Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

Thrilling racing underway at the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup

by Louay Habib 22 May 2021 22:47 PDT 21-23 May 2021

Racing got under way at the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Vice Admiral's Cup on Saturday 22nd May with four highly competitive races for all eight classes. The gale that had blown through the Solent the previous day had passed, but there was a moody sky as the 55-strong fleet headed out to the combat zone.

A gentle breeze from the southwest, oscillated during the day providing shifty conditions. The wind speed varied under a pewter sky with glimpses of sunshine breaking through. Over 20 knots blasted in from the Western Solent for the final race of the day to create a thrilling, full-on foam up finale.

Quarter Tonner Class

Sam Laidlaw's BLT leads the class having claimed two race wins today. Olivia Dowling's Catch won the last two races to finish the day in second place. Julian Metherell's Bullit is third. Stories resonate throughout the fleet, but one that really tells the tale behind the return to racing after lockdown, is from the Quarter Tonner Class.

Olivia Dowling's Catch is a beautifully prepared yacht, but due to family commitments she has not had the time to sail her for a while. Racing in the highly competitive fleet, Olivia was especially keen to get the better of husband Niall Dowling, racing Per Elisa in the same class.

Niall commented after racing: "I made the mistake of tacking on Olivia in the first race and that obviously got her going, because it was the last time we got anywhere near her for the rest of the day! I have to say a big 'thank you' to the RORC Race Team that produced a really professional performance in difficult conditions. I am sure I

FAST40+ Class

Niklas Zennström's Rán won two of today's races to finish the day top of the leaderboard. Peter Morton's Jean Genie is in second place, no doubt enjoying his first race victory in his new boat, beating Rán by just over a minute in Race 3. Christian Hamilton & Guy Gillon's Fast40+ Khumbu got off to a great start, taking line honours and the corrected time win in Race 1. Khumbu finished the day in third place, just two points ahead of Ino XXX, with RORC Commodore James Neville at the helm.

Performance 40 Class

Rob Bottomley's Mills 42 Sailplane 3 had a spectacular day, scoring three bullets to top the class after four races. Michael Blair & Stevie Beckett's King 40 Cobra is second having scored all podium finishes. David Cummins' Ker 39 Rumbleflurg is third having scored a win in Race 2 by just nine seconds after IRC time correction. Andrew McIrvine's Ker 39 La Réponse is just a point off the podium.

J/111 Class

Tony Mack's McFly leads the class by just one point from Cornel Riklin's Jitterbug with both boats scoring a pair of wins each. Chris Jones & Louise Makin's Journeymaker II had a very consistent day to finish the day in third place.

"We knew where we wanted to go on the racecourse and getting a good start in a one design fleet meant we didn't have a bigger boat taking our lane," explained Jitterbug's Ritchie Hinde-Smith. Full credit to the race team for laying excellent windward leeward courses which gave us all thrilling racing where you had to be at the top of your game. This is our fourth outing as a team this year and it all clicked together, plus our new North 1.5 headsail was really fast straight out of the bag."

J/109 Class

David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish leads the J/109 class after four races, finishing the day in style by winning the final two races. Christopher Burleigh's Jybe Talkin' scored a second place in the final race to move up to second for the class. Mike Yates' Jago was scoring well but had to retire before the start of the final race with a minor crew injury. Jago is third on countback from Mojo Risin' skippered by Rob Cotterill.

Cape31 Class

Russell Peters' Squirt had a perfect start to the Cape 31 UK season winning all of today's races. Lance Adams' Katabatic came within 20 seconds of winning Race 2 and finished the day in second place. Simon Perry's Jiraffe is third on countback from Tor McLaren's Gallivanter III.

HP30 Class

Glyn Locke's Toucan opened their defence of their Vice Admiral's Cup title with three straight bullets. In the final race, a real ripper, with the HP30s planing at terrific speed. Jerry Hill & Richard Faulkner's Farr 280 Moral Compass took the win to finish the day in second place. Three boats are within a point of each other for third. Jamie Rankin's Farr 280 Pandemonium scored a third in the final race to place just a point ahead in the series from Lucian Stone's Fareast 28 Vendetta and Jonathan Powell's Farr 280 Peggy.

SB20 Class

The SB20 Class was an awesome sight today, especially in the final race, scorching downwind in a ball of spray. Stephen Procter's Xcellent scored three race wins, but a seventh place in Race 3 means that Xcellent only leads the class on countback from Tom Neilson's team. Richard McAdam's Breaking Bod is third.

After racing, a dinner was held at the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Cowes Clubhouse with social distanced dining for over 70 competitors, members and guests. The RORC Vice Admiral's Cup will conclude tomorrow Sunday 23rd May.

Results can be found here.

For more information, go to www.rorc.org

Related Articles

A+T Wind Sensors lead Admiral's Cup results
The top four teams were using A+T wind sensors and parts The top four teams in the Admiral's Cup were using A+T wind sensors and parts. Together with victory in this year's Vendée Globe on Macif, this is proving A+T's reputation as the toughest and the best wind sensor available. Posted on 11 Aug
Double Down
Rahan, Léon, and Toucan - all great efforts, all winners, and all oceans apart Still blown away by the incredible efforts of Rahan in the Transpac, and now there is Léon in the Fastnet, and here in Australia, Toucan scores int he Sydney to Gold Coast race Posted on 10 Aug
Cowes Week 2025 overall
Fabulous, flying finish With the spectacle of many of the fleets finishing in the sunshine, downwind under spinnaker, this year's Cowes Week concluded in style. Posted on 8 Aug
Cowes Week 2025 day 6
Breeze and competition ramps up The penultimate day of Cowes Week 2025 delivered great winds with some fruity gusts and choppy seas to challenge competitors as the competition for the top prizes heats up. Posted on 7 Aug
Youth Day at Cowes Week gallery from Ingrid Abery
Photos from Wednesday's racing in the Solent We have a great gallery of gratuitous transom shots from Ingrid Abery, who was working tirelessly on the Solent on Wednesday to record the action. Posted on 7 Aug
Amarris crowned IRC Two-Handed European Champion
Combined results from RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo and the Rolex Fastnet Race After a season of adversity and determination, French sailor Achille Nebout has claimed the 2025 IRC Two-Handed European Championship, rounding off an extraordinary campaign racing with two teammates; Gildas Mahé and Tanguy Bouroullec. Posted on 7 Aug
Cowes Week 2025 day 5
Flying Jenny wins the Britannia Cup The biggest boats in Class Zero today were joined today by Tony Langley's Gladiator, which will be racing for the rest of the week. The battle for the Britannia Cup was between these giants, IRC1 and the Cape 31s. Posted on 6 Aug
EAORA boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race
East Coast sailors fight as hard as everyone else to reach the podium Most EAORA entrants finished within the top half of the 450-strong fleet taking part in the Rolex Fastnet Centenary race. Posted on 6 Aug
Rolex Fastnet Race video and wrap-up
A worthy record-breaking centenary edition In stark contrast to the motley seven cruisers and decommissioned pilot cutters of the first Fastnet Race in 1925, this year's edition continued to break records, setting sail on 26 July with 444 entries. Posted on 6 Aug
Ladies Day at Cowes Week gallery from Tom Hicks
Cowes was at its very best on Tuesday after storm Floris had passed through Cowes was at its very best on Tuesday after storm Floris had passed through, providing the sailors with perfect conditions for racing. Tom Hicks was out on the water to catch the action! Posted on 6 Aug
Palm Beach Motor YachtsC-Tech 2020 Tubes 728x90 BOTTOMAllen Dynamic 40 Footer