EAORA Offshore Regatta 2025
by Paul Wood 7 Jul 02:16 PDT
Ramsgate start line in the EAORA Offshore Regatta 2025 © EAORA
Fourteen boats started the RORC East Coast Race, the 120 mile Fastnet qualifier from Harwich to Ostend on Thursday June 26. Former EAORA chairman Tony Merewether started the race from his yacht Amazon, anchored west of North Shelf, a change of start line which allowed Richard Matthews' Carkeek 52 Oystercatcher XXXV, with 3.6 m draft, to remain in deep water at the pin end.
There were three Belgian entries: Ragazza (IV), Mills 37, owned by Jan Gabriel, commodore of the Royal North Sea YC, Anne Bonny, Swan 46, sailed by Sigrid Huyghe and an all-girl crew, the first ever all-female Belgian entry in the Fastnet, and Leda, sailed by Jan Toussein from the Royal Belgium SC. Chris and Karen Hames sailed south from Hull with their Classic Sparkman & Stevens designed Tramp of Airlie to take part in the race.
Oystercatcher XXXV took line honours in just over 11 hours and also won overall on corrected time taking the RBYC's Bob Stewart Memorial Trophy, RORC's Blackwater Trophy for Class 0/1 and RORC's Ailish Salver, for the first boat to finish.
Second overall was Sunstone, another Sparkman & Stephens classic owned by Will & Jenny Taylor Jones, with their son and daughter Samuel and Isobel playing a major part in the yacht's performance.
Simon Farren with A40 Warrior, top scoring EAORA boat in the recent RORC North Sea Race, was third overall, with ten men on board.
The course set by Race Officer Andy Wise took the boats down the Kings Channel and then back up to Long Sand Head, before crossing the North Sea. Initially conditions were benign, but as the fleet got closer to Belgium the winds increased and a few boats needed sail repairs when they arrived.
Boats not needing to qualify for the Fastnet had the option of a more direct (80 mile) race to Ostend, the Amazon Cup, to join the regatta weekend. Five started, with one retirement. Robert Legget with X332 Ape-X was across in 10 hours, whilst Simon Garner with Trapper TS250, Bushwakka, the smallest boat in the fleet, took 13.5 hours. Ape-X won overall. Second was Borsalino II, a Trintella, owned by James Fisher, sailing double handed with his daughter Lizzie.
The Royal North Sea YC put on a fine barbeque on the Friday evening for the prize-giving. It was Ostend at its best, clear blue sky, lovely food and bar part subsidised by EAORA.
Saturday was a tough day for many, with an early start for the Medway YC's Cannonball Race to Ramsgate. There were fourteen starters, but the winds increased throughout the day causing three retirements.
An EAORA stalwart was heard saying that in all the years he had raced he hadn't seen such big seas off North Foreland. Later that evening there was live music and a prize-giving in the Royal Temple YC.
Sunstone was first on corrected time, Warrior was second and third was William Sunnucks with Grand Soleil 46.3 Sweet Caroline.
There was another early start on the Sunday for the Walker Challenge Cup race back to Harwich. There were twelve yachts on the start line, but as they day went on and the wind dropped, and the foul tide, there was a steady trickle of retirements. Just two sat it out, finishing in around fourteen hours. First overall went to Paul Scott with Sigma 38 Spirit and second was Stephen Hendry with Beneteau 40.7 Flying Fish.
For full results of the regatta see www.eaora.org.uk
Shorter series:
1 Ape-X, Robert Leggett
2 Bushwakka, Simon Garner
3 Why Not, Richard Hudson
Longer series:
1 Sunstone, Will & Jenny Taylor-Jones
2 Warrior, Simon Farren
3 Spirit, Paul Scott
The Offshore Regatta saw 140 people enjoying Ostend and Ramsgate. A big thank-you to the Royal North Sea YC and the Royal Temple YC and their race officer Andy Kettingham. Haven Ports YC helped with the start and finish of the regatta. Five committee members helped with the logistics and there were two committee boats in Ostend: Andy Wise and Sally with their Fairey Huntsman Jayne, and my boat Windrunner. Unfortunately, both boats had problems after the event which is why there has been a slight delay with this report and the results going live.
EAORA thanks all the competitors for making it such a memorable weekend.