Blistering sunshine, great visibility and a stiff, consistent breeze - sadly none of this featured on the final day of racing at the RORC Easter Challenge. As a slow moving front passed overhead, the Solent received a relentless deluge with the visibility dropping off enough to make it hard to see the weather mark. Conditions then deteriorated further with the deluge becoming a torrent, many crews turning on their yachts' navigation lights, despite it being lunchtime. Nonetheless, the wind held during the day allowing PRO Stuart Childerley and the RORC race management team to lay on four races in the central/eastern Solent.

In IRC One Anthony O'Leary's Irish team on the Ker 39, Antix, was the class act posting a 1-2-1-1, to finish 9.5 points ahead of James Gair's Cowes Race School crew on Zero II, the only boat to claim a point off the Irish former Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup winners today.

"We have got good upwind speed in our fleet," observed tactician David Lenz. "In IRC One there is a big mixture of boats - some like Tokoloshe get up and go downwind. Some days will suit them and some days won't."

Lenz said that Antix's crew had benefitted this weekend from the coaching laid on by Jim Saltonstall, his colleagues and, from across the pond, the North U Regatta Services team of Andreas Josenhans and Chuck Allen. "They helped us with our starts and we are able to hold a lane for a good few minutes, even though it is hard against the faster boats. But we had good speed - high and fast, so we were able to mix it with the big boats."

If good training regattas are ones held in the widest range of conditions, then the RORC Easter Challenge is scoring highly. Today's racing was held in the central/eastern Solent in moderate conditions that turned light as the northeasterly wind swung heavily right during the early afternoon, while bigger conditions are forecast for tomorrow.

With four races scheduled, two were successfully held before the wind turned inside out. As the RORC Easter Challenge's new PRO, Stuart Childerley, recounted: "For the third race, IRC Four and One managed to just get upwind over the tide before the wind dropped, so we shortened them. Meanwhile IRC Two and Three were trying to start and half of the fleet were still trying to get over the line four minutes after the start. So we pulled the pin."

After a brief pause the AP over A was hoisted sending the fleet home early. However tthis provided more post-race debrief time for Jim Saltonstall, his colleagues and, from across the pond, the North U Regatta Services team of Andreas Josenhans and Chuck Allen.

Spring was definitely in the air for the opening day of racing at the RORC Easter Challenge, with a warm sun but a chilly, very shifty, northeasterly blowing off the mainland shore at Lee on Solent.

For many teams the RORC Easter Challenge is their first regatta of the year, a chance to blow off the winter cobwebs and to get both boat and crew back up to speed. To assist in this process, the event is unique in the RORC calendar for being a training regatta where on hand to offer advice is a giant coaching team led by Jim Saltonstall, Barry Dunning and RORC CEO Eddie Warden Owen, this year supplemented for the first time by the North U Regatta Services team, which has flown in from the USA especially.

The RORC's UK season sets sail on the Solent this Good Friday with the three day long Easter Challenge.

As an indication that Britain is slowly extricating itself from recession, there are a few new boats in the Solent this year. Leading the charge in the RORC Easter Challenge fleet will be one of the most prominent: South African Mike Bartholomew's latest Tokoloshe. The familiar King 40, Tokoloshe, was replaced over the winter by a GP 42, previously Madrid, the Botin & Carkeek design that won the GP 42 class' final season on the Audi MedCup in 2010.

Under her new owner the boat has undergone substantial turboing with the addition of a 2.3m bowsprit, general enlarging of the sail plan and increased draft. However Bartholomew admits: "We are still busy optimising it for IRC. It is quite a learning curve."

This will be the Tokoloshe team's sixth RORC Easter Challenge, as Bartholomew puts it: "It is a lovely regatta, although sometimes it is bloody freezing. We've always enjoyed it." In fact this weekend's forecast looks bright, rain-free, with light to moderate northeasterlies forecast and a spring tide.

The RORC Transatlantic Race 2014 Notice of Race is now available to download from the race minisite.

Read the complete article on the RORC Transatlantic Race minisite [RORC Transatlantic Race: 2014 Notice of Race Available]

Coaching whilst racing over three days - Sign Up!

Friday 18^th - Sunday 20^th April 2014

There's still time to sign up to the season opener, the RORC Easter Challenge, which offers a unique training ground for owners and crews over a three-day inshore regatta starting on Good Friday. A new initiative for 2014 is the North U. Regatta Service that will enhance what is already a popular and unique coaching event in the UK.

"It will be a great service to the boats who want to improve their all-round performance ready for a full race season," says RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes (RCYC, Cowes) have revealed plans to merge their operations and create one club with clubhouses both in London (RORC) and Cowes (RCYC).

The idea developed following a strategic decision by RORC to establish an administrative base outside London principally to cater for its growing race management team, which it requires to administer the increased number of races run by RORC. At the same time, RCYC, Cowes has been considering its own long-term future. The obvious benefits, besides complementary spheres of activity (RCYC, Cowes runs inshore keelboat and dayboat racing and the RORC offshore), are sound operational efficiencies, prime locations in London and Cowes for the enjoyment of its combined membership and a home in Cowes for the large number of sailors who race with RORC, plus a real opportunity to create a centre of excellence for yachting in Cowes.

The Interclub Youth Keel Boat National Championship, organised by The Royal Southern Yacht Club, is an event for youth teams where 60% of each team are no more than 25 years of age including the helm. The regatta is specifically targeted at bringing enthusiastic youth from all clubs to the bigger keel boat racing: that transition from dinghies to the bigger boat experience and is fostered to encourage youngsters to move up the scales.

14 yachts entered from 8 south coast yacht clubs with 6 yachts making the trip up from Poole representing Parkstone and Poole Yacht Clubs. The yachts ranged from 3 Elan 410s down to 3 J/70s, racing under Spinlock IRC and all very generously loaned by their owners for the event.

One of the first complete Scottish teams has emerged as the first GBR entry for the 2014 Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup hosted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) at Cowes this July.

The Clyde based team consists of a group of committed owners who have been working throughout the winter in creating a team with a broad experience, that includes some of the leading professionals in recent event history.

Eala of Rhu, owned by Jamie McGarry and Colin Moore of the Royal Northern & Clyde have recruited Kevin Sproul, who sailed Keronimo to victory for GBR Red in the 2012 event. He joins Jon Fitzgerald in running the Swan 45 in the international IRC Regatta.

"It's fantastic to be involved with a prepared and organised Clyde based team this early in the year. It bodes well for a successful campaign." comments Kevin Sproul.

Read the complete article on the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup minisite

Rick Tomlinson Photography Exhibition

Monday 31^st March - Thursday 17^th April 2014
RORC London Clubhouse

Renowned Photographer will be displaying some of his work at the Royal Ocean Racing Club, London. Visit the Club at any time during this three week period and see his stunning images from regattas and events from all over the World.

Rick Tomlinson made his name capturing the Southern Ocean at its most treacherous from the decks of various yachts in the Whitbread Round the World Race. He started with freelance pictures published in Yachting World and Seahorse in 1985 from Drum and finished his 4 Race Whitbread career with a commission from National Geographic onboard Team EF. Read more about Rick and his career here.