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This year’s Quarter Ton Cup in Cowes again and Niall Dowling’s Faroux-designed Per Elisa takes a tumble… she was not alone. It was oh-so-nearly a glorious weekend for the Dowling team as Olivia Dowling’s own beautiful Faroux design Catch had led handily into a painfully forgettable final day…
Getting there
Since we last met summer has finally arrived, albeit with varying sailing conditions… Following the Government’s relaxation of Covid restrictions in May we are able to return to fully crewed sailing and could therefore hold our first offshore race of the year, the Myth of Malham, with a record entry of 130 yachts. One notable thing when you look at the results for the top 15
yachts on corrected time is that from second to 15th there were only two and half hours, after 230nm of racing in very variable conditions. IRC continues to deliver close racing across boats of all shapes and sizes, but we always need to remember that the system is for everyone, despite a perception that it is increasingly just for the high-performance classes. The IRC rule has been developed over the past 35 years, with
results and feedback monitored by the rating office in Lymington and UNCL in Paris to identify trends and ensure that racing always remains competitive. It is rare for the rating team to make adjust- ments mid-year, but recently a rating issue arose out of Australia relating to the use of whisker poles. The IRC technical committee reacted quickly to review the situation, the result of which was an amendment to the rule giving an event Notice of Race, or local IRC rule authority, for example Australian Sailing, the power to amend the whisker pole rule for their local fleets on a race by race basis if they feel it appropriate. On the subject of our rating office I must record that after 30
years’ service Carole Abbott has decided to retire. All of us at RORC and I’m sure all of you who have dealt with Carole over the years wish her all the very best in her retirement, and we thank her massively for her commitment to the club and all our countless competitors over the years. The club is fully committed to the IRC rule as it delivers good
keelboat racing time and time again. Although it is employed for the great classic offshore races and numerous other inshore regattas, we feel strongly that it should be used even more across the world by race organisers. In support of this I can share that we have recently been working with several yacht clubs in Helsinki in developing an IRC Scandinavian 600 to add to the existing mid- distance classic offshore races. We aim to stage the inaugural race in June or July next year. This is an exciting and innovative development from RORC’s race
office and will have a slightly different flavour to what we hope will become another classic 600-miler to add to our stable. The race will be staged in near enough constant daylight, as at that time of year in that part of Scandinavia there are approximately 19 hours of daylight and at most five hours of twilight. What a change – offshore racing in near enough 24 hours of daylight. By the time you read this page we will also have staged the
Morgan Cup which is finishing this year in Dartmouth, a late change made due to the virus restrictions in Guernsey. We would like to thank the flag officers and members of the Royal Dart Yacht Club for their help, support and hospitality in hosting the finish.
Nudge nudge As previously mentioned, RORC Crew Match has been successfully relaunched so if you’re an owner looking for crew or a sailor looking for a crewing role please head to
crewmatch.rorc.org. It is free to use and continues to play a big role in getting people out on the water. With the Rolex Fastnet Race fast approaching can I remind those
owners who maybe still haven’t made a final decision to enter that the closing date is 8 July, with the deadline for submitting your IRC certificate 12.00 on Thursday 29 July. This year’s record entry already features yachts from no fewer than 31 different countries… which is surely remarkable? Interest in racing two-handed continues its seemingly unstoppable
growth with over 90 such teams now expected on the Fastnet start - line. Britain’s Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson has teamed with Henry Bomby, and Dee Caffari, who has sailed round the world six times, is joining James Harayda to enter the race. Finally, both our clubhouses are now open for both food and
accommodation. However, in London we are presently only serving dinner on Wednesday and Thursday, with a great offer of a two- course menu for £20 per person. However, accommodation can be booked for seven days a week, with a 25 per cent discount off our normal rates until September. The Cowes clubhouse is also open seven days a week and on
a summer’s evening there is no better a place to enjoy a drink or dinner than sitting on the terrace looking over the Solent. Jeremy Wilton, CEO
q SEAHORSE
JAMES TOMLINSON
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