RORC Myth of Malham Race 2025 Preview

ByStuart Johnstone
Sailboat with crew on the water.


Wired logo with a pixelated design.

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The RORC Myth of Malham Race is set to be a thrilling chapter in offshore sailing, marking the sixth event in the RORC Season’s Points Championship— the world’s largest offshore racing series. This race also serves as the decisive finale for the IRC Two-Handed National Championship and the third installment in the new RORC Cowes Offshore Racing Series.

Spanning approximately 235.0nm, the course mirrors the initial leg of the Rolex Fastnet Race, challenging sailors with complex tidal gates and headlands such as Anvil Point, St. Alban’s Head, Portland Bill, and Start Point.

Anticipation is high, with a huge variety of boats aiming to win the Myth of Malham Cup for the best corrected time under IRC. 150 boats are expected to compete—making it the largest RORC fleet since the record-breaking 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race. Notably, about 30 teams will contest the IRC Two-Handed division, vying for the national title.

With its blend of tactical complexity, competitive spirit, and historical significance, the 2025 Myth of Malham Race promises to be a standout event in the offshore racing calendar. Over a dozen J/Teams are taking up the challenge as part of their preparations for this year’s ROLEX Fastnet Race.

IRC 1 Division
In this large thirty-three boat fleet will be Mike O’Donnell’s Irish team aboard the J/121 DARKWOOD and Nick & Jacquetta Edmond’s new J/45 STICKLEBACK.

IRC 2 Division
The big twenty-three boat fleet includes a pair of champion J/122s (Derek Shakespeare’s BULLDOG and Nick Southward’s WHISKEY JACK), Robin & Lawrence Herbert’s J/133 CORAZON, and Murt Abrakhmanov’s J/112E JENIS.

IRC 3 Division
This massive forty-three-boat fleet will surely have difficulties getting off in clear air off the crowded Royal Yacht Squadron starting line! Breaking free for clear air will be crucial to success in the first 10-15 miles of the race headed out west from the Solent and past the infamous red candy-striped The Needles Lighthouse. Several competitive J/teams include twin J/112Es (Simon Harris’s J’OUVERT & Wayne Palmer’s THINKING SPACE) and a trio of J/99s (Jean-Baptiste Brian’s JOLLY JUMPER, Jean-Lin Flipo’s YALLA, & Alain Waha & Matt Waite’s FURTHER WEST).

IRC 4 Division
This big thirty-six boat fleet has a half-dozen J/109s participating, including Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN, Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN, Gillian Burgess’s RED ARROW/ Royal Air Force, and Jamie Parker’s WHITE KNIGHT 7/ Royal Army). Joining them will be Richard Breese’s J/105 MOJO and Mark Kendall’s J/99 JIRO.

IRC Doublehanded Division
In this twenty-seven boat fleet will be three J/Teams; Breese’s J/105 MOJO, Harris’s J/112E J’OUVERT, and Palmer’s J/112E THINKING SPACE.

For more RORC Myth of Malham Race sailing information
http://www.rorc.org