and finishes in Plymouth,’ said Gray. ‘The second event, which will be in August 2023 and also run for a second time, is the Plymouth Fastnet 500 which starts and finishes in Plymouth. Then in 2025 we will return to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club to celebrate 100 years of the most famous of all racecourses.’ The club’s strategy is for a four- year cycle of key events where each year has either a 500 or 600-mile offshore race running alongside an oceanic race of 1800-3000 miles. And in 2023 it’s the introduction of a big one, The Round Iceland Race. ‘The main focus is for solo and double handed crews on a course that will start and finish in Plymouth,’ Gray says. ‘When you plot it out the length of this course is within a few miles of the OSTAR so it will be a serious challenge.’
‘There are so many things we could do with this race. We are also looking at options for a Reykjavik finish for those who wish to stop. Whilst this is primarily for solo and double handed sailors, we might include a class for fully crewed boats should there be the demand.’ New partnerships with other clubs and organisations have also been formed. One of these is with Marco Nannini and his Global Solo Challenge to offer GSC-approved courses that can be included in the mile-building qualification process. Another has involved engagement with the Imoca class and specifically the pre-2007 Open 60 fleet to offer racing on established courses for sailors who want to realise a lifelong ambition or use the experience as a stepping-stone to bigger challenges such as the Vendée Globe. The creative thinking in Plymouth has even encouraged participation at neighbouring club events. ‘The Southwest Offshore Group Series (SOGS) was formed recently and involves 18 sailing clubs to promote and develop southwest offshore racing with a regional series of 14 races,’ continues Gray. ‘The Royal Western Yacht Club is just one of those involved. Teams can choose which races suit them best and are most convenient, while at the same time helping to build a bigger overall event. When they race away from home the boat receives weighted points to encourage local teams to move about and enter a wider range of regional offshore races.’ Making a season programme easier to plan and more rewarding has also been at the heart of a new development with Polish sailing. ‘Plymouth is twinned with Gdynia and we have had a lot of contact with Visit Poland and Love Poland through their Volvo 65 and 70
the club continues to thrive, yet even so, a clear vision at a time when the sport and its participants are changing rapidly is arguably the most important factor.
Top: the JPK 1180 Sunrise (skippered by ex-RWYC cadet Tom Kneen) won the inaugural Lonely Rock Race from Plymouth to Fastnet and back in 2020. Above: the Round Britain And Ireland Race is now 48 hours shorter and has fewer stopovers but Lerwick in Shetland is still one of them
campaigns. What surprised us was just how large the Polish offshore shorthanded scene is. As part of the twinning process we're planning to run a feeder race from Gdynia to Plymouth to help them engage with some of the events we’re running. Within Poland there are a number of ocean sailors from eastern European countries who we hope are going to bring some boats into the Gdynia to Plymouth race and ultimately into the RWYC oceanic programme.’ The commercial aspect of running such an ambitious schedule provides additional challenges for the club. ‘Whereas it has been common to talk of sponsorships in the past, we prefer to talk of partnerships. We look for partners that are going to work with us and for whom we can provide a platform for them to demonstrate to members why their products should be relevant to them and the sailing they do. It’s very much a two-way street. We are partnering with key sailing brands such as Henri Lloyd, B&G, Spectra Watermakers, Forestia foods, MailASail and others. We have a great platform for these brands to focus and develop within an active bed of competitors. Mutual feedback and partnership will help us all to provide a more rewarding landscape for all concerned’.
These and other projects at the Royal Western help to illustrate why
‘The vision of the club is very much about getting back to its grass roots, which means getting back to supporting and running more short- handed oceanic or long-distance races and continuing that appeal for owners who are looking for that sort of challenge. It’s not taking on the professional maxi racing teams of this world with their massive budgets, it's all about the club racer, Corinthian amateur or Category 1-3 level sailor who races seriously at weekends and wants to go further. We want this to be the club that they look at to take them to that next level in shorthanded sailing. ‘We will continue to pioneer short-handed oceanic racing in this segment and have ideas and plans of more challenges to complement the races we have today. In essence moving forwards just as the club did in its early days.’
www.rwyc.org
2022
May – OSTAR / TWOSTAR Race & RB&I Race (2 & 4 handed) July – Original Lonely Rock Race
2023
June – Round Iceland Race (solo/ 2 Handed), August – Plymouth Fastnet 500 Race
2024
May – OSTAR / TWOSTAR, August – Plymouth Fastnet 500 Race
2025 TBA – New oceanic race
August – Original Lonely Rock Race 2026
RB&I (2 & 4 handed/Fully crewed) August – Plymouth Fastnet 500 Race
SEAHORSE 75
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