2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race IRC Double-Handed Focus
by Louay Habib / RORC 29 Jul 01:09 PDT
9 August 2026
A third of the fleet in the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race are racing double-handed, including race veterans Gavin Howe and Maggie Adamson aboard Sun Fast 3600 Tigris © Paul Wyeth / RORC
When the double-handed crews cross the start line for the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, the preparation will be over. Ahead lies more than 1,800 nautical miles of relentless offshore racing around some of northern Europe's most exposed coastline.
The race is non-stop and teams wishing to stay in the race cannot accept outside assistance. If something breaks, they must repair it. If the weather turns hostile, they must manage it. If fatigue clouds judgement, there is nobody else to take over. None of these teams are expected to complete the marathon in less than 10 days and nights of racing and probably more like two weeks.
For the 50th anniversary edition of the Round Britain and Ireland Race around a third of the fleet will race double-handed and every team is Corinthian. Among them are pilots, engineers, business people, students and RNLI volunteers. They hail from Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and Wales. Some have decades of offshore experience; others are stepping into the greatest challenge of their lives.
AJ Wanderlust - Back for a Fourth Race
American skipper Charlene Howard returns aboard her Sun Odyssey 45 AJ Wanderlust for another two-handed challenge. The boat has already raced around Britain and Ireland three times, including the 2018 and 2022 RORC editions. AJ Wanderlust completed the 2022 RORC race in just over 17 days; more than two hours faster than her 2018 performance.
"AJ Wanderlust does not come to start races, she comes to finish them," said Howard. In 2026, the 50th-anniversary race will mark the boat's fourth circumnavigation of Britain and Ireland and another formidable test of that determination.
Frida - Thirty Years in the Making
German sailors Tim Behrendt and Andreas Buchheim racing JPK 1180 Frida have almost 30 years of shared shorthanded experience. Together they have raced through North Sea gales, enjoyed Baltic summers and crossed the Atlantic. Now in their fifties, they will tackle the race for the first time.
"This is the ultimate test of everything we've learned," said Buchheim. "It is effectively an 1,800-nautical-mile coastal race, with changing winds, difficult tactical decisions and notorious tidal currents. The relentless nature of it will be the greatest challenge."
Hummingbird - Experience Steps Up
Neal Brewer and Andrew Baker bring considerable offshore experience aboard the IMX 38 Hummingbird. The pair completed the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race double-handed on the minute Humphreys 30 Bespoke, while Brewer has around four decades of offshore experience and approximately 20 Fastnet Races behind him.
Hummingbird is a larger and more powerful offshore platform, offering greater pace, stability and a little more comfort for the long road ahead.
Kestrel - Ready to Fly
Simon Bamford and Zeb Fellows join forces aboard Bamford's Sun Fast 3300 Kestrel after spending much of the past three RORC seasons racing against each another.
"Kestrel is an exciting boat and the course should give us opportunities to race hard while enjoying some remarkable scenery," said Bamford. "We are most looking forward to the high-speed downwind and reaching conditions. The biggest challenge could be bad weather in the northern latitudes."
Mojo - Father and Daughter Take the Next Step
Richard and Emma Breese face their biggest challenge yet aboard the J/105 Mojo. After completing the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race double-handed in the year Emma turned 18, the Royal Lymington Yacht Club pair will now attempt the longest race either has undertaken.
Emma progressed from Optimists and 420s into offshore sailing and earned selection for the RORC Griffin Pathway during her first offshore season. She studies medicine at Cardiff University, while Richard is a private-jet pilot. "We are approaching it with some trepidation and excitement," said Richard. "The biggest challenge is that neither of us has raced this far before."
Mzungu! - Proven Miles and Professional Skill
Sam White returns aboard the JPK 1080 Mzungu! - this time with Nathan Steffenoni. White is an RNLI volunteer, commercial airline pilot and experienced offshore sailor with thousands of RORC miles behind him. He finished third in the IRC double-handed division and IRC overall for the 2022 race aboard Mzungu!.
Steffenoni is a professional sailor who makes the sails for Mzungu! but is not being paid to race. He is a rigger and sailmaker whose experience ranges from high-performance dinghies to grand prix maxi yachts. Together Sam and Nathan combine seamanship, technical expertise and proven pace.
Ronin - Danish Form and Experience
Klaus Rasmussen and Benjamin Grosman race aboard the Danish JPK 1080 Ronin after finishing third in the IRC double-handed division of the 2026 Morgan Cup.
Grosman has competed across numerous offshore campaigns, including Mojo Risin' and the maxi HYPR in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Rasmussen, a Danish sailor based in London since 1998 has raced everything from dinghies and Dragons to modern offshore yachts, most recently helming the J/109 Mojo Risin' and co-skippering the Sun Fast 3300 Atomic.
