Royal Southern YC & Sunsail Racing hold a Biscay 2012 sign up open day

Peter Rutter and his Trustmarque Quokka crew sign up for Biscay 2012 © Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com

Come and look over the F40 and sign up for the inaugural Race

Interest in the Royal Southern Yacht Club's Biscay 2012 Offshore Race is already looking very positive with around 20 entries pledged to take part in this inaugural Race that starts in the Solent on September 16th. The Race will be run under ISAF CAT 2 coding.

The Southern announced its technical partnership with Sunsail Racing last August and has access to its fleet of Beneteau F40 cruiser/racing boats that can be chartered by Club members and other interested crews. As part of this relationship, the Royal Southern and Sunsail Racing are holding a ‘Sign Up’ Open Day on March 24th for anyone wishing to enter and to have a look over the F40, or to learn more about this new Race.

You don’t have to be a Club member to come along and everyone is welcome to meet the Royal Southern’s and Sunsail Racing’s representatives, ask questions about Biscay 2012 and have a look over the yacht that will be moored on the Club pontoon between 10am-4pm.

Created as a legacy to members from the Royal Southern in its 175th Anniversary year, the Race will be run as a biennial and an international event. This year’s start line will include crews representing several European and international yacht clubs.

Closer to home, the former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter and 2011 IRC National Championship title winner, Quokka, his Grand Soleil 43, will be racing in Biscay 2012 as part of their training programme for the ARC 2012.

Peter commented: “After many years of racing in the Solent and with RORC we have decided to set Trustmarque Quokka loose on wider seas. As members of the Royal Southern we were very excited to see the Biscay Race announced and immediately wanted to put it into our program. In addition for us, it will give us great training on our way to take part in the ARC racing division. We look forward to a competitive race with good company and as an extra incentive it will be my first time racing around the western end of Brittany as against just cruising. Come and join us.”

Erik the Barbarian, a Match 35 owned by Southern member Derek Blancke, has also signed up as has Andrew Hewett and Archibeau, his ARCHAMBAULT A35.

Entry details:

Competitors for Biscay 2012 are able to build their racing miles in the F40s in the Sunsail Racing Programme in the UK this year. The four Regattas in the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s 2012 summer racing programme and the Cowes-Deauville Race will also count towards crew familiarisation and in the latter case, part of crew qualification, for the Biscay 2012 Race.

The Notice of Race is also available to view and download on the ">Biscay 2012 website.

The Race Entry Form will be online from 7th March at www.biscay2012.co.uk

For more information call Natalie Gray, Sailing Secretary on: +44 (0)23 8045 0302 or Sunsail Racing: 0844 463 6851 or log onto www.biscay2012.co.uk