Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the
Yacht Club de Cherbourg and the Royal Yacht Squadron

Winner of Cherbourg Trophy: Winsome, Harry Heijst's S&S 41
RORC Season's Points Championship Overall Winner: Pen Azen, Philippe Delaporte's J/122

The appalling weather that came to mainland Britain on Saturday closed some schools and resulted in over 80 severe weather warnings issued by the Environment Agency. So it was no surprise that the RORC fleet, which assembled on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line on Friday evening (5 September), was far less than the 52 original entries. 19 yachts completed the race and all of them should be praised for excellent seamanship; none of the yachts got into a situation which required any outside assistance.

Leading the fleet into Cherbourg to take the gun and win IRC Zero was David Aisher, sailing his Rogers 46 Yeoman XXXII in his last race as RORC Commodore.

However, Pen Azen was beaten into second place for the overall win in the Cherbourg Race by Harry Heijst's S&S 41, Winsome, which won the Cherbourg Trophy.

Another classic Sparkman and Stephens yacht won IRC Three; Paul Marsh's Olin Stephens One Tonner, Clarionet, rounded off the points series in fine style, winning the Jolie Brise Trophy and staying ahead of their rivals to clinch the IRC Three Season's Points Championship.

John Loden and Bernie Bingham had a great end to the series; winning the Two-Handed Class for the Cherbourg Race in the HOD 35 Psipsina and lifting the RORC Trophy.

The young crew from the RYA Keel boat programme won Class Super Zero on TP52, John Merricks II for the Cherbourg Race. Their participation in RORC racing this season should not be under estimated, the crew are all in their early twenties and many of them will be bright stars of the future. The RYA and the John Merricks Sailing Trust should be applauded for making it possible for them to gain such valuable experience.

Full results of The Cherbourg Race and the RORC Season's Points Championship are available at http://www.rorc.org

Prizes for the RORC Season's Points Championship will be awarded at the RORC Annual Dinner and Prizegiving on Saturday 8th November 2008 at The De Vere Grand Harbour, Southampton.

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