Sky Business - Game On: A Race Within the Race
Ian Hoddle returns for his third Round Britain and Ireland Race aboard the Sun Fast 3300 Sky Business - Game On, joined by Willow Bland.
Hoddle has twice finished runner-up in the double-handed division. Bland brings victory in the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race aboard Maiden and second place at the 2025 Double Handed Offshore World Championship. Their contest includes an intriguing race within the race against sistership Kestrel, crewed by Bland's former World Championship co-skipper Zeb Fellows. "It is going to be an incredibly intense 1,800-mile match race between two evenly matched teams," said Hoddle.
Tigris - Experience and a Shetland Homecoming
Few teams can match the experience aboard Gavin Howe's Sun Fast 3600 Tigris. Howe will start his fourth RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, while Maggie Adamson returns for her second after an electrical failure off Shetland compromised their previous campaign. The northern turning point has special significance for Adamson who is from Shetland and serves as a navigator aboard the Lerwick lifeboat.
Howe and Adamson have raced approximately 15,000 miles together, including the Transatlantic Race, RORC Caribbean 600, Rolex Fastnet Race and Round Britain and Ireland Race. Adamson also won the 2024 Double Handed Offshore World Championship with Cal Finlayson.
Zanzibar - A New Campaign with Proven Form
Inka Luhrs and Richard Bretherton will race the Sun Fast 3200 Zanzibar. Bretherton regularly campaigns the Sun Fast 3300 Lord of the Dance in RORC races, while Luhrs has quickly established herself in shorthanded offshore competition as a confident light-air helm with a keen tactical eye.
Together they have already shown strong form, winning IRC Four in the 2026 Cervantes Trophy Race before taking overall victory in the Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle.
Polished Manx II - Back for Another Lap
Kuba Szymanski returns with his well-travelled First 40.7 Polished Manx II, racing two-handed with Maciej Lato. Szymanski completed the 2022 edition, finishing after 18 days at sea as the final boat home - an achievement celebrated warmly by fellow competitors. Szymanski has raced Polished Manx II for more than 100,000 nautical miles, bringing formidable experience and a proven determination to finish. Four years on, the Polish sailor returns knowing exactly what awaits around Britain and Ireland.
Penfret - Olympic Pedigree, Route du Rhum Ambition
French Olympian Pierre Le Boucher will use the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race as a major stepping stone towards his Route du Rhum campaign. Racing the Class40 Penfret with 23-year old William Hill. Le Boucher sees the race as ideal preparation, combining powerful Atlantic weather systems, complex tidal waters and constantly changing tactical demands. A highly experienced offshore sailor who has raced around the world, he is particularly excited by the beauty and variety of the course.
"The weather conditions promise to be very interesting," he says. "It's a great race for me as I prepare for the Route du Rhum." His campaign is built around friendship and trust, with sailors from APCC Nantes selected such as William Hill, not only for their racing ability, but also for the strong personal relationships and shared experience that will be vital offshore.
Tjoba - Building Towards a Global Goal
Dutch Class40 entry Tjoba brings together Global Solo Challenge aspirant Minus Tjeenk Willink and renowned offshore sailor Erik van Vuuren.
Tjeenk Willink is using the race to develop the skill, resilience and confidence required for his future solo campaign. Van Vuuren, a world champion and Conny van Rietschoten Trophy winner, is mentor, performance coach and co-skipper. Their objective is disciplined progression beyond their established comfort zones.
An Achievement Beyond the Results
Only one team can win the IRC Double-Handed class, and the weather will help determine who gets the best opportunity. Lower-rated boats may hope for lighter conditions, while the faster designs will relish strong reaching and downwind surfing.
The double-handed teams are also capable of winning the race overall under IRC, as Richard Palmer and Rupert Holmes did aboard Jangada in 2022 by just seven minutes on IRC corrected time. Yet success cannot be measured by trophies alone.
Simply reaching the finish requires exceptional seamanship, endurance, preparation and trust. Every crew that completes the course will have overcome fatigue, uncertainty and the succession of problems that accompany a race of this scale. To win against a fleet of such depth would be a major life achievement.
On Sunday 9 August 2026, the fleet will receive an emotional farewell as the starting cannon fires from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes. Families, friends and shore teams will watch the boats disappear, knowing the sailors must now rely on their boats, their partners and themselves.
For these ordinary people attempting something extraordinary, the race around Britain and Ireland will be more than a competition. It will be an expedition, an examination and, for those who finish, an achievement they will carry for the rest of their lives.
For more information about the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race: www.roundbritainandireland.rorc.org