RORC Cowes-Dinard-St.Malo Race preview – 97 yachts ready to compete

by Louay Habib on 6 Jul 2016 The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season Points Championship continues this weekend with 97 yachts competing for a magnificent trophy. Over 700 sailors will make up teams from France, Great Britain and the Netherlands including World record breakers, passionate Corinthians and young aspiring sailors. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, Cowes at 11:00 on Friday 8th July. Spectators will get a magnificent view of the fleet from Cowes Green and The Esplanade.

The course takes the competing yachts out of the Solent and across the English Channel where the fleet must leave all of the Channel Islands to port including the Casquets and Les Hanois lighthouses, encountering strong tidal streams and rocky coastlines but avoiding the notorious tidal gate that is the Alderney Race.

After Les Hanois the fleet can turn south skirting the edge of Les Minquiers before finishing outside the ancient wall city of St. Malo. Without question the race is one of the most important in the annual calendar, pre-dating the Royal Ocean Racing Club by almost 20 years, the overall winner is awarded the impressive, gold plated, King Edward VII Cup, which was first presented by the British monarch to the Club Nautique de la Rance at Dinard in 1906.

There were tears of joy last year when François Lognoné lifted the famous trophy, the Frenchman hails from St.Malo and races with his son Corentin on MC 34 Nutmeg Solidaire En Peloton. “It is a family tradition, I have raced with my father every year since I was 15” commented Corentin Lognoné. “We race in Cowes and St. Malo a lot so for the race to start and finish in waters we know, maybe an advantage and last year the conditions gave a lot of reaching, which was good for us. Looking at the weather this year, it may be a beat to the finish, which will probably favour other boats in our class but we will do our best and enjoy the celebrations at the SNB de St Malo.”

It took one entry just nine hours 12 minutes and 35 seconds to complete the course last year. Tony Lawson's Concise 10, skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield, scorched around the track, setting a new race record. “It is looking like we will have light upwind conditions, so it is unlikely we can beat our record” commented Ned. “However, we will be using the race to improve our upwind performance and it is looking like a quick downwind trip back. The team has come a long way since last year and the race gives us more valuable time on the water in the lead up to the RORC Transatlantic Race this November.”

Last year Mike Slade's Maxi Leopard smashing their own Monohull record by over two hours in an elapsed time of 11 hours 57 minutes and 53 seconds. Slade's Leopard will not be on the start line this year but IMOCA 60 Artemis Ocean Racing, skippered by Mikey Ferguson, and Lionel Pean's Volvo 70 Sfs II will have an interesting battle in IRC Canting Keel. Artemis Ocean Racing crew will include Vendee Globe skipper, Dee Caffari who has sailed around the world five times including the Vendee Globe and the Volvo Ocean Race. Dee will be coaching three young British hopefuls on board, who aspire to race in the 2020 Vendee Globe; Nikki Curwen, Lizzie Foreman and Conrad Manning.

“The Vendee 2020 Vision is a bold initiative and one I am delighted to be part of” commented Dee. “Artemis Ocean Racing are giving the Artemis Academy alumni access to their Open 60 with the skipper Mikey Ferguson and I on board to coach and help them develop some solo skills stepping up to a big boat. It has been varied conditions, everything from thick fog and light winds to bumpy seas and 29 knots of wind. There really is no rest as if they are not busy with the action then they are working on their passage making and practising their personal and boat management, which is just as important when sailing solo.”

Having secured third overall in the Volvo Round Ireland Race, Nick Jones' First 44.7 Lisa now leads the RORC Season's Points Championship. Robert Nelson's Two-handed J/105 Bigfoot is second with Noel Racine's JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew third. All three yachts will be competing this weekend.