RORC Transatlantic Race - Polishing up the silver

by Trish Jenkins on 4 Jul 2014 Two magnificent perpetual trophies will be awarded to winners of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's inaugural Transatlantic Race this November.

Departing from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, the first yacht to complete the course and cross the finish line, 2,800 miles later in Grenada, will be presented with an exquisite sterling silver trophy by the International Maxi Association (IMA).

An equally impressive trophy has been sought for the Overall Winner in IRC by the RORC and John Bowles, a specialist in sporting trophies, certainly came up trumps. The race may be new to the club's offshore racing calendar, but the magnificent antique sterling silver trophy is far from it.

Handmade in London in 1928 by John Parkes during the heyday of craftsmanship for such trophies, the RORC Transatlantic Race 2014 winner will be privileged to accept the 104 troy-ounce trophy that is beautifully chased with intricate decoration.

Standing a mighty 26 inches on its new, solid mahogany, plinth and measuring 17 inches from handle to handle, this December the silver records band will be engraved with the name of the first ever winner of the RORC Transatlantic Race under RORC's IRC rating system. The front cartouche is already hand engraved with the title of the race and the RORC Transatlantic Race logo, with the RORC Seahorse crest embellished on the rear.

As is the 'norm' for antique trophies of this quality, any previous engraving has been removed so its original purpose or background is unknown. However one thing is for sure, that competitors taking part in this annual east-west race will be battling it out across the Atlantic with their sights firmly set on winning one of these two magnificent prizes.

Both trophies will be awarded at the Prizegiving ceremony, to be held at Camper & Nicholsons Marina Port Louis, on the Spice Island of Grenada with Grenada Tourism Authority on Saturday 20th December 2014.

For further information on the RORC Transatlantic Race 2014, please visit: RORC Transatlantic.