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50th Anniversary Round Britain and Ireland Race - Preview

by RORC Press 26 Jul 05:35 PDT 9 August 2026
From on board Fujitsu British Soldier during the 2022 Round Britain & Ireland Race © Fujitsu British Soldier

In two weeks time, a fleet of 33 boats will set off on one of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's toughest offshore challenges. The 2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race celebrates its golden jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of the race.

The 1,805nm non-stop circumnavigation will start from Cowes, Isle of Wight on Sunday 9 August, with the first warning signal at 1320 BST off the RYS Line. Boats and crews representing 12 nations will head east after the start before taking on the full challenge of racing around Britain and Ireland, navigating some of the most demanding waters in offshore sailing.

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RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 10
Palanad 4 Proves the Concept as Class40 Battle Goes to the Wire Antoine Magré's radical Mach 50 Palanad 4 finished third on the water in the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race behind Pace and Varuna 6 in an elapsed time of 8 days 1 hr 44 mins 31 secs. Posted on 18 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 9
Varuna 6 finishes; class battles go to the wire On Day 9 of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna 6 became the second monohull to complete the 1,805-nautical-mile course. All bar, three boats have rounded Muckle Flugga and class battles rage on in the marathon race. Posted on 17 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 8
Pace takes line honours: four chapters, one great adventure Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace has completed the 50th anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, winning Monohull Line Honours after a race that combined raw speed, complex navigation and a deeply personal offshore journey for the owner. Posted on 16 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 7
Pace powers south as Palanad 4 seizes IRC lead The marathon RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race enters its seventh day with six boats now round Muckle Flugga, the most northerly point of the 1,805nm course. Posted on 15 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 4
Northbound express, and Celtic Sea grind Seventy-two hours after the start of the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, Johnny Vincent's Volvo 70 Pace is charging north off the Hebrides, with the Atlantic low pressure system providing a fast lane towards the top of the 1,805-nm course. Posted on 12 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 2
Tactical battle to the Isles of Scilly Twenty-four hours into the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, the fleet is stretched along the English Channel and approaching the next major strategic test to round Land's End and the Isles of Scilly. Posted on 10 Aug RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 1
32 boats, crewed by 182 sailors from 5 continents, made a clean start The 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race started with cannon fire from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes, marking the start of one of offshore sailing's greatest challenges. Posted on 9 Aug How to follow RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race
Watch the start, follow the tracker, or even use Virtual Regatta How to follow the 50th Anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race Posted on 7 Aug Round Britain & Ireland Race battle at the front
50th anniversary brings together offshore legends and the latest racing designs Life in the fast lane of the 2026 edition features powerful monohulls in IRC Zero chasing both Line Honours and victory on IRC corrected time, while the box-rule Class40 division will be decided by the simple measure of which boat is first to finish. Posted on 6 Aug The long way home
Stories from the 2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race The RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race is measured in nautical miles, elapsed time and IRC corrected seconds, but the stories that will last are about the sailors. Posted on 3 Aug
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