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Yes, it really was as bad as it looked (inset) when the 30m Farr design Illusion ploughed into the master’s stateroom (sic) of the Swan 90 Kora at the 2011 Maxi Worlds – Kora returned to Nautor’s Swan for a comprehensive repair and refit and was back out and racing again surprisingly quickly. As the report into the collision later rather innocently pointed out ‘visibility at the time of the incident was excellent’
Growing like Topsy
In last month’s edition I touched on a new race we’re looking to launch based on the popular middle-distance model around the 600-mile mark. As if you need reminding it was RORC who created what is now the 600-mile blue water classic concept back in 1925 with the first Fastnet Race. Now we are continuing our tradition of innovation with our latest event which will start on Thursday 21 July 2022 – the Baltic Sea Race. The course of approximately 630nm, with the start and finish off
Helsinki in the Gulf of Finland, will also incorporate the Swedish island of Gotland located approximately 250nm southwest of the Finnish capital. The new race is supported by the Finnish Ocean Racing Association (FORA), Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK) and Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK). Helsinki is famous for its diverse architecture and Nordic design, and the Baltic Sea Race is also supported by the Helsinki City Council. The Baltic Sea Race has all the elements for a great offshore
contest as well as offering good logistics for competitors. On top of that, our partners in Finland are showing a deep passion for hosting a race like this in their region. With over 5,000 miles of coastline, nine countries border the
Baltic Sea, all with profound seafaring tradition and racing history: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Russia. Interest for the RORC Baltic Sea Race is also expected from Ireland, Norway and of course the United Kingdom and France. We believe this innovative new event, which will be sailed in near
enough daylight from start to finish, is a great addition to our inter- national stable of races and will become a classic like its big brother, the Rolex Fastnet Race, and stand alongside the well-established Caribbean 600, the next edition of which starts in February... before which we will also be running our Transatlantic Race which starts from Lanzarote on 8 January and finishes in Grenada! Itself a not unpleasant feeder for those heading to warmer climes for some winter racing. (All the details for both the Transatlantic Race and Caribbean 600 can be found on the RORC website and the mini- sites we operate for the respective races.) Even though 2022 isn’t a Rolex Fastnet year it is still going to
be a busy year for the RORC race office, with not only the races I have mentioned above, but also coming up we have the four-yearly Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race which starts from Cowes on Sunday 7 August. Many people consider this one of the toughest yacht races there are, as it usually encounters every possible condition and all points
60 SEAHORSE
of sailing over the spectacular but technical 1,800-mile course. When I joined RORC in April and wrote my first column some
people were critical that I hadn’t made reference to my illustrious and successful predecessor Eddie [Warden-Owen] leaving the club. But there was good reason for that… as Eddie hadn’t left! In fact, he was staying on with the RORC as a consultant until the end of October to help co-ordinate the Rolex Fastnet Race with the finish in Cherbourg for the first time. And of course to assist me with a smooth handover. However, the time has now come to thank Eddie for everything
he has done over the previous 12 years and for the enormous contribution he has made to RORC over that period. The club for all the right reasons is a very different place from when he joined and this is largely due to Eddie’s guidance and inspiration. On behalf of the club I would like to thank Eddie for everything
he has achieved and wish him well in the future… and many more wins racing his Laser on a Sunday morning on the Hamble! We held the first club social in 18 months at the beginning of
October, which was very well attended; after such a long gap in the programme I would like to thank all those members and their guests who joined us for what was a fun and entertaining evening. As confidence returns, with more people going out and more coming back into London, the London clubhouse is getting busier; so if you’re wanting to stay at St James’s Place in the lead-up to Christmas I would suggest you book early to avoid disappointment. Further south the Cowes clubhouse has now moved to winter
opening times, which is Thursday through to Sunday – with the carvery also back by popular demand every second Sunday. Again all details are on the RORC website. Finally, can I remind members about the club’s Annual Dinner and Prizegiving at the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane, on Saturday 27 November. Tickets can be purchased through the website or by ringing the club. It promises to be a great evening, celebrating the season’s racing and all those who take part, so please book your place and support the club. Lastly, I would like to thank Andrew McIrvine, the General
Secretary of the International Maxi Association, for his piece in last month’s edition, where he highlighted the underhand manner in which ORC had been carrying on recently. Regardless of how ORC want to carry on, IRC is still the best
rating system in the world. It’s one number, making it simple for race organisers to use which in turn delivers great racing and great sailing for the maximum number of sailors. Jeremy Wilton, CEO
q
INGRID ABERY
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