International Affair for RORC De Guingand Bowl

At least 30 teams will be racing in IRC Two-Handed in the RORC De Guingand Bowl Race © Rick Tomlinson/RORC

The fifth race of the RORC Season’s Points Championship is the De Guingand Bowl Race, scheduled to start at 09:30 BST on Saturday 14th May to the west, from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, Cowes.

The course for the overnight race of 110-160nm will be announced prior to the start. 57 teams have entered, racing under IRC, MOCRA and Class40 rules. Crew come from at least nine different countries including: Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States.

Antoine Magre's French Class40 Palanad 3 © Carlo Borlenghi

Four teams can be counted as favourites for Monohull Race Line Honours, the highest rated boat under IRC is Ross Hobson & Adrian Banks’ British Open 50 Pegasus of Northumberland . Antoine Magre’s French Class40 Palanad 3, winner of the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race, will also be racing. Both teams have entered the 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race. In contention to be the first monohull to finish the De Guingand Bowl Race is RORC Commodore James Neville with British HH42 INO XXX, which took the gun and the overall win for the 2022 Cervantes Trophy Race. New to RORC Racing will be Michael Møllmann’s all-composite Danish Elliott 35SS Palby Marine, sailed by Sofus Pedersen. Ultimate Sailing’s British Multi50 Spirit of Poole, sailed by Robert Langford-Wood,is currently the sole entry in MOCRA and will be taking part in its first race since undergoing a four-month refit.

Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood © RORC

Thirteen teams are entered for IRC One including Ireland’s Michael O’Donnell racing his J/121 Darkwood, which was second overall in the Cervantes Trophy Race. The class contains a number of charter boats with passionate amateur crew including six First 40s: Skylander skippered by Jordan Billiald, Galahad of Cowes skippered by Ronan Banim, Lancelot II skippered by David Thomson, Arthur skippered by Jim Bennett. Two teams from the London Corinthian Sailing Club, will be starting their 2023 Rolex Fastnet Campaign racing Tango and Jazz. Overseas teams in the class include Benedikt Clauberg’s Swiss Ocean Racing Club with First 47.7 Kai and Laurent Charmy’s French J/111 SL Energies_Groupe Fastwave.

IRC Two-Handed is the largest class for the De Guingand Bowl Race with 30 expected to be racing. The two leading teams for the 2022 season will be in action. Richard Palmer will be racing his JPK 1010 Jangada with Rupert Holmes and Sun Fast 3200 Cora will be raced by Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews. Twelve Sun Fast 3300s will be racing in IRC Two-Handed, including a RORC debut for Red Ruby sailed by partners Christina & Justin Wolfe from Washington USA. Wayne Palmer will also be racing his J/99 Jam for the first time, racing in IRC Two-Handed with Mark Emons. Stuart Greenfield will be racing his S&S 34 Morning After with Louise Clayton.

Twenty entries have been received by teams racing in IRC 2, the majority of which will be racing in IRC Two-Handed. Fully crewed entries in IRC Two include the well-sailed Sun Fast 3600, the Army Sailing Association’s Fujitsu British Soldier, skippered by Philip Caswell, which was class winner for the Cervantes Trophy Race. Freya Anderson & Adam Leddy will be racing Gavin Howe’s 1987 Julian Everitt designed 35ft sloop Wavetrain.

In IRC Three, the Royal Navy Sailing Association’s J/109 Jolly Jack Tar, skippered by Henry Wilson, the Royal Air Force Sailing Association’s J/109 Red Arrow, skippered by Gillian Burgess. Harry Heijst’s S&S 41 Winsome is entered with a majority Dutch crew. French Franck Ribot’s JPK 1010 Whisper returns to RORC racing with an all-French team. In IRC Four, Christophe Declercq will be racing Contessa 32 Lecas with a team from Belgium.

The overall winner of the race after IRC time correction will be presented with the De Guingand Bowl, which was presented to the Royal Ocean Racing Club by E.P. de Guingand, affectionally known as ‘Buster’ (Vice Commodore 1957-1959). The best vantage points of the start will be along Cowes Green and Egypt Esplanade. Competing boats can be tracked using AIS data, when in range, via the YB tracker player: https://yb.tl/dgbr2022