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The right boat for the job. Of all the 600nm classics the Hobart is the race that most often delivers the roughest and most testing ocean sailing – this is particularly true for smaller entries. The Hobart is also held every year not biennially so you have no sooner got back from one than you are locking in crew for the next one. Jack Kilmer’s 1960s S&S 34 Azzurro finished 7th in Division 5 this year; among the Azzurro crew Jessica Watson had signed on as sailing master – surely an easy trip for the youngest person to sail round the world non-stop solo? Like several solo circumnavigators before her, Watson had also chosen an S&S 34 – hers on loan from Don McIntyre
Champion!
Firstly, I’d like to welcome RORC’s new Commodore, Deb Fish, into her post for the next three years and also thank outgoing Commodore James Neville for his time and commitment as her predecessor. As many of you know, Deb has a formidable ocean-racing CV which continues to grow, predominantly in the two-handed discipline. Racing the Sun Fast 3600 Bellino with co-skipper Rob Craigie the pair are currently defending RORC champions after topping the scorecard overall in 2023 – including both fully crewed and short- handed entries. Nicely timed! As we enter the second month of the New Year we have the
opportunity to review the battle royale at the finish of this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and what a finish we had. Andoo Comanche, the defending line-honours champion, went into the race organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) as the major favourite to cross the line first but was beaten to the line by just 51 seconds by her rival 100-footer Law Connect after a nail- biting match race at the end in the lightest of airs. After being the bridesmaid for the previous two Hobarts, there was nothing more true for Law Connect owner Christian Beck than third time lucky. The overall winner of the 2023 Sydney Hobart (scored under IRC)
was Philip Turner’s Reichel/Pugh 66 Alive, also the first boat from Tasmania to win the race overall and so pick up the Tattersall Cup. Only 20 minutes behind her on IRC was the Reichel/Pugh Maxi 72 URM. In fact, it was a one-two-three for Reichel/Pugh designs and generally a big boat race for the latest edition. The overall winner of the 2023 Fastnet Race, Caro, finished 23rd
and third in Class 1, with outgoing Vice Commodore Eric de Tur- ckheim’s Teasing Machine 26th overall and fifth in Class 1. 2023 was quite a year for Teasing Machine, starting the season
points with the Rolex Middle Sea Race, followed by our Transatlantic Race, then the Caribbean 600. Eric’s team then returned to Europe and competed in the Myth of Malham, La Trinité-Cowes, Cowes-St Malo and the Fastnet Race. Eric is also top of the rumour mill for
60 SEAHORSE
a tilt at the Admiral’s Cup in 2025. At the start of January the second race in our 2024 Points
Championship, the Transatlantic Race, supported by Calero Marinas, the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France, set off from Marina Lanzarote to race 3,000 miles across the Atlantic to Grenada in the Caribbean. This is the longest race in our champion ship and this year we had a diverse fleet with four multi - hulls, the 100-footer Leopard 3, three Volvo 70s, several VO65s, right down to a Sun Fast 3600 being raced double-handed. Our third race kicks off the Caribbean season in earnest with the
largest offshore race in the region, the Caribbean 600. Last year we introduced an inshore series before this classic called the Nelson’s Cup which we are repeating this year. Yachts can enter the Nelson’s Cup separately from the Caribbean 600 if less keen on the offshore element. As touched on last month, following last autumn’s fire, the Antigua
Yacht Club marina complex is again largely open for business, all the main infrastructure now relocated or replaced by temporary structures. Antigua Yacht Club itself, along with Club Sushi & Steak and Bar B’s, were not affected by the fire and are all trading as normal. 2024 is the 15th edition of the Caribbean 600 so if you can please come and celebrate this landmark year with us. While we’ve had challenging weather conditions here in the UK
over the Christmas period and coming into the New Year the builders are pressing on with our Cowes clubhouse redevelopment. The interior of the building which was stripped to accommodate the new layout is now being put back together with the new washrooms going in as I type. Meanwhile, our London clubhouse is back in full swing after the
Christmas break. I would like to remind members and friends that if they’re thinking about staying at St James’s Place please book well in advance as I’m pleased to say bookings are on the rise! Jeremy Wilton, CEO
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ANDREA FRANCOLINI/ROLEX
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