Please select your home edition
Edition
North Sails Loft 57 Podcast

RORC IRC National Championships - Overall

by James Boyd 13 Sep 2020 21:51 PDT 11-13 September 2020

Mid-September it may be, but conditions for the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 2020 IRC championships felt more like June this weekend, with shorts and T-shirts conditions and allowing a full schedule of racing to be laid on by PRO Stuart Childerley and his team. The event concluded today with two windward-leeward races on the central-eastern Solent in more variable and generally lighter winds than on Friday or Saturday.

Despite being new to their A35 Arcus, John Howell and Paul Newell's crew managed perfect scorelines on day one and today to win not just IRC Three, but the IRC National Championship overall. Given their lack of familiarity with their boat, to earn themselves this coveted title, said Newell "...was beyond our wildest expectations. We were trying to improve our crew and it turned out to be a very successful first outing - an amazing result! It has been a fantastic regatta. There's been some great racing. I haven't heard a bad word said about it - thanks very much RORC."

Conditions this weekend allowed the Arcus crew to try out all their sails including their #1 jib in today's lighter winds. "Today was a lot nicer although there was a weird tide line and IRC Two weren't taking any prisoners when we got in among them," continued Newell.

Demonstrating how the RORC's IRC rating rule smiles on professionals and amateurs alike, the Arcus crew is firmly in the latter camp, comprising principally co-owners Howell and Newell and their sons, who come from the Buckinghamshire area.

At the opposite end of the IRC spectrum, a 1-3 today was enough to comfortably secure Niklas Zennström's FAST40+ Rán victory by five points in IRC One, but a few uncharacteristic blemishes on their scoreline dropped them to second overall.

Having led the fleet around the race track this weekend, Tony Langley's TP52 Gladiator finally made up her time to secure her first win of the event in today's final windward-leeward. "I was a bit rusty, but it is just like falling off a bike!" quipped Langley. "What a great weekend - we couldn't have picked better weather. It was very enjoyable, nice conditions and good race management. It was nice to be back on the water." This was Langley's first event of 2020.

The hardest fought victory across the three classes was that of 2012 winner David Franks aboard his J/112E Leon. They had been handicapped with Franks only coming out of COVID-19 isolation on Friday; maths not working in their favour from the event's mandatory crew number reduction rules (for social distancing), but mainly from being one of the lowest rated boats in IRC Two and having to find lanes and constantly fight their way up through the fleet. On the plus side the Leon crew had sailed together previously this year. Otherwise, Franks had no complaints: "It has been fabulous, a very good event, well organised. It was lovely to see so many boats out on the Solent."

Leon posted a 1-2 today with Robert Bottomley's MAT 12 Sailplane 3 first in the final race. "Normally we do well in the light, despite the fact that we are the smallest boat," continued Franks. "Today the wind's velocity was going up and down and was all over the place in direction, so it was hard to know what was going on. It was very challenging, a lot of work."

Running alongside has been the IRC Two-Handed Nationals. With the increased popularity of this discipline due to it being social distancing-friendly and becoming an Olympic event for Paris 2024, the fleet was packed with talent. Going into the final day Dee Caffari and James Harayda on the Sun Fast 3300 Gentoo was tied with Jeremy Waitt and double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson on Richard Palmer's JPK 10.10 Jangada. However a 1-3 was enough to secure Gentoo the title as Jangada's 4-4.5 caused her to drop off the podium, albeit just one point short of second.

Caffari and Harayda coming second in the Drheam Cup was enough to gain them the GBR berth in the recent EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship, where their result was disappointing. As Caffari explained: "We were selected, but had to pay to go: We went to Italy, sailed in an unknown venue on an unknown boat with no support. We had a good inshore race and then made some critical errors offshore and didn't have the performance we wanted. We were determined to come here and prove a point about why we were selected. We are delighted with our result."

Gentoo was launched in today's first race, consolidating their lead on the second leg of their round the cans race by committing to their powerful Code 0 early, but then suffering after being rolled by Gladiator.

Caffari was pleased by the quality of the fleet: "A lot of sailors were here who know what they are doing and know these waters and the tides. It is about eliminating errors and getting around the course cleanly."

Behind them it was close with second to fifth places separated by just 1.5 points. Ultimately it was Gareth Edmondson and former Artemis Offshore Academy graduate Hugh Brayshaw, who came home second on countback after winning today's second race by just 16 seconds. Sailing a chartered Sun Fast 3600, this result was a complete surprise for Edmondson who praised his co-skipper, with whom he last sailed doublehanded offshore two years ago. "Hugh is the genius and I just do as I'm told - an autohelm that speaks!" However Brayshaw added their success was down to trust and relying on each other. Both were delighted to be out on the water for the first time this season: "It was fantastic with people simply being able to sail and race and compete. And the standard seemed very high. It was very tight."

Due to social distancing restrictions no prize-giving was held.

Full results available here.

Related Articles

Admiral's Cup AC2 Class
Offshore legends, small boats, big test In the 2025 Admiral's Cup, AC2 features smaller boats than their AC1 team mates but the challenge is every bit as tough, if not tougher. This is where elite skill meets raw offshore endurance. Posted on 9 Jul
Django Team to represent Italy at Admiral's Cup
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches two-boat campaign in historic return of the elite offshore race After a 20-year hiatus, the Admiral's Cup is back - and Italy is ready to make a bold return to one of offshore sailing's most legendary stages. Posted on 9 Jul
Meet the CYCA's Admiral's Cup Team
Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique. Posted on 9 Jul
Sailing's Glitterati prepare for the Admiral's Cup
The depth and quality of talent is truly breathtaking. The 2025 Admiral's Cup is shaping up to be one of the most compelling editions in the event's storied history, featuring a glittering constellation of the sport's elite. Posted on 8 Jul
2025 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race Preview
The thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race is the thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship—the world's largest offshore racing series. Posted on 7 Jul
A dream realised for Litchfield's Hound
The Nielsen 59 Hound finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 Dan Litchfield's classic Nielsen 59 Hound, co-skippered by Tom Stark, finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 in an elapsed time of 16 Days, 08 Hours, 49 Mins and 22 Secs. Posted on 7 Jul
Peter Burling shows new sailing direction
Peter Burling chases new race record with French 105ft foiling trimaran Three times America's Cup winnning skipper Peter Burling will join the crew of the Ultim SVR-Lazartigue for the upcoming Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC One preview
Beyond the French legends there is plenty of international talent with podium potential With 17 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race to his name, including five class victories along the way and an outright victory in 2015, could anyone bet against Géry Trentesaux doing it again? Posted on 4 Jul
B&G support Admiral's Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race
Providing a fully equipped Technical Support Hub at Cowes Yacht Haven B&G®, the world's leading sailing electronics manufacturer, today announced its support of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Admiral's Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race 2025, delivering expert technical support and tailored on-site services throughout the event. Posted on 4 Jul
Unforgettable Transatlantic Race 2025 finish
First to arrive was Ocean Fifty Calamity, co-skippered by Timo Tavio and Kimo Nordström. It was rush hour in Cowes on Day 15 of the west-to-east Transatlantic Race 2025, as boats crossed the finish line in Cowes within minutes of each other after an epic 3,000-mile battle for top honors in IRC 1. Posted on 3 Jul
Rooster 2025Barton Marine Pipe GlandsNorth Sails Loft 57 Podcast