Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

2022 IRC National Championship at the Royal Ocean Racing Club - Day 1

by James Boyd 10 Jun 2022 13:42 PDT 10-12 June 2022
John Smart's 20-year-old Cowes-based J109 Jukebox in IRC Three - day 1 of RORC's IRC National Championship © Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Tony Dickin's Cape 31 Jubilee takes second place in IRC Two - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Ian Atkins' GP42 Dark N Stormy takes second in IRC One - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
John Cooper's Cape 31 Fanatic wins IRC Two - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Lance Adams' Cape 31 Katabatic takes third place in IRC Two - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Young Dutch team on the Ker 46 Van Uden takes third in IRC One - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
RORC's Steve Cole and PRO Stuart Childerley present the prize for second in IRC Three to John Smart's J109 Jukebox - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Adam Gosling with Yes! wins IRC Three - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
James Chalmers' J112e Happy Daize takes third in IRC Three - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Adam Gosling's JPK 1080 wins IRC Three - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Rán wins overall by 0.005 of a point - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
Niklas Zennström's Carkeek FAST40plus Rán wins overall plus class victory in IRC One - RORC's IRC National Championship 2022 ©Rick Tomlinson / www.rick-tomlinson.com
previous next

The Solent was star of the show on day one of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's annual IRC National Championship, one of the leading events for the RORC/UNCL-owned yacht rating system. The race committee led by PRO Stuart Childerley laid on two windward-leewards and a round the cans course on the central/eastern Solent in periods of brilliant sunshine and a WSW wind ranging from 10-20 knots.

In IRC One there were few surprises when Niklas Zennström's immaculately sailed and conceived Rán scored three bullets. While the smaller fleet in IRC One technically makes it harder to win the overall IRC National Championship title, the all-black Carkeek FAST40+ is on the best possible track to claim this title that has so far evaded Zennström.

Second, four points astern of Rán, is the Gp42 Dark N Stormy, campaigned by Ian Atkins, President of the new Grand Prix Zero class, which at this event encompasses IRC One. While Dark N Stormy has a strong crew, including Volvo Ocean Race winner and two time Olympic medallist Ian Walker, Atkins acknowledges that there are strong crews across the class: "There are recognisable faces everywhere.... if you don't nail the start and go the right way up the first beat it is a long way back from that. We need to be smarter getting off the start line. We are getting our act together slowly but surely.

"Rán is in a class of her own, but is great to show what can be done. It is up to us to close the gap as much as we are able..."

In addition to the old hands on board are youngsters including 'famous daughters' Suzy Peters and Abby Childerley.

It was a good day for what IRC calculates as the 'fastest' boat here - the Ker 46 Van Oden, skippered by Volvo Ocean Race sailor Gerd-Jan Poortman and sailed by a talented youth crew from the Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team. With three fourths today they are third overall in IRC One. "We are racing Ian Walker, Bouwe Bekking [on Elvis] - whereas our crew has an average age of 22 and this is their seventh big boat race in their lives," mused Poortman.

"We made some mistakes, but we did some good stuff as well. It is challenging against these FAST40s, especially when it is windy and downwind when they sail lower and they plane more easily. It is good competition that we don't have in Holland. Here we have boats like ours - there isn't one with a spinnaker pole. IRC is simple to understand and it creates boats that are racy. There is a place in this world for grand prix racing and we should promote fast boats that are planning with big bowsprits and big cockpits that are great fun."

In IRC Two the competition is between the Performance 40s and nine boat Cape 31 majority, that IRC rates alongside them, despite their diminutive size. Leading after day one was surprisingly not the Cape 31's UK series leader Michael Bartholomew's Tokoloshe 4, but John Cooper's Fanatic. A 1-1-3 gives her an eight point lead over Tony Dickin's Cape 31 Jubilee.

