Royal Temple Yacht Club Round the Goodwins Race 2026 at Ramsgate Week

Round the Goodwins Race 2026 © RTYC

Monday's Ramsgate Week race two was sailed in an 8-12 knot breeze under a blue sky.

The IRC course was a beat via East Brake to the Broadstairs Knoll buoy half way to the North Foreland, a run down to the Brake Sands off Sandwich Bay, then three 2 mile windward/leeward legs (shorter for YTC) before a finish on the club line off the harbour. A strong tide was running at the starts and the two Royal Temple based scratch boats quickly got away, Mike & Jo Brands X-40 Fox out the Box in the YTC start, then Peter & Alex Jackson's Ramsgate based Stimson Pronavia Sport 42 Assassin in IRC. Simon Northrop and Paul Thomas's Melges 24 Lock Stock was called over for the second time in two days. Assassin was flying and had overhauled the X40 before Broadstairs.

Assassin rounded first and shot away as the smaller boats struggled against the tide. The X-40 did a similar job on the YTC fleet. The lightish shifty winds were frustrating at times but with modest waves it was otherwise fabulous sailing conditions.

Kicking off the annual festival of sailing that is Ramsgate Race Week, the Round the Goodwins race is also an East Anglian Offshore series (EAORA) race. It circumnavigates the largest ship graveyard in the world, where the North Sea and Thames Estuary become the English Channel off Kent's North and South Forelands. IRC and YTC fleets do the full circuit, while a Local Handicap fleet does a shorter inshore race.

A brisk northerly gave a fast reach NE from the Committee boat start to the Goodwin Knoll buoy off the North Foreland before reaching and running down tide in the blue water past the sand and breakers out to the East Goodwin Light ship, then a gybe south to the SW Goodwin Buoy off Dover. This is the last time the fleet will see the lightship as it is due to be replaced with a buoy for next year.

Round the Goodwins Race 2026 - the East Goodwin Lightship is due for replacement with a buoy - photo © RTYC

Leading away YTC was scratch Class 4 boat Mike & Jo Brands X40 Fox out the Box, but with Gary Walters J97 Jura hanging on well. Both local Royal Temple fleet boats. The highest visitor was Nick Moulton's Sunfast 3200 Dabtoe from Royal Norfolk & D Suffolk YC. Leading class 5 was the first foreign visitor Jean Marc Devos' Feeling 850 based at Gravelines Y.C., chased by Robin Impey's Colne based Dehler 34 Flyer.

The IRC classes started together 10 minutes later and immediately scratch boat Peter and Alex Jackson's Ramsgate based Pronavia Sport 42 Assassin started building a good lead, overtaking the X40 by the lightship. The chasing pack included Simon Farren's Colne based Archambault 40 Warrior, racing 2-handed, 31ft sister Simon Clifton's West Mersea (& DSC) based Aztec The local pair of Peter Pearson et al's HOD 35 Buccaneer and John Barrett & Paul Woodwards X-362 Stiletto were in the van and inseparable, but behind Barry Male's slightly higher rated Harwich based Thomas Custom 36 Cumara. But Deborah Thomas's lower rated local X99 Expedite and the lowest rated boat David Evans Walton & Frinton Hustler 32 Hulabaloo XV were in touch down the run.

Approaching the SW Goodwin buoy the wind eased and became shifty. From there it was a beat back up past the white cliffs of the South Foreland and Deal against the tide. The 27 boat offshore fleet concertinaed at SW Goodwin so Assassin and Fox out The Box had to build their leads again in now thankfully flat water under a blue sky. The fleet tacked close inshore past Downs SC preparing for the National Schools Championships. The HOD 35 and X-36 remained inseparable just behind Barry Male's slightly higher rating Cumara. Assassin got line honours by 1.5miles but by then the tide had turned off Deal to bring the smaller boats back in short order.

Lowest rated IRC boat David Evans Hullabaloo XV at 0.931 corrected first ahead of Aztec rating 0.988 and the local X99 at 0.954. The HOD 35 won the duel with the X-36 by 3 seconds on corrected time to claim 4th overall with the first Class 1 boat Cumara 6th. Assassin was 2nd in class one but corrected 7th overall behind the local First 34.7 Warrior. The double-handed A-40 Class 1 Warrior went to close to France and finished 12th.

In YTC Fox out the Box did build enough lead, winning by over 20 minutes from Jura, just 1 minute ahead of Dehler 34 Zephyros and 2 ahead of Frenchman Jean Marc in Carpe Diem. The inshore local handicap fleet race was won by Marc Andrews and Jonathan Hague's Franchini 43 Avventura from Peter Shawyers Hunter Legend 41 Carenage 2.

Find out more at www.ramsgateweek.com