Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

Black Sheep wins 2024 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race - Cowes - Le Havre

by Royal Ocean Racing Club 22 Apr 2024 06:25 PDT 20 April 2024
Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep - 2024 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race © Paul Wyeth / RORC

The Cervantes Trophy Race is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Société des Régates du Havre.

RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole reported glorious conditions for the start off the Squadron Line with 14 knots from the north west giving a fast downwind sail through the Western Solent. The 110-mile race to Le Havre was all off the breeze in Spring sunshine. However, south of the Isle of Wight, the wind faded, causing the fleet to compress. The wind picked up mid-Channel to provide thrilling close finishes right through the IRC Classes.

The overall winner of the RORC Cervantes Trophy Race after IRC time correction was Trevor Middleton's Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep. Second overall was Ian Hoddle's Sun Fast 3300 Game On, racing with Ollie Wyatt. Game On was also the winner in IRC Two Handed. Third overall and second in IRC Two Handed was Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing with RORC Commodore Deb Fish.

Black Sheep's Skipper Jake Carter commented about winning The Cervantes Trophy. "After a good start, we settled in for a great spinnaker run down the Western Solent," commented Jake. "After the Needles we gybed inshore, keeping the kite flying, while other boats stayed on west with Code Zeros. This paid initially but the wind went east and the offshore boats gained back on us. When the wind died down, we had one of those dis-heartening moments when we stopped and everyone else kept going, but on Black Sheep our heads didn't go down. At the end of the race, we got further east than the competition, the tide had changed and we were not fighting it as much. We made a late gain there for sure."

Congratulations to all of the class winners for the Cervantes Trophy Race including Philippe Benaben's Sun Fast 3200 Platypus, Samuel Duménil's JPK 960 Casamyas and Didier Bouillard's Dazcat 1295 Minor Swing. Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine's J/133 Pintia won their class, taking Line Honours into their home Port Le Havre.

2024 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race Results

In IRC Zero, Mark Emerson's A13 Phosphorus II took the win from Clipper Event's Ambitious, skippered by Guy Waites. In IRC One, Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine's J/133 Pintia won their class. Second was Richard Powell's First 40 Rogan Josh, ahead of Derek Shakespeare's J/122 Bulldog.

In a 17-strong IRC Two-Handed fleet, Game On's victory was very close. The reigning RORC Season's Points Champion Bellino was under four minutes behind after IRC time correction. Simon Toms's Sun Fast 3300 Zephyr, racing with Josh Dawson had an even closer battle for third. Winning by just nine seconds after IRC time correction from Gareth Edmondson's JPK 1030 Insert Coin, racing with Ian Turnbull.

Game On's Ian Hoddle was delighted to win his first RORC race of the season in IRC Two-Handed. "Ollie (Wyatt) and I are very pleased with result," commented Ian. " It was a tough race, especially as the weather didn't correlate with any of our weather files until the end. I would say the defining decision was staying in a middle lane from the Needles for the shut downs off the island. The fleet closer to St Cath's got hit hard and we increased our lead. We stayed close to the rhumb line as we crossed the Channel and stayed in a lead group including Pintia. I think we had good tactics and we are very pleased with our boat speed and manoeuvres.

In Hindsight, our only mistake was staying with our Code Zero in the final 15 miles. Blacksheep were on our tail and then popped up a kite and got ahead of us. We had a close fight with Bellino across the Channel but managed to pull away. As always, it's never over until the line; Bellino came in very fast at the end (probably with spinnaker) and closed the gap."

In IRC Three, Philippe Benaben's Sun Fast 3200 Platypus based in Le Havre was the victor. Jean-Lin Flipo's J/99 Yalla! from Cherbourg was second. Francois Tirveilliot's Sun Fast 3200 Aldebaran from Deauville was third. In IRC Four the winner was Samuel Duménil Casamyas from Le Havre.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club has chartered two Sun Fast 30 One Designs for the 2024 season, which will be raced by youth sailors as the RORC Griffin Teams. 300 sailors aged 18 to 30 applied. After Selections Weekends and further coaching, two selected Griffin Teams took part in the Cervantes Trophy Race. Cap Polaris, co-skippered by Charlotte Schneider & Joe Walters and Cap Sela, co-skippered by Rosie Hill & Matt Beecher. Both Griffin Teams completed the race with Cap Polaris the first Griffin Team to finish.

Charlotte Schneider commented after the race: "The biggest challenge was definitely dealing with the prevailing weather conditions," commented Charlotte. "Many hours went into preparing the navigation and we had a plan. But you learn that plans have to change quickly on the water when the wind comes from a completely different direction than expected. This was the first time we have sailed the boat in light wind, so we had to learn how to get the best speed during the race. Now we definitely know more! I think we can be satisfied with the result and we positioned ourselves well with the other Sun Fast 30 ODs."

For more pictures of the 2024 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race, Visit the RORC Gallery

The next RORC offshore race will be the Myth of Malham starting from Cowes on the 4th of May. The 230-mile race around the Eddystone Lighthouse and back mirrors the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. The Myth of Malham Race is the fifth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, the world's largest offshore racing series with trophies and races dating back over 100 years.

For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: www.rorc.org

Related Articles

Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Four preview
The pinnacle of grass roots sailing has 97 entries The very largest yachts, including the 100ft Ultim foiling trimarans and 60ft IMOCAs are an essential part of the spectacle of the Fastnet Race, however a critical element in the race's enduring appeal is that this is predominately a grass roots event. Posted today at 7:36 pm
RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race concludes
Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijf, completed a remarkable hat-trick Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG and the Royal Yacht Squadron. Posted today at 2:56 pm
Double Double
And the rest of the line is not toil and trouble, but quadruple, then another double… On the eve of the 100th Fastnet that has attracted some 464 entries, I heard of one entry in this record fleet that seemed so very apt. Not only because it includes the Commodore of the RORC, but because it combines two Brits and two Aussies. Posted on 13 Jul
2025 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race Start Photos
Martin Augustus of sailingimages.co.uk was out in the sunshine as the fleet sailed out of the Solent The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, the thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, started on Friday and Martin Augustus was on hand to catch the action in the Western Solent as they made their way in the sunshine towards Dinard. Posted on 12 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Three preview
This has produced the overall winner of two of the last six editions IRC Three may consist of smaller, slower and in some cases older boats than those that will garner headlines in the first couple of days of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 11 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race: IRC Two Preview
With 73 entries in IRC Two, the Rolex Fastnet Race is set to deliver a striking display. Could two new JPK 1050s upset the apple cart in IRC Two? Jean-Pierre Kelbert has a habit of breaking the mould in IRC racing, and his new 34-footer may well be a game changer in this competitive division with 73 entries. Posted on 11 Jul
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
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERPredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMAllen Dynamic 40 Footer