RORC Wins Sardinia Cup as Admiral’s Cup Ambitions Build
Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), the Range Rover Sardinia Cup took place in Porto Cervo from 31 May to 7 June 2026. The seven race series including offshore, coastal and windward leeward racing had spectacular conditions and congratulations should go to the YCCS for organising a superb regatta.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) won the 2026 Range Rover Sardinia Cup. Past RORC Commodore James Neville racing Ino Veritas was the winner of IRC 1 Class, while RORC Member Per Roman’s Garm was third in the IRC 2 Class. Their combined team result won the RORC the coveted trophy ahead of the host club the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The RORC Gold team was third with Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán winning IRC 2 and Peter Harrison’s Jolt 3 fourth in IRC 1.
YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati paid tribute to the winners: “Congratulations to the RORC team on winning the Range Rover Sardinia Cup 2026. The names of Ino Veritas and Garm will now be engraved on the trophy alongside the winners of previous editions of this iconic regatta, which has returned after a 14-year absence. I would like to thank our institutional partner Range Rover for their support, all the competitors who came to race on the Costa Smeralda, and in particular our member Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, whose Django team carried the YCCS burgee to second place and will be competing for the Admiral’s Cup against our friends at the RORC next year. We couldn’t have hoped for better weather – as if the coast was wishing us fair winds for the return of the Sardinia Cup. We look forward to welcoming you back in 2028.”
Winning skippers from the RORC Team at the Sardinia Cup reflected on a memorable victory as well as looking forward to competing in the 2027 Admiral’s Cup.
James Neville – Ino Veritas (RORC)
“We only got Ino Veritas seven weeks ago, so to win the Sardinia Cup with the RORC team is very special. It is unusual to get exactly what you think you are getting with a boat, but the team in Australia delivered a really good package. The boat arrived as a pure inshore boat, so we had to do a huge amount of work. We changed the boom, put offshore mains on, worked on the mast and set the boat up for a full range of conditions. That was important because the Admiral’s Cup is not just about having a fast boat. It is the whole package. The boat, the sails, the crew, the process, the reliability and the preparation. What is clear to me is that the standard for the next Admiral’s Cup is going to take a decent step on from 2025.
“Racing against boats like Jolt 3 and Django was a real benchmark. We were nip and tuck with Jolt 3 all week, and against Django we generally felt good, but the margins are tiny. That is the level we can expect from the top teams. Dean Barker has been crucial. He has brought discipline and focus to the programme. He has taken a lead on crew organisation, boat decisions and sail decisions, and his tactics were phenomenal all week. The guys on the boat have had to step up, and where that is working, it is really nice to see.
For us, the Admiral’s Cup and the Rolex Fastnet Race are the main aim. That is why I bought this boat. Sardinia is a step on that journey, but we have to use it to drive us on. We still have a lot of work to do, especially around resilience and reliability, but Ino Veritas is the right platform.”
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Ino Veritas Crew: James Neville, Dean Barker, Jack Trigger, Mike Henning, Tom Dawson, Pete Redmond, Gabri Olivo, Pete Cumming, Rob Bunce, Mike Waugh, Alastair Hunter, Mark Devereux, Conor Galligan, Rebecca Gmur, George Bridge.
James Neville’s Ino Veritas will be returning to RORC racing this summer including the 150nm offshore; Cowes Dinard St Malo Race starting on 03 July and also for Cowes week were they expect top competition for the inshore regatta.
Per Roman – Garm (RORC)
“For me, the whole project is about the Admiral’s Cup. Everything we are doing now is training to get better for that. It feels like a road to the ‘Cup. This was the first important step, and what I really learned is that the team we have on Garm is extraordinary. It is a very competent team, and we have that in place.
James and I decided after last summer to continue working together as a team, and that meant a lot. Every day before racing, the afterguards of both boats sat together, sharing thoughts on the wind, the strategy and the course. That was really powerful. There is so much competence across the two teams, and it made one plus one equal three.
For Garm, consistency was super important. We knew we were up against very strong boats. Rán is incredibly fast and Django is a new boat, so our job was to keep banging away and keep the points coming. On the penultimate day we scored a three and a two, and in that group, against Django, Rán and the others, that was not easy. We beat Django in one race by ten seconds on corrected time. That is nothing, but it meant a lot. The offshore race was also very important for us. These boats are right on the borderline for offshore racing, but Garm is a little sturdier and stronger. We struggle a bit more in the light inshore races, but offshore we could push hard. We were putting the hammer down, and I think that came from having a slightly safer boat, with double rudders and a bit more strength. There is still more to come. We are still learning to sail the boat, and I think there is another few per cent of performance to find before 2027.”
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Garm crew: Per Roman, Gustavo Martinez, Johan Barne, Taavi Valter, Jesper Stalheim, Carlos Ruigomez, Oliver Hernandez P, Gonzalo Morales, Dominique Knuppel, Finian Morris, Francisco Palacios.
Per Roman’s Garm will be racing at the Copa del Rey in Mallorca and will then go to Valencia for a winter refit before coming to the UK early in 2027 to prepare and train for the 2027 Admiral’s Cup.
The 25th edition of the Admiral’s Cup, organised by the RORC, is scheduled to be held from 13-28 July 2027. Online entry opens in less than a month on 01 July 2026.
Visit the Official Notice Board for the 2027 Admiral's Cup
