ICAP Leopard vs Rambler

In 2007, Mike Slade's Farr-designed 100ft Maxi, ICAP Leopard (GBR) crossed the Rolex Fastnet Race finish line in an incredible elapsed time of 1 day 20 hours 18 minutes. Having trailed the 90-foot Rambler (USA) by just three seconds at the Fastnet Rock, Leopard turned on the afterburners, smashing the monohull record by nearly nine hours. ICAP Leopard was also victorious in the last Rolex Fastnet Race, winning line honours in 2009. But this year, ICAP Leopard is under serious threat from George David's Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Rambler 100, which has proved to be even faster than ICAP Leopard:

"Having won the Fastnet Race twice, the big play is to win three in a row, which would be quite exceptional," commented Mike Slade. "During the RORC Caribbean 600, Rambler proved to be the faster boat in her ideal conditions, but the recent light airs in the Annapolis to Newport Race gave us hope. We were thrilled to lead the fleet out of the Chesapeake River, even though Rambler is a much lighter boat. Rambler 100 may also need to protect herself in bad weather, more than ICAP Leopard. We feel we have a good chance in light and heavy airs, it is the bit in between that we might have a problem! I am really looking forward to the Fastnet, it should be a very exciting race but above all else, I don't want to lose our record to Rambler, that would be heartbreaking and we will vigorously defend it."

Complete Article: Rolex Fastnet Race Minisite

The 2011 North Sea Race had more wind than had been forecast and turned into a tough cold beat to Scheveningen. Race veteran Radboud Crul said "I have done this race 24 times and I think this one was the hardest. It was a beat for most of the way and cold as well as wet with 25 - 30 knots of wind."

The race committee had difficulty in anchoring the principal committee boat at the start which led to a ten minute postponement. RORC Racing Manager Ian Loffhagen explained: "having dragged the anchor twice the skipper of the Haven Hornbill, the oil spill platform kindly loaned by Harwich Haven Authority, assured me that he could hold the vessel within 10m of the required position. We decided to avoid further delay and go with this, so the postponement was only ten minutes."

First away were the ORC boats followed by IRC Two and Three boats and finally IRC Zero, One and Two. Two boats were OCS on the last start but both returned and started correctly. There was a solid north easterly breeze of about 18 knots and a short chop in the shallow waters off Harwich.

The North Sea Race 2011 is being tracked with Yellowbrick Tracking Devices.

You can use the following links to follow the race:

- Race Player Application
- Simple (light-weight) leaderboard
- Google Earth Data file

The North Sea Race Entrylist is now available for download.

North Sea Race Entrylist 31 Kb 02/06/2011

Saturday 21st - Saturday 28th July 2012

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce details for the 2012 Commodores' Cup to be held in Cowes, Isle of Wight between Saturday 21st and Saturday 28th July 2012 in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron.

National teams to race three boats

This tough mix of inshore and offshore races will be concentrated into a challenging seven day racing schedule on the testing waters in and around the Solent. The RORC have introduced a change to the IRC rating band to encourage more entries. The smallest boats will have a minimum rating of 1.020 and the fastest boats a max rating of 1.230. Three boats can be chosen from this rating band with the proviso that only one boat in the team may rate 1.150 or above.

Read the complete article on the Commodores' Cup Minisite

RORC Myth of Malham Race (Around Eddystone Lighthouse)

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron.

The Myth of Malham Race is considered a good dress rehearsal as well as being a qualifying race for this year's Rolex Fastnet Race and 125 yachts braved a windy forecast to compete in the race. With a west north west wind between 15 and 25 knots and yachts experiencing gusts of over 30 knots it was a tough test and an excellent warm up for the fleet who had to beat all the way to the Eddystone lighthouse off Plymouth and experience a fast run back to the Solent.

French boats dominated the results taking three out of the top four places with Noel Racine's Foggy Dew the overall winner. Foggy Dew, a JPK 10.10 and one of the smallest boats in the race, found the conditions very tough but finished the 230 mile course in 33 hours - seven hours behind the line honours winner, the Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens with her owner Piet Vroon on board. Second overall was another French yacht, the JPK 9.6 Ultreia!, owned by Matthias Kracht. Amazingly, Matthias was sailing in and won the Two-Handed Class. Considering the weather conditions this is a pretty special feat. Both Noel and Matthias were unable to comment today, as they were delivering their yachts back to France!

The RORC Season's Points Championship goes from strength to strength with 140 yachts entered for the forthcoming Myth of Malham Race. The 230-mile race, around the Eddystone Lighthouse, mirrors the start of this year's Rolex Fastnet Race, which is definitely a big factor in such an impressive turn out. The Myth of Malham is one of the longest races in the RORC calendar. It is a test of endurance and concentration and is extremely tactical, especially with regards to the strong tides that flow along the south west coast of England. The race also carries a weighted points factor, making it even more important for the RORC Season's Points Championship.

The holder of the Myth of Malham Trophy is Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, which was in fine form last time out, winning the De Guingand Bowl. However, there will be the biggest RORC fleet so far this season looking to win the coveted prize. Jonathan Goring's brand new Ker 40, Keronimo, is set to make its long awaited race debut. As does Ian Smyth's Grand Soleil 46, Bella Donna and Edward Broadway's First 40, Carpe Diem. Three Class 40s are also entered, Mark Denton's Class 40, MAXVMG will be taking on Catherine Pourre's Eärwen and Richard Crossley, sailing Les Conquerants de Normandie.

Mike Greville's Ker 39, Erivale III, won the Myth of Malham Trophy in 2008; a year that typified the wide variety of conditions in late May.

John Loden will be aboard various boats during the season doing a short video of each race from the perspective of a particular boat.

John was aboard Yeoman of Wight for the Cervantes Trophy Race and on John B for the De Guingand Bowl.

His videos can be found in John Loden's Videos on Vimeo. We will also keep you updated on our Facebook Page.

The Rolex Fastnet is more than just a race. When the British Isles weather conspires to deliver conditions typical of the time of year it becomes a true test of human endeavour. It is for this reason that the 608-nautical mile race consistently attracts a large and varied fleet: man and machine set against the elements. The 44th edition, which starts from Cowes on Sunday, 14 August 2011, is no exception. The entry list opened in early January and within ten days was closed. The 300-boat limit reached with record speed.

The fateful 1979 race still holds the record for most yachts to start: 303. That number may well be broken this year. Organiser, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), inundated with requests from the `professional' classes such as the Volvo Open 70s, the IMOCA 60s, Class 40s and Multihulls, has determined that these entrants will be counted above the 300-boat limit: an excellent decision for all those with an ambition to take on one of the biggest, offshore classics in the world of yacht racing.

Read the complete Article on the Minisite:  [Rolex Fastnet Race: Tortoises & Hares]