the final Friday with a supper to celebrate the first Ile d’Ouessant Race which starts the following morning. I am pleased to announce the return of the Cowes club’s Terrace Restaurant which was very popular last year. Guest chef for the week will be the head chef of RORC London, Olivio Terra, who has been successfully dazzling members and guests at the London clubhouse for some months now. Time for him to show off his skills in Cowes… The head chef of RORC Cowes, Lee Hall, will be masterminding the offerings for the events being held in the club that week. Last year over 1,800 meals were created by the kitchen plus thousands of canapés for the many cocktail parties. The team did good. Thank you, all.
Eddie Warden-Owen, CEO q
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