J/Teams Silver @ Cowes Offshore Racing Series

ByStuart Johnstone
Sailboat racing with crew sitting on side.


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(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s inaugural Cowes Offshore Racing Series has signed off in style after seven thrilling, hard-fought races, marking the start of a bold new chapter for Solent-based offshore competition.

Created to bring fun, competitive, and impeccably run offshore racing closer to home, the series delivered everything it promised — and more: tactical duels, testing overnight passages including a cocktail of short sprints and coastal classics, all with the RORC’s hallmark professionalism and the vibrant welcome of the RORC Cowes Clubhouse.

Launched in the Club’s Centenary year, the series gave over 500 sailors, both Corinthian and professionals, the chance to go bow-to-bow in a compact but demanding program. With the best five races counting from seven, the fleet faced everything the Channel could throw at them — from glassy Solent drifters where inches mattered, to bruising legs around notorious headlands and into the open seas of the English Channel or Irish Sea.

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IRC One- 116 boats
Michael O’Donnell’s Irish team on the J/121 DARKWOOD took class victory in the final race to take the silver medal. This was the second year in a row that DARKWOOD has had a podium finish in the season point series!

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IRC Two- 105 boats
Robin Herbert’s J/133 CORAZON took the silver medal in a well-orchestrated and successful campaign. Meanwhile, the top J/122s were 6th and 7th, respectively- Derek Shakespeare’s BULLDOG (past RORC division winner) and Frans van Cappelle’s MOANA. Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox’s J/122 MOJITO finished 10th.

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IRC Three- 127 boats
This was a huge and very tough fleet, with a number of French professionals in the top ranks. Despite the formidable competition, some J/Teams fared well. Taking 8th place was Jean-Lin Flipo’s J/99 YALLA! Then, sitting in 15th was Alain Waha & Matt Waite’s J/99 FURTHER WEST.

IRC Four- 151 boats
As the largest fleet in the season series with 151 boats scoring in the seven races, it was always going to be a challenge to finish even in the top ten. Despite the odds, J/Teams faired quite well in the “small boat fleet”. Here are their finish positions, taking up a lot of the top ten!
6th- Mark Kendall’s J/99 JIRO
8th- Richard Breese’s J/105 MOJO
9th- Rob Cotterill’s J/109 MOJO RISIN
10th- George & Fred Neville-Jones and Robin Hardy’s J/109 JAMIRA
16th- Lesley Brooman’s J/109 JUMUNU
19th- Tim Tolcher’s J/99 RAGING BULL

For more RORC Season’s Point Series sailing information
http://www.rorc.org/racing/racing-portal