2024 RORC Racing | Season Preview

The RORC Race Team is preparing and planning for a very busy 2024 season with 16 offshore races and four inshore regattas.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club Season's Points Championship is the world's largest offshore racing series. Last year, 9223 sailors raced in an astounding variety of 729 offshore certified boats. Over the past ten editions of the RORC Season’s Points Championship, the overall winning boat has always been under 47ft (14.33m) and more often than not crewed by a Corinthian team. The overall winner is decided by the IRC Rating Rule, jointly administered by the RORC and the UNCL Pôle Course du YCF. The overall trophies in nearly all the world's blue riband offshore races are awarded using the IRC rating system.

The 2024 RORC Season’s Points Championship is already underway; the first points scoring race was the Rolex Middle Sea Race held in October. Class winners for the RORC Season are decided by the best five race results over the season which ends in September 2024. The overall win for the Jazz Trophy goes to the boat with the most points from all of the scoring races.

Gunboat 68 TOSCA © Carlo Borlenghi

IRC time correction gives an equal chance of winning to a huge variety of boats with professional teams racing against pro-am, as well as passionate corinthian crews. The Championship features high performance multihulls racing under the MOCRA Rule, and the pocket-rocket Class40s, which have been a feature of the Championship for over a decade. Each contest is highly competitive with trophies and races dating back over 100 years. Winning any race in the RORC Season’s Points Championship is worthy of praise and celebration.

Class40 3 Bros © Paul Wyeth/RORC

The next two scoring races are the RORC Transatlantic Race, and the RORC Caribbean 600. After that, all the RORC Season's Points Championship races are held in Northern Europe with the vast majority starting on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, Cowes.

LINK: 2024 RORC SEASON PROGRAMME

During 2024, the Royal Ocean Racing Club is organising or assisting with four inshore racing events. The RORC Easter Challenge, The GBR IRC National Championships, The Vice Admiral’s Cup and the IRC European Championships. All of the inshore regattas will feature multiple races per day on technical windward leeward racecourses or longer inshore races.

RORC Easter Challenge supported by North Sails © Paul Wyeth/RORC

The RORC Easter Challenge | 29th – 31st March | Cowes - IOW

For over 20 years, the Royal Ocean Racing Club has held a training regatta over the Easter Weekend. World Sailing Rules on outside assistance are relaxed, so for no additional cost to the teams, hand-picked coaches and top sailors from North Sails can provide pin-point assistance to get crews of any level up to speed. Three days of racing are organised in The Solent from Easter Friday to Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday is always popular with children and those young at heart for the customary Easter Egg toss! © Paul Wyeth/RORC

GBR IRC Nationals © Paul Wyeth/RORC

GBR IRC Nationals | 25th – 27th May | Poole - Dorset

The GBR IRC National Championships was first held in 1999 and for the first time the championships will be held as part of International Paint Poole Regatta. Multiple races will be held in Poole Bay and adjacent waters. In over two decades of competition the overall win has been achieved by a huge variety of boats. Individual IRC Class National Champions will also be decided.

RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup | 6th – 8th September and 14th -15th September | Cowes IOW

This year the racing is split over two weekends and is being organised by RORC and the Royal Thames Yacht Club. With an accent on one-design racing the first weekend will be for the Cape31 and J/70 classes, whilst the second weekend will host the Performance 40, J/111, J/109, HP30 and Quarter ton classes.

The Vice Admiral’s Cup has always featured a full social programme. The RORC Cowes Clubhouse will be regatta central for fun filled evening entertainment, especially the Prize Givings.

IRC European Championships | 10th – 15th September | Dublin, Ireland

The 2024 European Championships will be held for the first time in Dún Laoghaire by the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Three days of action with multiple races per day will be held in Dún Laoghaire and adjacent waters. A strong Irish presence is expected as well as teams from England, Scotland and Wales, plus likely participation from teams from all over Northern Europe. No doubt the atmosphere at the RIYC will be as charged as the racing in Dublin Bay.

RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole and the RORC Race Team are excited about the 2024 Season. “Despite 2024 not being a ‘Fastnet Year’, the RORC Race Team is preparing and planning for a very busy season with 16 offshore races and four inshore regattas, including the IRC National and European Championships,” commented Steve Cole. “The RORC Cowes Clubhouse is undergoing a major redevelopment this winter and unfortunately will not be ready for the Easter Challenge. However, thanks to the support of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the post-race debriefings will take place in the RYS pavilion. Once the RORC Clubhouse and its purpose-designed building is ready, it will also become home to the RORC Race Office, as well as a superb venue for Club Members and their guests to enjoy social events. The RORC has always co-operated with other yacht clubs and we will be giving full support to the championship regattas in Poole and Dublin.”

LINK: 2024 RORC SEASON PROGRAMME