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A lot of style and a lot of sail up. Peter Harburg’s latest Maxi Black Jack makes the most of the persistent northerlies which gave the biggest boats a glorious, mostly downwind ride to Hobart this year, averaging 20-25kt for hours on end. Designed by Reichel/Pugh, Black Jack was launched as Alfa Romeo for Neville Crichton back in 2005 and is a close-sistership to Wild Oats XI. Like Oats Harburg’s yacht is a proven light-air flyer, but this skinny design could not match the other two more powerful 100-footers, LawConnect (Juan K) and Andoo Comanche (VPLP-Verdier), in the heavy-reaching conditions… Black Jack and Oats crossing the line in 3rd and 4th places
Daylight returns
The month of January wasn’t a great one for weather in the UK. The positive is that as we enter February the days are getting longer and we can look forward to spring and the start of a new season. However, for some of our RORC members the 2023 Season
Points Championship, which I’m sure I don’t need to remind readers is the biggest offshore racing series in the world, has already started with the Rolex Middle Sea Race back in October – won overall on IRC corrected time by our vice-commodore Eric de Turckheim on his Nivelt-Muratet-designed 54-footer Teasing Machine. We also had the commodore winning IRC3 with his much travelled Judel/ Vrolijk design Ino XXX. Next up in our series is the Transatlantic Race which is in its
ninth edition this year, starting in Lanzarote and finishing off Port Louis in Grenada – a course of a little under 3,000nm. This year it attracted a particularly diverse entry, including three MOD 70 trimarans, and at the top end of the monohulls the beautiful Swan 115 Jasi, a couple of Volvo 70s, an Imoca racing two-handed, Whit- bread racers Pen Duick V and L’Esprit d’Equipe (winner of the race in 1985-86), a couple of classics plus a plethora of interesting entries around the 50ft mark, including Arto Linnervuo from Finland racing his DSS-foiling Infiniti 52 Tulikettu. Then lower down the scale we had the smallest two boats in the fleet, the Sun Fast 3300 Sea Bear being sailed by father and son Peter and Duncan Bacon, and the Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist sailed by Kate Cope and Claire Dresser – the event’s first all-female two-handed crew. Then, following the Transatlantic Race, we have the Caribbean’s
biggest offshore race, the Caribbean 600, amazingly now in its 14th edition. A new addition to the event this year is an inshore prologue series we have created, which includes two days of inshore/coastal races plus the Antigua 360 (around the island of Antigua), then a two-day break before the start of the 600 itself. As I’m sure all readers know, all RORC races are raced using the IRC rating system, which enables competitors to quickly and simply
70 SEAHORSE
work out their relative position at every mark rounding. Some of these races now also offer dual-scoring with trophies awarded for best performance under the alternative ORC system, which attempts to take fair account of the wind conditions down the course. Both systems have their fans but there is no doubt that dual-scoring can throw up anomalies that are not always welcomed by competitors for whom the major prizes are always decided under IRC. Following the recent Sydney-Hobart there was confusion as the
winner of the ORC trophy was later forced to retire due to flying a headsail in a manner allowed under IRC but forbidden in ORC. The same yacht, Sam Haynes’ TP52 Celestial, did however win the main prize – the famous Tattersall’s Cup – awarded under IRC alone. What does this sort of situation do other than to confuse, with
exactly the same sail being treated differently under two systems? Furthermore, it raises environmental concerns, as well of course of cost – owners potentially needing to purchase two sets of sails to fit two different rating system. We need to find a way of resolving this. And quickly. This year is also the 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race –
a milestone for the club. For those of you who have secured a precious place in the anniversary edition, congratulations! It is going to be a great race and Cherbourg will once again put on a spectacular welcome for every finisher. Talking welcomes, our magnificent London clubhouse is now fully
open for 2023, but can I remind those who are looking to stay here to please book early as following an excellent refurbishment the bedrooms are once again in high demand. Meanwhile, the RORC Cowes clubhouse will now stay open
throughout January and February, but on winter hours, which means it’s open from Thursday to Sunday each week. However, if you need accommodation in Cowes during the week then please don’t hesitate to contact the clubhouse. Jeremy Wilton, CEO
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