Morgan Cup Race bound for Dartmouth
by Louay Habib 10 Jun 2021 16:34 AEST
11-12 June 2021
Over 70 yachts are expected for the Morgan Cup racing under IRC, MOCRA and Class40 rules © Rick Tomlinson / RORC
The Royal Ocean Racing Club Season's Points Championship continues with the Morgan Cup Race, which will start on Friday June 11th and finish at the historic town of Dartmouth, Devon. One of the jewels in the crown among West Country harbours, Dartmouth's shipbuilding heritage dates back to the 13th century. Over 70 yachts are expected for the Morgan Cup racing under IRC, MOCRA and Class40 rules.
"The race will start to the east at 1800, so it will be a different scenario to the Myth of Malham," commented RORC Deputy Racing Manager, Tim Thubron. "Weather forecasts show a variety of wind in both speed and direction for the race. A light to moderate westerly is predicted for the start, making for a spinnaker run east in the Solent. The fleet should be hardening up on the southside of the Isle of Wight with crews readying themselves for an overnight sail to Dartmouth. The wind is due to abate in the early hours of Saturday morning, which will add another dimension to the tactics. A big thank you to the Royal Dart Yacht Club, which has been extremely helpful in assisting the RORC. I am sure it will be a popular venue for teams that visit Dartmouth after the race."
Racing in IRC Zero, the highest rated and largest yacht will be the Carroll Marine 60 Venomous. Cowes based skipper James Gair is a previous winner of the Morgan Cup, and will be in charge of Venomous for his 14th Rolex Fastnet Race this August.
IRC One has numerous proven race winners in action including Myth of Malham Class winner xP44 Orange Mecanix2, skippered by Maxime de Mareuil. The highly competitive class includes Ed Fishwick's Redshift, Mark Emerson's Phosphorous II, Andrew Hall's Pata Negra, Andrew McIrvine's La Réponse, Michael O'Donnell's Darkwood, and David Cummins' Rumbleflurg.
IRC Two will feature two British JPK 1180s in action, Ed Bell's Dawn Treader and Tom Kneen's Sunrise. The latter fresh from an overall win in last weekend's East Coast Race. Christopher Daniel's J/122 Juno will also be racing, as will Ross Applebey's internationally successful Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster.
Over 30 teams are expected to be racing in IRC Three, including many teams racing Two-Handed. Fully crewed entries include Trevor Middleton's Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep. Skippered by Jake Carter, Black Sheep was the overall winner of the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship. Five J/109s will be racing fully crewed, including the Royal Naval Sailing Association's Jolly Jack Tar, skippered by Thomas Reed. The Royal Navy has been training service men and women in Dartmouth since 1863. The Britannia Royal Naval College is a majestic landmark above Dartmouth.
The Morgan Cup Race in 2019 was dominated by teams racing in IRC Two-Handed. William McGough, racing J/109 Just So, won the last edition of the Morgan Cup Race. Runner up was Tim Goodhew racing Sun Fast 3200 Cora, and third was Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino. All three will be racing in the 2021 edition of the race, which will feature 22 teams racing Two-Handed. James Harayda's Sun Fast 3300 Gentoo, racing with Dee Caffari, is the in-form team. Gentoo has won the Two-Handed Class for the RORC Spring Series and the Myth of Malham Race.
IRC Four includes Morgan Cup holder Just So and 2020 RORC Yacht of the Year Jangada, raced by Richard Palmer with Jeremy Waitt. Four Sun Fast 3200s will be in action and will have their own skirmish along the South Coast to Dartmouth. Classic yachts racing in IRC Four include Mike Greville's Bowman 44 Skadi, Giovanni Mazzocchi's Swan 44 Ithaka, Oliver Hughes' S&S 41 Easy Glider, and Stuart Greenfield's S&S 34 Morning After.
Yachts taking part in the Morgan Cup Race will start to gather off Cowes Parade from around 1700 on Friday 11th June. The RORC fleet can be tracked using the YB App for smartphones and tablets. For more information including the full entry list go to www.rorc.org/events/racing-events-2021/morgan-cup-race-2021
Results will be available with live updates at www.rorc.org