RORC prizes

The exciting program included the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, the RORC Caribbean 600, and the cornerstone of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Rolex Fastnet Race, celebrating its 50th edition.

The RORC Season’s Points Championship is the largest yacht racing series anywhere in the world.

722 boats competed in 2023 with 9223 sailors racing in an astounding variety of offshore certified boats. With 629 boats raced under the IRC Rating Rule, jointly administered by the RORC and the UNCL, competition was thrilling and close, right through the classes. While the overall winner is decided by IRC, the RORC Season’s Points Championship also awards prizes to Multihulls and Class40s as well as special awards.

RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton bid RORC Commodore James Neville to the stage, who gave a passionate speech about the RORC Season. RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole joined James Neville to invite prize winners to the stage to collect their awards and the applause from the RORC assembly.

2023 IRC Overall RORC Season’s Points Championship winner:

Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino (GBR)

Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing Two-Handed with RORC Rear Commodore Deb Fish was the overall winner under IRC for the 2023 RORC Season’s Points Championship winning The Jazz Trophy.

Teasing Machine was runner-up and Sun Fast 3200 Cora, raced Two-Handed by Tim Goodhew and Kelvin Matthews was third.

This was the first time Bellino has won the RORC Championship overall, having come third in 2022 and second in 2019. Bellino competed in ten scoring races over the season, a colossal effort and set of results for a double-handed Corinthian team.

Along with the Jazz Trophy, Bellino won the Boyd Trophy for winning the mixed IRC Two-Handed division, and the Serendip Trophy for Best Series produced yacht.

Deb Fish has a strong offshore racing background, having raced with the RORC since 1999 and has completed the Rolex Fastnet Yacht Race 11 times.

“We just love the close competition and international nature of RORC racing,” commented Deb. “It’s great that anyone, young or old, male or female, professional or amateur, can compete and might win.”

Rob Craigie has been racing with the RORC for over four decades and is one of the club’s most experienced short-handed sailors. Rob highlighted preparation, consistency, knowing your co-skipper, and having fun, as keys to Bellino’s triumph.

“Breakages and problems happen but the more you have prepared for these, the more you can limit them and their effect on your performance,” commented Rob Craigie.

“In our preparation we do pretty much everything on the boat ourselves, so when things start to go wrong, we have an idea of how to fix them. Good preparation creates consistency, we didn’t win a single race but our consistency meant that we won the series.”

“Racing Two-Handed you have really got to know each other,” continued Rob. “In a long race, you are bound to have times when one of you is a bit ‘off’.

“The person who is in better shape needs to know what to do, to know what the other person needs, maybe it’s sleep or food, or reassuring that if we give it time, the strategy will come good. You have to know what your co-skipper needs to keep them going. Above all else, you need to always be positive, and enjoy your racing.”

RORC Yacht of the Year

Eric de Turckheim’s NMD 54 Teasing Machine (FRA)

RORC Vice Commodore Eric de Turckheim had a spectacular season with his NMD 54 Teasing Machine, winning the red-hot IRC Zero Class and came desperately close to winning the series overall.

Teasing Machine won the 2022 Rolex Middle Sea Race, the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race, and came second in the RORC Caribbean 600. The Somerset Memorial Trophy for RORC Yacht of the Year was part of a magnificent collection of prizes for Teasing Machine including the Stradivarius Trophy, the Europeans Cup and the Gordon Appleby Trophy.

This was the second occasion that Eric de Turckheim’s boat has won RORC Yacht of the Year, having won in his A13 Teasing Machine in 2016.

“Winning RORC Yacht of the Year is different this time because we had to work hard on the evolution of this boat to reach this level of performance, while the previous Teasing Machine was almost a surprise with performance coming so quickly,” commented a delighted Eric de Turckheim.

“For me winning a race or a trophy comes on top of having enjoyed competitive friendship at sea which is the most important aspect.”

SPECIAL AWARDS

The Dennis P Miller Memorial Trophy for Best Overseas Yacht to Tom Kneen’s Sunrise III, the Haylock Cup for Best British Service Yacht to Fujitsu British Soldier, the Arambalza Swan Cup for Best Swan to Louis Balcaen’s Balthasar, the Freddie Morgan Trophy for Best Classic Yacht to Andrew Tseng’s Quailo 3, the Highwayman Cup to Gavin Howe’s Tigris, the Best Sailing School Yacht to Susan Glenny’s Olympia’s Tigress, the Peter Harrison Youth Trophy to Galahad of Cowes.

The Crew of Ju Kyu, skippered by Dr Peter Rowe, was awarded the Seamanship Trophy for an Outstanding Act of Seamanship. Shortly after the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race start, Ju Kyu stood by a sinking yacht Vari, and assisted the emergency services and the RORC Race Committee. Once the Vari crew was safe, Ju Kyu rejoined the race and finish the Rolex Fastnet Race. Ju Kyu was given a rousing standing ovation at the Prize Giving.

List of Winners & Special Prizes awarded HERE

Full results HERE

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is best known for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral’s Cup. RORC organises an annual series of offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas in the Solent.

rorc.org