Classic Winsome wins RORC De Guingand Bowl Race 2026
by Louay Habib / RORC 31 May 10:27 PDT
30 May 2026
2026 RORC De Guingand Bowl © Rick Tomlinson / RORC
A classic yacht, a double handed breakthrough and a line honours duel measured in seconds gave the 2026 RORC De Guingand Bowl Race a rich mix of seamanship, speed and tactical racing.
With the course set around Solent and Channel marks, the fleet faced a proper offshore test where experience, sail handling and sharp decisions made the difference.
Harry Heijst's S&S 41 Winsome won the 2026 RORC De Guingand Bowl Race on IRC Overall after time correction. Ben Owens JPK 1010 Leonard, racing double handed with Luke Lawrence took second place, 13 minutes 29 seconds behind on corrected time, with Mark Brown's JPK 1010 Jetpack completing the overall podium, a further 5 minutes 56 seconds back.
"It all went so well, we did not make a mistake the whole race," enthused Harry Heijst. "On a boat like Winsome, if you get it wrong, it is a long time before you are back up to speed, so the crew work was really important. We had two people on board over 80, and they were steering like tigers for nearly the entire race. There were a couple of things we did very well, including a double gybe just before a buoy, a tack change for the bigger breeze; all the sail handling worked very well. We have done these manoeuvres for many years, and if you prepare properly, you do not lose a second.
When the wind came in after sunset, we were ready for it. We had already made our decisions, and we knew how to use the breeze. Approaching the marks, that was where the experience really counted. You have to be ahead of the boat, not behind it. The course was not easy. It felt like it would never end, but that is what made it a proper race. Winsome is an old boat, but with good crew work and experience, she can still win."
After an epic duel for Monohull Line Honours, Nick & Jacquetta Edmonds' J/45 Stickleback took the gun in an elapsed time of 14 Hours 12 Mins 14 Secs. In a tacking duel to the finish, RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare racing J/122 Bulldog was second to cross the finish line, just 73 seconds behind Stickleback. Multihull Line Honours went to Peter Coote's Dazcat 1295 Slinky Malinki in an elapsed time of 15 Hours 06 Mins 30 Secs.
In IRC One, Trevor Middleton's JPK 1180 Black Sheep, skippered by Jake Carter was the class winner. While in IRC Two, Richard Powell's First 40 Rogan Josh was too spicy for Bulldog on IRC corrected time, winning the class by just 55 seconds. Third in IRC Two was Ronan Banhim's First 40 Galahad of Cowes.
The nineteen-strong IRC Three Class produced a fierce fight for the podium. First was the Army Sailing Association's Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier, skippered by Matt Sargent. Astrid de Vin's JPK 1030 Il Corvo, racing double handed with Roeland Franssens was second by just 30 seconds after IRC time correction. Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing double handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish was third, just 28 seconds behind Il Corvo after time correction.
"It was a short and hard race," summed up the Army Sailing Association's skipper Matt Sargent. "The race was all about keeping the intensity levels up, working the micro tactics, taking the shifts and gusts, and never giving up. It was incredibly tight. We were watching Il Corvo and Bellino hard, and the last beat really played into British Soldier conditions.
"We were only five on board, which was below our usual set-up, but that was who we could bring in from across the Army. The important thing is that we are building people into the team. Several long established sailors are coming to the end of their British Army service, making recruitment for the race team a major priority. The aim is to bring more service men and women into the racing team, train them through RORC racing, and build the depth needed for future campaigns."
IRC Two Handed featured 15 teams racing in IRC Three and Four, victory went to the USA team of Ben Owens and Luke Lawrence racing JPK 1010 Leonard. The Dutch JPK 1010 Il Corvo was second, just ahead of the British Sun Fast 35600 Bellino. Harry Heijst's Winsome was the winner of IRC Four, taking class line honours and after IRC time correction also ahead of two JPK 1010s; Leonard and Jetpack.
"We are really happy. Two races in with Leonard, to win IRC Double Handed and come second overall is pretty special, especially in such a competitive fleet," commented Leonard's Ben Owens, who hails from Georgia, USA and is racing Leonard in the 2026 Round Ireland Race. "With15 two handed teams, and when you look at the calibre of sailors around us, we knew we had to work, work, work. That paid off.
What is exciting is that we still left time on the course. We made mistakes, we had a few blunders, and that is where the addiction starts, because next time you want to be perfect. But we knew we were fast, and that is important.
The course was brilliant, we always had the tide with us, it was like a treadmill, whoever designed it was a genius. It gave us lots of angles as well and with Luke's experience we were able to do several peels and really quick sail changes. We did not see many others doing that, so we felt we gained time there. At night it was complicated, and you are second guessing marks and decisions, but that is what made it such a great race. It gave us a proper chance to learn the boat."
View full race results here.