2025 IRC UK National Championships - Overall
by Louay Habib / RORC 17 Jun 02:48 NZST
13-15 June 2025
The final day of the 2025 IRC National Championships, part of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, began on schedule, with a steady south-westerly breeze bringing yet another twist to the range of conditions experienced throughout the regatta. As the tide began to ebb from around 2pm, the shifting current added an extra layer of tactical complexity to the decisive races.
With all five IRC Class titles—and the coveted overall crown—still on the line, the Solent delivered a fitting arena for a thrilling finale. Every second counted as teams fought to the very end.
Congratulations to Adam Gosling's JPK 1080 Yes!, crowned Overall IRC National Champion for 2025.
"Winning the IRC Nationals for a fourth time really is something special—it's never easy, not by a long shot. While we enjoyed last year's edition in Poole, returning to Cowes feels like coming home. These are our local waters, and we love racing here. The venue, the atmosphere—it all clicked."
This year's Nationals were made even more memorable by being part of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary," commented Adam Gosling. "The collaboration between RORC and the Royal Thames has been fantastic, both on and off the water. You can feel the buzz around the place—it's got the energy and warmth of the old Cowes Week, maybe even hints of the Admiral's Cup days. The big boats are here, the pros are here, and so are us amateurs—we're all racing together, sharing the same racecourse. That's what makes it so thrilling."
The tented village setup has been brilliant. Everyone mingling, trading stories, talking a bit of nonsense about racing—it's exactly what sailing should be about. It's been an incredible few days of close, tactical racing, and the camaraderie ashore has been just as enjoyable. We're absolutely chuffed with the win." Concluded Adam Gosling.
The 2025 IRC Class Nationals Champions:
- IRC Zero - Karl Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste
- IRC One - Pierre Casiraghi's Carkeek 40 Jolt 6
- IRC Two - Richard Powell's First 40 Rogan Josh
- Overall and IRC Three - Adam Gosling's JPK 1080 Yes!
- IRC Four - Jamie McWilliam's BB10 Pelikanen
Full results
Half a Point, Whole Lot of Heart: Beau Geste Clinches IRC Zero
In the final encounter of the six race series, Karl Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste took the race win by 38 seconds from Niklas Zennstrom's Carkeek 52 Rán VIII to clinch the class victory by just half a point. Max Klink's Botin 52 Caro was a close second for the championships with Peter Harrison's TP52 Jolt 3 third by a single point. Just one and a half points was the margin from first to third, after six hard fought races.
"Winning IRC Zero was incredibly satisfying, but also one of the toughest regattas I've been part of," commented Beau Geste's Gavin Brady. "The competition was just relentless—every boat in the fleet brought something different, from the high-tech TP52s to larger boats like Black Pearl. There was never a moment to relax, because it felt like we were all arriving at the top mark at the same time. That's how close it was out there.
What really stood out was the diversity on the racecourse. It's not like a one-design regatta where you know what you're up against every time. Here, the IRC racing creates this beautiful chaos where different styles of boats are sailing to their own strengths but still finishing neck and neck. That's what makes this championship so special. You don't get that mix in many other sports.
Events like the IRC Nationals are a reminder of why we love this. The camaraderie, the war stories, the different crews from all corners of the sport—this is what yacht racing is really about. You get to compete fiercely on the water, then share a beer with someone you haven't seen since the last regatta. That's the spirit of racing."
Jolt 6 to the Top in Countback IRC One Victory
The top five boats in the twelve strong fleet duked it out for six high-octane races over three days. Karl Kwok's brand new Botin 40 Beau Ideal looked unstoppable after three straight bullets but Pierre Casiraghi's Carkeek 40 retaliated winning the next two races. James Murray's B&C 42 Callisto scored all podium finishes and top Cape 31 Flying Jenny with Sandra Askew on the helm was also in the mix. As was Chris Frost's Carkeek 40 AMP-lifi.
On the final day, Beau Ideal did just enough to hold off the competition but without an endorsed IRC certificate for the new creation, the IRC One National title was won by Jolt 6 on countback from Callisto with Flying Jenny out-scoring AMP-lifi to claim third.
