J/45 STICKLEBACK Takes Line Honors in RORC De Guingand Bowl Race

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 2026 RORC De Guingand Bowl Race offered the racing sailors a rich mix of seamanship, speed, and tactical racing. With the course set around the Solent and English Channel marks, the fleet faced a proper offshore test where experience, sail handling, and sharp decisions made the difference.

After an epic duel for Monohull Line Honors, Nick & Jacquetta Edmonds’ J/45 STICKLEBACK took the gun in an elapsed time of 14 Hours 12 Mins 14 Secs. In a tacking duel to the finish, RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare, racing his J/122 BULLDOG, was second to cross the finish line, just 73 seconds behind STICKLEBACK.

IRC 1 Division
In addition to line honors, the Edmonds’ J/45 STICKLEBACK managed to garner the silver medal in this division.

IRC 2 Division
In this fleet, RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 BULLDOG also took the silver medal, missing out on the gold by a mere 45 seconds! After such a razor-thin losing margin, the questions always arise where you could have made up that 45 seconds– the answer, of course, is almost always “dozens of places!”

For more RORC de Guingand Bowl Race sailing information
http://www.rorc.org