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RORC
The last race in the RORC season points championship is the annual race around Sicily organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Regarded as one of the most scenic of the 600-mile classic races, the 2019 edition celebrates the 40th running of this famous race and has attracted a quality fleet of over 120 boats. And for two UK boats, both Sunfast 3600s, their result in this race will decide who wins the RORC season championship. Trevor Middleton on Black Sheep started his championship
challenge in last year’s Transatlantic Race, finishing second overall to the Cookson 50 Kuka 3 and beating Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s now sadly lost supermaxi My Song. It was very much a David and Goliath battle with My Songsetting a race record and the tiny (in comparison) Black Sheep which finished nearly seven days later... Middleton went on to compete in the Caribbean 600 before return-
ing to the UK for the domestic offshore programme and a race-by- race battle with the two-handed 3600 Belino of Rob Craigie and Deb Fish. By virtue of 126pt for second place in the Transatlantic Race, with its 1.5 scoring coefficient, Middleton had a big advantage
has now sailed in eight round-the-world races in a career stretching back to 1985. In the past four editions of the Volvo Race teams with Bekking as skipper have been on the podium three times. Childhood 1 is a new team aimed at competing in the Ocean
Race in 2021 and is sponsored by the World Childhood Foundation, whose mission is to develop supportive environments to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation as well as violence against children. The largest yacht on the entry list is the Wally 100 Dark Shadow,
a 100ft Frers-designed all-carbon Maxi with an international crew who have now sailed for the same owner in more than 30 races, including two previous transatlantics. Dark Shadow’s first objective is to beat their own race record of 11d 21h 33m. At the other end of the scale is the smallest yacht in the race, but maybe not the slowest, Richard Palmer’s well-sailed JPK 1010 Jangada. The host for the finish of the race is the Camper & Nicholsons
team at the Port Louis Marina at St Georges, the capital of Grenada. Marina manager Glyn Williams and his assistant Charlotte Bonin are brilliant hosts and the marina is a great place to relax after this epic challenge. Grenada is a beautiful island to
explore and enjoy a few days away from the water. It is also one of the few jewels in the Caribbean that remains relatively untouched by mass tourism.
Caribbean 600 As we go to press entries for the 12th RORC Caribbean 600 are looking strong. Many of them are also new boats to the RORC, no doubt looking for a winter destination for a warm water challenge. The last two editions have been breezy races creating the downhill sleigh rides that sailors dream of – maybe word has got around. Stealing the early limelight is the
The office of Alex Thomson’s latest Hugo Boss has been tidied up dramatically compared with both his own previous boats and those of his rivals. By keeping everything – and that really is everything including the vestigial tiller – inside it should also be a lot easier to keep wandering lines under control without a constant flow of water into the cockpit. In fact, this layout is closer to an Ultim than a typical Imoca 60. Being locked inside also means that Thomson relies a lot on external cameras – of which there are many – to monitor his sails and what is generally going on outside using screens, two of which can be seen here to starboard on the main bulkhead; if it all works he may yet become the driest and warmest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation
over the Craigie/Fish duo but race by race they chipped away at Black Sheep’s lead, beating them in all nine races of the domestic season, finishing the Rolex Fastnet Race only one place apart and the final race, the Cervantes Trophy, two places ahead… This set up a fascinating winner-takes-all battle at the Middle Sea Race.
Across the pond (again) A diverse fleet will contest the sixth edition of the Transatlantic Race which sets off this month from Marina Lanzarote opposite the capital city of Arrecife bound for Grenada at the southern end of the Leeward Island chain in the Caribbean. Organised by RORC in association with the International Maxi
Association, the fleet includes Maxi yachts and several Volvo 65s vying to take the line-honours record set by My Song of 10d 5h 47m. One team that could seriously challenge this record is the VO65 Childhood 1 which will be skippered by Bouwe Bekking, who
70 SEAHORSE
commitment of the three MOD 70s Maserati, Argoand Powerplay. Argowas the boat that capsized in training just before this year’s race but still managed to get herself to the startline after a huge effort by the team with plenty of support from other sailors. None of these boats stand still in terms of improving perfor- mance and both Powerplayand Argoare experimenting with new foils to keep up with their Italian rival which has been foiling for over two years. Argo manager Chad Corning says their MOD 70 will not yet be fully foiling this year but will skim more effectively and pitch less.
Bienvenue We are pleased to announce that Steve Cole, who has for the past two years worked part-time for the RORC race team, will now take a full-time role with RORC race management. His responsibilities will be to oversee and develop RORC’s inshore racing programme and to support the race team in the planning and implementation of our offshore programme. Steve has been managing the numerous and complex Cowes
Week Black Group starts for the past few years and this year received many plaudits from both the Cowes Week organisation itself and from competitors for his pragmatic approach while out on the water. Steve is a Gurnard resident and a lifelong member and dinghy sailor at Gurnard Sailing Club. He will complement a very strong team consisting of RORC racing
manager Chris Stone and deputy manager Tim Thubron. Eddie Warden-Owen, CEO
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MARK LLOYD/ATR
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