2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race - Day 13
by Louay Habib / RORC 21 Aug 08:23 PDT
From 9 August 2026
Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland on Sun Fast 3300 Sky Business - Game On © RORC
Over the past 24 hours, the Competitors' Live Blog has captured the two contrasting faces of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race.
Exhausted crews are celebrating at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse, while those farther back continue to battle heavy seas, strong winds and the seemingly endless miles towards home.
Two boats, double-handed, 45 seconds
The closest contest of the race so far came from Sky Business - Game On and Kestrel, whose 1,805-nautical-mile duel developed into an extraordinary match race between two double-handed teams.
Kestrel crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line at 02:10:15 BST on Friday, just 45 seconds ahead of Sky Business - Game On. However, Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland's slightly lower IRC rating moved Game On ahead after time correction, provisionally securing both IRC Two and IRC Two-Handed.
Simon Bamford and Zeb Fellows took provisional second place in both divisions. Remarkably, the two boats are also provisionally third and fourth overall under IRC. Sam White and Nathan Steffenoni's Mzungu! completed the provisional IRC Two-Handed podium after finishing shortly before 06:00.
The rivalry carried an added dimension: Fellows and Bland had been teammates at the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championship. This time they were racing against one another and, after nearly 12 days at sea, less than a minute separated their boats.
Game on: Third time lucky
After finishing runner-up in the race twice, Sky Business - Game On's Ian Hoddle finally achieved his long-held ambition alongside Willow Bland. "This is the third time I have done the Round Britain and Ireland Race. Twice I have been runner-up, so the ambition this time was to win it. It looks like we have, and I am incredibly proud of what the two of us have achieved over the last 12 days," said Hoddle.
"Winning completely blows my expectations out of the water," added Bland. "I had wanted to do this race for many years. Ian and I worked through each race this season to prepare for this one. We said that a top-three result would be fantastic, so to win is incredibly exciting."
The final stages became an extraordinarily intense duel with Kestrel. "For the last three days I could hardly sleep," admitted Hoddle. "Kestrel had been more than 20 miles behind, but they kept coming. Suddenly we were fighting them boat-for-boat, sometimes only boat lengths apart. That continued day and night for two days. It was the most intense racing I have ever done."
"Ian is incredibly competitive," commented Bland. "Everything he does is about making the boat go faster and helping us perform better as a team. It has been fantastic to sail with him."
"My one word for Willow is awesome," replied Hoddle. "We have just completed 12 days and nights of relentless racing together. Having her on board and sharing that experience was fantastic."
Bland also revealed the less glamorous side of the victory: "Our Jet-Boil broke after Muckle Flugga, so we couldn't heat our freeze-dried food. I survived the last 24hrs on about a pack and a half of Babybels. When we reached the dock, Kestrel's shore team had brought us pizzas. Genuinely, that was an amazing moment!"
Kestrel: Chasing all the way to Cowes
Simon Bamford and Zeb Fellows crossed 45 seconds ahead of Game On, but IRC time correction placed Kestrel second in IRC Two-Handed.
"After spending three years racing against Zeb, the opportunity to sail with him felt like a chance to do something that does not come around very often," explained Bamford.
"I like being the underdog, so being the chaser suited us," said Fellows. "Once we saw the miles coming down, we knew it was on. We got the jump on Game On on the last day and suddenly we were ahead. It became a match race to the finish."
The duel reached its climax in big conditions upwind approaching Beachy Head. "We lost the jib at the top of the forestay, so I had to go up the mast in 30 knots," continued Fellows. "It was pretty bouncy up there. We recovered it and were soon neck and neck with Game On again."
"We fight hard, but it is sailboat racing and nobody wants anyone to get hurt, we did not slow down but we had an eye on them" added Bamford. "I was so tired that I just wanted to sleep when we finished but once I had a beer in one hand and a pizza in the other, we enjoyed the fantastic welcome by the RORC. It was a special atmosphere, huge respect to the Club for organising the race and giving us a superb welcome."
A stream of finishers
The overnight rush also brought Frida, Moana and Stickleback into Cowes. For Andreas Buchheim and Tim Behrendt, completing the race double-handed aboard Frida marked the culmination of almost 30 years of offshore sailing together. They also had the honour of becoming the first double-handed team to finish the 2026 edition, provisionally placing second in IRC One. Nick Edmonds' J/45 Stickleback holds the final provisional podium position in IRC One.
Shortly before 07:00, the young RORC Griffin crew completed their lap of Britain and Ireland. The tired but jubilant sailors were soon photographed having breakfast at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse - a simple image which perfectly captured the relief and satisfaction of completing one of offshore racing's greatest challenges.
Bellino followed just over half an hour later. A broken boom had ended the team's challenge for victory, but not its determination. Rob Craigie, RORC Commodore Deb Fish and Griffin graduates Nicole Hemeryck and Joe Griffiths continued racing hard all the way to Cowes. Bellino's corrected time places her provisionally third in IRC Two - a remarkable achievement after racing the final 200 miles without a mainsail.
"All credit to the crew. We have been pushing as hard since the breakage as we were before it," commented Deb Fish. After a short rest and a chance to freshen up, the RORC Commodore was soon back on Trinity Landing to welcome and congratulate other competitors completing the marathon.
Rambunctious seas and dehydrated dinners
For the boats still racing, the experience remains very different. AJ Wanderlust reported 20 to 28 knots in the North Sea and a "rambunctious" two-and-a-half to three-metre sea state. Moving around the boat required considerable care to avoid being launched, while the crew admitted that enthusiasm for dehydrated food was beginning to wear thin.
Mojo recorded a high speed of 16.5 knots shortly before a massive broach. Richard and Emma Breese recovered the boat and completed a controlled spinnaker drop, accepting that they would lose miles but placing the overriding objective - finishing the race - first.
These reports are a timely reminder that, while Cowes is filling with finishers, several crews remain deep in the race and still face significant challenges before receiving their own welcome on Trinity Landing.
Barn owl Regina recovering ashore
The latest confirmed news about Little Regina is encouraging. The barn owl rescued by Fujitsu British Soldier was safely collected by Caister Independent Lifeboat and transferred to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre, where she is recovering under specialist care.
Regina had fallen into the sea three times while attempting to reach the yacht approximately 70 miles offshore. Her refusal to give up - and the coordinated effort involving the crew, Barn Owl Trust, Marine and Wildlife Rescue and Caister Lifeboat - has made her one of the most memorable characters of the race.
There has not yet been a confirmed public update about her eventual release, but the latest report is that she is safe and recovering at East Winch.
A double shot of experience for Espresso
Expected to finish later today is Cameron Davis's Farr 40 Espresso Martini Too. The latest post from the boat perfectly summed up what the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race can mean to a Corinthian crew: "This should be our final sunrise in the Round Britain and Ireland Race.
"From a racing perspective, it has not been Espresso Martini Too's greatest performance. From a crewing, bonding and experience perspective, however, it has been awesome. This charter crew brought a mixture of experience to the race. Even those with plenty of miles now appreciate the skill required to helm downwind at night without an autopilot - one of many abilities the crew has developed during nearly two weeks aboard a Farr 40. Thank you to the RORC for organising it."
For the teams still at sea, the long way home is not over. Whether fighting for a class position, overcoming damage or simply pursuing the immense achievement of completing the course, every crew continues to add another story to this remarkable 50th anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race.