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Surely one of the great enthusiastic Corinthian campaigners, the designation of Richard Matthews’ latest Oystercatcher says it all. Matthews himself has at various stages been a major yacht builder but when he goes racing it is mainly with old friends who have sailed with him for years. Oystercatcher XXXV is the first Carkeek designed CF520 IRC racer, futuristic looking, fast and with water ballast for when you want to save on catering costs. The CF520s are series-built opposite the Seahorse offices by Fibre Mechanics with boat number 2 – which is the latest Rán – now well-advanced
A record start
Can I begin by wishing all RORC members and readers a very happy and prosperous New Year. At the end of last year we had the RORC annual dinner and prizegiving at the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane, London, where we celebrated a spectacular 2021 racing season. More than 4,000 sailors from around the world racing in a dazzling
variety of more than 400 boats took part in the 2021 RORC Season’s Points Championship. The world’s largest offshore racing series comprised 11 testing races, each with its own coveted prizes. The winner was Tom Kneen’s JPK 1180 Sunrise. Tom and his
crew had a standout season winning the East Coast Race, the Morgan Cup… and being the first British skipper to win the Rolex Fastnet Race since 2003! They won the 2021 title by 133pt and took the biggest haul of prizes ever in the 21-year history of the championship. Therefore, you won’t be surprised to hear that the RORC Yacht of the Year was Sunrise. Our latest gathering also featured Pip Hare as our guest speaker.
Pip’s Imoca 60 Medalliawas also one of the winners on the evening, being awarded the Dennis Miller Memorial Trophy for the best British Overseas Yacht with her performance in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe; Pip is now one of just 10 female skippers who have completed the world’s premier solo event in its 30-year history. The amazing stat here is that more men have walked on the moon (12) than women have finished the Vendée Globe. The evening also saw the official launch of our new Fastnet Hall
of Fame, celebrating ocean racers who have completed 20 or more Fastnets. Why is this such a landmark for RORC to recognise? One reason is that to have completed at least 20 races means you have been ocean racing for at least 40 years, thus making a huge contribution to the sport. Our first five inductees are… Ken Newman (28 races from 1957 to 2013). A renowned
navigator, the late Ken Newman sailed his first Fastnet aboard the 33ft Bluejacket in 1957, a year with worse weather than the 1979 race. They were 12th and last to finish among the 40 starters. Up until the year he died he had sailed in every race except one, on 19 different boats, navigating for two British Admiral’s Cup teams. Piet Vroon (25 races from 1961 to present). With his numerous
Sportlust, Standfast, Formidable and Tonnerre de Breskens racing yachts the Dutch legend sailed his first race in 1961 aboard Sportlust VI and his last in 2017 aged 87. There have also been
68 SEAHORSE
numerous Admiral’s Cups mostly with Dutch teams. His highlight was certainly 2001, when he won the overall prize under IRC – the Fastnet Challenge Cup – on his Lutra 52 Tonnerre de Breskens. Richard Matthews (24 races from 1969 to present). Sailing his
first race on a Mersea Oyster and his first as skipper on the Hustler 30 Ricochet, US east coast racing stalwart Richard Matthews has been a regular Fastnet racer ever since. He came closest to victory in 1985 on Oystercatcher X, when he led at the Rock but had to kedge off Plymouth. Far from hanging up his seaboots, the 72-year old’s latest yacht is a Carkeek 52 grand prix racer, Oystercatcher XXXV. This last year’s edition was Richard’s 24th race, a huge achievement. Denis Doyle (20 races from 1963 to 2001). The Irish legend and
RORC Rear Commodore in 1975-1976 built his first ocean racer, the 38ft Robert Clarke-designed Querida, for the 1963 race, followed two years later by the first of many Moondusters. He represented Ireland in eight Admiral’s Cups, captaining the Irish team four times. He sailed his last Fastnet race shortly before his death in 2001. Mike Greville (20 races from 1977 to present). RORC Admiral
Mike Greville sailed his first Fastnet aged 15 in 1977 aboard a Hustler 38, Crazy Wolf, finishing in seven days… In recent years he has usually sailed his Ker 39 Erivale III, but this year he competed in his restored Bowman 44 Skadi. He also sailed six editions aboard his family’s yacht, Trocar, winning their class in 1989. It is worth pointing out that three of our initial five inductees hail
from the east coast, most from Mike’s hometown of West Mersea. We’re only aware of these five stalwarts of ocean racing to have reached the 20-race mark, but if you know of others please let us know at
info@rorc.org. We begin a New Year with our first event, the RORC Transatlantic
Race, and what is encouraging after the disruptions of the past 18 months is that at the time of writing we have a record entry of 28 top-class boats, ranging from the 100ft Comanche to the perennial 33ft two-handed success story that is Jangada. This year’s race is run in association with the Yacht Club de France and the International Maxi Association and I would like to thank both for their support. Finally, can I take this opportunity to particularly thank all the
staff at RORC for their commitment and hard work last year and wish them too a happy and prosperous 2022. Jeremy Wilton, CEO
q
INGRID ABERY
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