NORTH SEA RACE REPORT

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the
Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association,
the Yacht Club Scheveningen, the Royal Maas Yacht Club,
the Noordzee Club and the Royal Dutch Navy Yacht Club

Friday 2nd May: The start of this year’s North Sea race saw sunny skies with seven to nine knots of wind from the east, south east. The conditions may have been calm but the start of the race was far from it, with a delay to the second start and then a collision between two yachts which then decided to retire from racing. The 180 mile race across the North Sea, from Harwich to Scheveingen, proved to be a tactical affair with medium to light airs and the heavy influence of tidal gates.

The undisputable star of this year’s North Sea Race was Atse Blei’s S&S 41, Pinta-M, winning class in both IRC and ORC and best yacht in ORC overall.

On Wednesday morning April 30, the Pleomax Volvo Open 60 of skipper Harm Prins (NED) broke the fifteen year old Vuurschepenrace record. He and his crew needed 10 hours and 29 minutes to cover the 110 nautical miles across the North Sea. That was eighteen minutes faster than in 1993. Several teams blew up their spinnakers in wild conditions of gusts up to 35 knots. It was a rough start of the ABN AMRO North Sea Regatta 2008. The Dutch talents of vanUden-TUDelft-VanOord Sailing Team won surprisingly the IRC 1 class. These students are preparing for the Tour de France à la Voile in July.

PRESS RELEASE: 29 April 2008 

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with
the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association,
the Yacht Club Scheveningen, the Royal Maas Yacht Club,
the Noordzee Club and the Royal Dutch Navy Yacht Club

There will be big grins all round if the competitors in this year’s North Sea Race get the same conditions as last year. It was a downhill sleigh ride and Peter de Ridder’s, Mean Machine  won, smashing the race record by over eight hours, at an average speed of over 16 knots.

The entry list for the 2008 North Sea Race has eclipsed last year and a fleet of over 60 boats will race from Harwich to Scheveningen over the bank holiday weekend. The high class fleet is mainly from Holland, but there are also entries from Britain, Belgium and Austria.

CERVANTES TROPHY RACE
Cowes, Isle of Wight to Le Havre, France

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Société des Régates du Havre and the Royal Yacht Squadron

The Cervantes Trophy Race is traditionally the first English Channel Race of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) season and this year’s race from Cowes to Le Havre has attracted a variety of yachts from Britain, France and Belgium.

EASTER CHALLENGE
Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

Video of the 2008 event, including interviews and helicopter footage.

NOW SHOWING ON BOATS ON TV

Free, feature length, high quality video. All you need is a broadband internet connection and the free JOOST player.
Just click the link below.
http://www.boatson.tv

PRESS RELEASE - 24 April 2008

COWES-MADEIRA RACE – Monday 11th August 2008

The Cowes to Madeira Yacht Race is new to the RORC sailing programme but the route is centuries old; Charles II granted traders sailing to Madeira tax exemption on wines in 1665. The 2008 race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club is certain to provide some challenging and spectacular ocean sailing for the competitors. On Monday morning, August 11th, the race fleet will line up on the historic Royal Yacht Squadron Line at Cowes and head for Madeira, some 1480 miles away. The race to the sun soaked Atlantic island is sure to be a truly wonderful experience for anyone with a passion for offshore racing.