Uncharacteristically deep in IRC Two is Anthony O'Leary, who, in days gone by, led his Irish team to Commodores' Cup victory here and claimed the 2014 IRC National Championship title on his Ker 39 Antix (now Andrew McIrvine's La Réponse). O'Leary admits he is coming to terms with his new Cape 31 which he races with members of his talented family. "It is everything it is advertised to be. They are beautiful - to be on a 31 footer doing 21 knots, it is not short on excitement. Mark Mills [the Cape 31's designer] has done a great job. This is our fourth weekend we have been sailing it. We reckoned we'd come over and learn a lot."

Top non-Cape 31 in IRC Two, lying third overall is Rob Bottomley and Jean-Eudes Renier's MAT 12 Sailplane, winner of today's final race. Their performance today surprised even the highly seasoned campaigner Rob Bottomley: "That is the nice thing about sailing - we thought that windward-leewards would be our speciality and we'd get eaten alive on round the cans by the Capes, but it wasn't like that today. I am not bothered racing them - most of the time we can beat them on corrected time."

The surprise class is proving to be IRC Three, where the favourite is past winner Adam Gosling's JPK 10.80 Yes! All was going well with a 1-3 until Yes! finished sixth in the final race dropping her to third. Instead today's star performer was not a modern, chined French IRC weapon but John Smart's 20-year-old Cowes-based J/109 Jukebox, which posted a 2-2-1.

"We took it race by race," explained Smart. "We are pleasantly surprised. We were imagining that the JPKs and the J/112e would smoke us downwind, but we are hanging in there and are still in the game. We were solid. We have four new crew. We did spend a bit of time yesterday practicing. We have the Morris Minor out there! But it shows that the J/109 is a 20-year-old boat, but it is still competitive.

"Upwind we were going well. Downwind we are just holding our position because there are much faster boats. In the last race there were a lot of wind shifts and we were playing them more than we'd normally do.

"The courses were great as were the conditions - RORC always lays on first class racing so a big thanks to the team."

Racing continues tomorrow with an earlier first warning signal at 1025.

IRC 1 results after day 1:

PosSail NoBoatClassOwnerHandicapR1R2R3Pts
1SWE41RánFast40+Niklas Zennstrom1.2711113
2GBR750RDark N StormyGp 42Ian Atkins1.2693227
3NED17001Van UdenKer 46Van Uden Holding B.V1.28744412
4SWE5ElvisKer 40+Filip Engelbert1.26928313
5NED61137Baraka GpKer 43 One‑offHarmen Jan de Graaf1.27663615
6GBR86RFargoIC37Robert Bicket1.1955717
7GBR5040LIcyIC37Nicholas Griffith1.1978520

IRC 2 results after day 1:

PosSail NoBoatClassOwnerHandicapR1R2R3Pts
1GBR318XFanaticCape 31John Cooper1.1361135
2GBR3110XJubileeCape 31Tony Dickin1.13326513
3GBR562RSailplaneMat 12Jean‑Eudes Renier & Rob Bottomley1.127103114
4GBR8888NCobraKing 40Michael Blair1.10985215
5GBR5RGelertCape 31James Howells1.13437616
6GBR42NLa RéponseKer 39Andrew McIrvine1.136112417
7GBR315XJiraffeCape 31Simon Perry1.13468721
8GBR314XKatabaticCape 31Lance Adams1.132441624
9GBR313XGallivanter IIICape 31Chris Noble1.1365121027
10GBR317XShort EchoCape 31Barry Sampson1.134713828
11IRL3128AntixCape 31Anthony O Leary1.134910928
12BEL9852Ragazza IVMills 37Jan Gabriel1.07913111135
13GBR312XTokoloshe 4Cape 31Michael Bartholomew1.1341291637
14GBR1428RRogan JoshFirst 40Richard Powell1.06916161648
14GBR8409RGalahad Of CowesFirst 40Ronan Banim1.07316161648

IRC 3 results after day 1:

