Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Yacht Club de Cherbourg and the Royal Yacht Squadron
START: Friday 5th September from the RYS Cowes, to the West.
First warning Signal 1820

The last race of the RORC Season's Points Championship for 2008 looks set to be a real cracker with many Class winners undecided going into the last race. The ever popular RORC Cherbourg race has close to sixty entries and the 75 mile sprint to Cherbourg will decide who comes out on top after over four months of tough competition.

In IRC Super Zero there is a three way battle; Derek Saunder's CM 60, Venemous, the pupils from the UK Sailing Academy with Seb Cassiba skippering Farr 52, Chernikeeff and the RYA Sailing Acadamy's TP52, John Merricks II. IRC Zero features several Class 40 yachts and Royal Ocean Racing Club's Commodore; David Aisher helming Yeoman XXXII, the Rogers 46 has just returned from the Baltic Sprint Cup.

IRC Class One is one of the largest classes racing and three yachts who have just raced over 3,000 RORC miles to Madeira and back are very much in form, vying for the overall IRC One title. Philippe Delaporte's J/122, Pen Azen, currently leads the class but the Army Sailing Association's A40, British Soldier and Sailing Logic's Reflex 38, Puma Logic, are in contention for the class title.

IRC Class Two is no less competitive but Noel Racine's JPK 9.60, Foggy Dew looks likely to retain the title won last year. Michael Boyd & Niall Dowling's J/105, Slingshot, could catch them and celebrate a Class Two win; however they will be delighted with their performance this season which assures them of the Two-Handed Class prize with a race to spare.

IRC Class 3 has no less than fourteen yachts entered and will be extremely competitive, however currently leading the class for the season is Paul March's S&S 11.2 metre, Clarionet with Russell Walker's Baltic 37, Cosmic Dancer III in second place with a realistic chance of catching Clarionet for the class title.

Long range weather forecasts predict a low pressure system coming from the Atlantic moving into the Channel to coincide with the race start which could make for a bumpy ride to Cherbourg.

RORC Season's Points Championship 2008

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship consists of a testing series of races which attracts an international and varied fleet. For the serious offshore sailor, trying to win the Season's Points Championship is the real challenge. The Season's Points Championship this year includes the tactically challenging BMW Round Ireland Race and a new addition to the RORC sailing programme, The Cowes Madeira Race which offers an exciting opportunity of a race to Madeira and back, some 1500 miles away in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa. For those with less time, the programme also includes a race to the charming port of La Rochelle. For the full RORC racing programme go to: http://www.rorc.org/

For more information, please contact: - 

RORC:
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Tel. 020 7493 2248

Press:
Trish Jenkins - J2 Communications & Events
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07880 518689 / 01983 248070

Race Reports:
Louay Habib
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07801800521