International Cast for RORC Channel Race
Teams from all over the world will be racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club this weekend in the RORC Channel Race, the 11th race of the RORC Season’s Points Championship, which precedes next month’s Rolex Fastnet Race. Teams from as far away as Australia, China, and Russia, will compete with teams from all over Europe and Scandinavia. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, a course of up to160nm will be chosen by the RORC Race Management team. 80 teams are expected to be racing for the overall win, decided by the best corrected time under IRC, the rating rule administered by the RORC and the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL).
IRC Zero
12 teams will be racing in IRC Zero, the largest fleet for the big boat class since the 2019 RORC Caribbean 600. Three teams are likely to compete for Line Honours: VO65 Team Brunel raced by a mainly Finnish crew, led by Robert Staeuber (SUI) and Ysbrand Endt (NED). VO65 Ambersail II will be sailed by a predominantly Polish crew, but also include the combined talents of Brian Thompson (GBR), and Nicholas Lunven (FRA). Also, one of the favourites for Line Honours will be Maxi72 Sorcha, sailed by Peter Harrison (GBR) with Steve Hayles (GBR) navigating.
After IRC time correction, a multitude of teams have a proven track record including; Botin IRC 52 Tala – David Collins (GBR), Cookson 50 Kuka 3 – Franco Niggeler (SUI), Cookson 50 Riff Raff – Brian McMaster (AUS), NMYD 54 Teasing Machine – Eric de Turkheim (FRA), Ker 46 Lady Mariposa – Nigel King (GBR), and Ker 43 Baraka GP – Harmen de Graaf (NED)
IRC One
Class leader for the season, A13 Phosphorous II – Mark Emerson (GBR) will be in action, but five of the top teams in the class will not be racing. Several teams have the chance to climb up the leaderboard, including HH42 Ino XXX – James Neville (GBR) , Ker 40 Keronimo – Lars & Birgitta Elfverson (SWE), J/112 Darkwood – Michael O’Donnell (IRL), and Corby 38 Double Edge – Chris Schram (NED).
The much travelled Lombard 46 Pata Negra will be sailed by a Chinese team for the Rolex Fastnet Race. XP-44 Xtra Staerk skippered by Arto Linnervuo (FIN) is back racing with the RORC with his Finnish crew. The Tall Ships Youth Trust has three entries, all with sail training crew. Cowes Race School’s Corby 45 Incisor – James Gair (GBR), and Ker 46 Tonnerre de Glen – Dominique Tian (FRA), will also be in action.
IRC Two
JPK 11.80 Sunrise – Tom Kneen (GBR), will be looking to extend their class lead for the RORC season. Sun Fast 3600 Tigris sailed Two-Handed by Gavin Howe (GBR) has an opportunity to improve on their impressive fifth in class for this season. Skylander – Yuri Fadeev (RUS) is the leading First 40 for the season, but hard on the Russian’s heels are Sailing Logic’s fleet of First 40s. Hoping to take the lead after the Channel Race will be Lancelot II – Jon Tyrrell (GBR) and Arthur Logic – Jim Bennet (GBR). Cowes based Performance Yacht Racing have two boats racing, Grand Soleil 43 Quokka 8 and J/120 Sunset, with the crews for next month’s Rolex Fastnet Race. J/122 Jolly Jellyfish will be sailed by the Seaventus Russian Offshore Racing Club, skippered by Vladimir Chirkov (RUS), a past competitor in the Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Sydney Hobart.
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