PosSail NoBoatClassOwnerHandicapR1R2R3Pts
1GBR9091JukeboxJ/109John Smart1.0022215
2GBR748RHappy DaizeJ/112eKnight Build Limited1.0515139
3GBR4863RYes!JPK 1080Adam Gosling1.06113610
4GBR3061XArcusA35John Howell & Paul Newell1.01347213
5GBR1250NElaine AgainJPK 1010Mike Bridges1.00765415
6GBR347LCobraBeneteau First 34.7Matt Green & Paul Thomas0.98594518
7GBR9824NjosCorby 35Tim Octon1.033106723
8SWE332Mrs FrecklesCorby 33Lena Having1.03588824
9ESP3090CoteQuarter TonnerRob Gray0.902710926
10GBR4069TZiggyFun Mod (keel)Kevin Downer0.871391527
11GBR6899RJamJ/99Wayne Palmer1.01612111033
12GBR9022TTouchpaperCorby 29David Mallett0.97811131135
13GBR716JustifyJ/80Ross Bowdler0.94514121541
14GBR979RMaliceHod 35Mike Moxley1.0213151543

Related Articles

The Iconic Admiral's Cup Returns!
Harken UK caught up with the RORC CEO and Admiral's Cup sailors ahead of the event After a long hiatus, this prestigious international yachting regatta makes its grand comeback from 17- 31 July at The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Posted today at 3:30 pm
Excitement builds for Poole Regatta 2026
Less than 12 months until the European IRC Championship comes to town With less than a year to go, excitement is steadily building for the return of the International Paint Poole Regatta, taking place from 23rd-25th May 2026 over the late May bank holiday weekend. Posted today at 12:07 pm
A century of human endeavour
The Fastnet Race is regarded as one of offshore sailing's most complete proving grounds For 100 years, the Rolex Fastnet Race has been regarded as one of offshore sailing's most complete proving grounds. It is a place where ambitions and dreams meet harsh reality, where skill, endurance and fortitude are severely tested. Posted today at 10:14 am
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 4
A benign breeze and flat water belied a moderate tide A benign breeze and flat water belied a moderate tide, running south to Sandwich Bay. The club's new racing marks were out ready for Ramsgate week and two were employed after a running start with the tide. Posted today at 7:12 am
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Four preview
The pinnacle of grass roots sailing has 97 entries The very largest yachts, including the 100ft Ultim foiling trimarans and 60ft IMOCAs are an essential part of the spectacle of the Fastnet Race, however a critical element in the race's enduring appeal is that this is predominately a grass roots event. Posted on 14 Jul
RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race concludes
Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijf, completed a remarkable hat-trick Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG and the Royal Yacht Squadron. Posted on 14 Jul
Dufour 44 set to make waves at 40th HIRW
Hamilton Island Race Week offers the ultimate blend of competitive sailing and island festivities Dufour Yachts is proud to announce its official sponsorship of Hamilton Island Race Week 2025, Australia's premier offshore regatta. Posted on 14 Jul
A challenging and memorable 5th edition AEGEAN 600
Bright lights and gleaming trophies were not the only indication of a successful edition At Saturday night's Awards Ceremony of the 2025 AEGEAN 600 the bright lights and gleaming trophies were not the only indication of a successful 5th edition of this challenging offshore race organized annually by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC). Posted on 13 Jul
Double Double
And the rest of the line is not toil and trouble, but quadruple, then another double… On the eve of the 100th Fastnet that has attracted some 464 entries, I heard of one entry in this record fleet that seemed so very apt. Not only because it includes the Commodore of the RORC, but because it combines two Brits and two Aussies. Posted on 13 Jul
2025 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race Start Photos
Martin Augustus of sailingimages.co.uk was out in the sunshine as the fleet sailed out of the Solent The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, the thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, started on Friday and Martin Augustus was on hand to catch the action in the Western Solent as they made their way in the sunshine towards Dinard. Posted on 12 Jul
Maritimo M50Palm Beach Motor Yachts