The RORC Caribbean 600 Race website is now live.

The Event Minisite includes the Pre-Notice of Race and details of boats intending to compete.

Please click on http://caribbean600.rorc.org/ to navigate to the Minisite.

Date: Saturday 8th November 2008
New Venue: The Mayflower suite at The De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel (5 Star), 5 West Quay Road, Southampton

Drinks from 7pm with dinner being served at 7.45pm.
Tickets £ 70.00 per person includes :-
a 4 course black tie dinner, with half a bottle of wine per person & a reception drink, followed by a disco.

We have secured for RORC members a limited number of bedrooms at The De Vere Hotel which are priced at £ 99.00 for a double bedded room. (Contact RORC for more information)
Included within the price of the bedroom is a full English breakfast on the Sunday morning & free entry to their luxurious spa.

Please click here for the ticket order form
Please click here for the De Vere Grand Harbour website

2008 YACHT OF THE YEAR

Winning the
SOMERSET MEMORIAL TROPHY
For outstanding racing achievement by a yacht owned or sailed by a RORC member as voted for by the Main Committee
 In recognition of not only a successful season, but also, and in particular, for his sportsmanlike approach, Corinthian spirit and the support he has shown his fellow competitors.
PEN AZEN, (J 122) Philippe Delaporte

ASSUAGE TROPHY

CHAMPIONSHIP FOR RORC MEMBERS
For the yacht with the most points in IRC overall in the Cherbourg Race plus her best three races taken from Cervantes, Morgan Cup, Myth of Malham and Cowes-Dinard-St. Malo races
PEN AZEN, (J 122) Philippe Delaporte

ALAN PAUL TROPHY

For consistent high performance in IRC. Based on consistent high scores plus a bonus for number of races completed.
BRITISH SOLDIER, (Archamboult RC40) Army Sailing Association, Lt Col Nick Bate

CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHIES

IRC overall: Jazz Trophy                         
PEN AZEN, (J 122) Philippe Delaporte

IRC Super Zero: Europeans Trophy    
FORMIDABLE 3, (Lutra 56) Piet Vroon

IRC 0: Illingworth Cup                              
ERIVALE III, (Kerr 39) Mike Greville

IRC 1: Emily Verger Plate                        
PEN AZEN, (J 122) Philippe Delaporte

IRC 2: Grenade Goblet                             
FOGGY DEW, (JPK 9.60) Noel Racine

IRC 3: Cowland Trophy                           
CLARIONET, (Stevens One Tonner) Paul March

2 Handed Division: Psipsina Trophy   
SLINGSHOT, (J 105) Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling

Sigma 38: Oldland/Watts Aquadanca  
FLYING BANANA, Richard Palmer

J 109 RORC Trophy                                 
JAGUAR OF BURNHAM, Adrian Lower

Course: Ponta de Sâo Lourenço (P), Chaussee de Sein (S), Island of Ushant (S), Alderney, Burhou and the Casquets (S), West Princessa (P), Bembridge Ledge (P), Horse Sand Fort (S). Approximately 1,480 miles.

The second half of the Madeira to Cowes Race was supposed to provide an exhilarating downwind blast home, however with a choice of starting days, the weather verses the need to get back to work was going to play a crucial part in the result.

British Soldier was first to start on Thursday 21^st August and was blighted by a head wind for all but the final 5 hours of the race, the final 120 miles taking the Archambault 40 nearly 36 hours to complete.

Jamaica Clipper was the next to start on Friday 22^nd August and was to follow British Soldier into fickle headwinds, eventually the pressure to get back home to the grind forced her into retirement and a long motor/sail home.

The remaining competitors, Pen Azen, Puma Logic and Change of Course started together on the 25^th August, this was to pan out to be the best of the days chosen to start. The trio headed north in fairly gentle head winds but an Atlantic low pressure was to bring strengthening Southwest and westerly  winds throughout the later stages of the race.

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.

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.

Change of Course finished the Madeira Cowes race at 05:04:30 on the 4th September. They had enjoyed the race and the challenges the course and weather had thrown up at them. Conditions had ranged from a 15 hour period of no wind where they had covered just 10 nautical miles to surfing in the Channel at speeds of up to 17 knots.

Well done to everyone whom took part in the race and RORC looks forward to welcoming you all home at the Prizegiving, 19:30 on the 9th September at The Clubhouse, 20 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NN.

Pen Azen finished at 23:51:35 on the 2nd September beating Puma Logic over the line by 2 hours, 22 minutes and 15 seconds after 8 1/2 days at sea. The boats experienced an exciting finish to the race with awesome downwind sailing in 30 knots of wind. Pen Azen owned by Philippe Delaporte and sailed by his son Francois and a young crew of friends had no idea just how close Puma Logic had managed to cling to their stern as Puma Logic's tracker experienced problems. Puma Logic sailed hard to claim the win in Class 1 - Congratulations to Philippe Falle and his crew!