Spiced to Perfection: Rogan Josh Cooks Up IRC Two Title
While the JPK 1180 Django, skippered by Michele Ivaldi scored five race wins in the regatta. The Italian rocket-ship that will represent the Yacht Club Esmeralda for the Admiral's Cup doesn't currently have an endorsed IRC certificate. Much to the delight of the team racing Richard Powell's First 40 Rogan Josh, the team from the amateur team from the Royal Thames YC is 2025 IRC Two National Champions. Similarly, Tom Kneen's Sunrise IV is not endorsed having finished the regatta in third place, resulting in Francois Goubau's First 47.7 Moana taking second for the championship by just two points. Richard Matthews' Corby 36 Oystercatcher 36 was third, just a point off second.
"Winning the IRC National Championship is absolutely fantastic and, to be honest, quite unexpected. Rogan Josh is a team that's been together for a while—we usually don't win things!" commented skipper Mark Thomas. "But everything just clicked over the last couple of days. The crew sailed incredibly well, and I couldn't be prouder.
"We had some seriously tough competition out there. We raced alongside boats we're familiar with, but also against international teams from all over the world. The standard was incredibly high, so to come out on top feels a bit surreal.
"Our team is a bit of a mix—we've got sailors from France and Italy, and we're also 50:50 male and female, which is quite rare. Freya, our tactician, was brilliant—she's the brains behind our operation—and Alice was right there on the grinding. It was a proper team effort, and everyone brought their strengths."
"The team came together through sailing and a fair bit of chatting in bars over the years. It's been a slow build over five years, and it's really satisfying to see that hard work and camaraderie finally pay off in such a big way."
Yes! Triumphs as Black Flag Ends Leon's Charge - IRC Three
Adam Gosling's JPK 1080 Yes! was the winner of IRC Three. James Chalmer's J/112 Happy Daize put in a consistent performance to finish second. David Frank's J/112 Leon had been challenging for the class and overall championship win but a Black Flag starting penalty on the final race pushed the team into third.
Hong Kong Flyer: McWilliam's BB10 Pelikanen Crushes It in Cowes - IRC Four
Jamie McWilliam's BB10 Pelikanen ruled in IRC Four with a string of bullets on the final day to win the class and the national title by eight points. Second was Stuart Cranston Quarter Tonner Purple Haize. The battle for third was won by Richard Hargreaves' 30 Square metre Aeolus on countback from Ovington & Batchelor's Half Tonner Headhunter.
"We were absolutely thrilled to take the win in IRC Four," commented McWilliam who had travelled from Hong Kong to compete. "It was a bit of a gamble turning up with Pelikanen, our BB10 - a bit of an old-school choice - but she's got real pedigree. We tracked the boat down after seeing one do well in Australia. She's a bit like an Etchells I usually race, but longer, heavier, with more sail.
"We've made some tweaks - a masthead kite, a big 165% genoa - and in the light stuff on Friday, those changes really paid off. We were nervous about the light breeze and the quarter and half tonners in our class, but it all came together. The boat's quick, low, and flat, so she just gets going. We were surprised to be ahead on the water!
"Best of all, it's a low-maintenance and we can trailer her to regattas we've always wanted to do - the Scottish Series, Falmouth, Ireland. That's what IRC's all about - a mix of new, old, production and custom boats racing hard and fairly. We'll definitely be back for Cowes Week and beyond. We're just delighted it all worked out."
As the sails come down on a thrilling edition of the IRC National Championships, heartfelt congratulations go to the Royal Thames Yacht Club for hosting a superb regatta on and off the water in celebration of its remarkable 250th anniversary.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club now shifts gears from inshore competition to true offshore adventure. Next up: the epic West to East Transatlantic Race. Starting Wednesday 18th June, this 3,000-mile ocean classic—co-organised by the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club, with support from the Royal Yacht Squadron and Storm Trysail Club—will see a fleet of boats racing under IRC racing from Newport, Rhode Island across the North Atlantic to the finish off Cowes, Isle of Wight.