The Long Way Home - Stories from the 2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race

Start: Cowes, RYS Line, Sunday 9 August. First Warning Signal 1320 BST

The RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race is measured in nautical miles, elapsed time and IRC corrected seconds, but the stories that will last are about the sailors.

A Fleet Full of Stories Ahead of the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race © RORC

Over 1,805 non-stop miles, the fleet will race from Cowes to the Atlantic edge of Europe and north to Muckle Flugga at almost 61°N. Remarkably, the warming influence of the Gulf Stream makes these waters navigable, while at the equivalent latitude in the Southern Hemisphere lies the sea ice and frozen coastline of Antarctica. The Round Britain and Ireland Race is a course of extraordinary geographical contrasts.

While the boats racing in IRC Zero will likely contest the Line Honours, as well as IRC Overall, the boats racing in IRC One, Two, Three and Class40 will face an equally challenging test which is altogether intensely human, as well as vying for IRC Class and overall glory.

The double-handed division are racing in various classes and have been described HERE. However, there are fascinating motivations and stories throughout the RORC Round Britain and Ireland fleet.

IRC One - Variety and Experience - Entry List

IRC One is led on rating by the double-handed Class40 Tjoba, followed by Sam Hall’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra and Cameron Davis’s Farr 40 Espresso Martini Too. The J/45 Stickleback, Xp 44 Xantho and German JPK 1180 Frida, also racing double-handed, complete a varied class of offshore designs, nationalities and campaign styles.

Pata Negra © ROLEX/Kurt ArrigoPata Negra – Welsh Pride and Proven Pedigree

Pata Negra won the race overall under IRC in 2018, with Giles Redpath at the helm. The Lombard 46 now returns skippered by Sam Hall, with his father Andrew on board helping to keep the young crew focused. Since that victory Pata Negra has added podium finishes in both the RORC Transatlantic Race and RORC Caribbean 600 to an impressive offshore record.

Proud of their Welsh heritage, Sam and Andrew Hall will race under the Welsh Dragon of Pwllheli Sailing Club. “Not many people can say they’ve sailed around Wales non-stop,” joked Sam Hall. “Only one of our crew, Jules White, has done the race before, aboard EH01 in 2018, but if you combined all our racing miles they would probably wrap around the world several times. Our objective is to finish in one piece, both crew and boat. In my opinion, that is also going to be the fastest way around the course.”

Stickleback © Rick Tomlinson/RORCStickleback - From Family Cruiser to Offshore Adventure

Nick Edmonds’ new J/45 Stickleback was bought primarily for family cruising and club racing, but the boat’s performance soon encouraged the crew to aim higher. After completing the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, Stickleback is now stepping up to the far greater challenge of a first Round Britain and Ireland Race.

The Corinthian team has been assembled through a mixture of existing friendships and new sailors from a RORC Crew Finder evening, the Generation JOG training weekend, and bolstered by Key Yachting’s Ian Wilson, a Corinthian J/70 world champion. More than half of the crew come from the Bristol area and include young sailors from the RORC Griffin Pathway.

Stickleback’s ambitions are to finish, challenge for the IRC One title and enjoy the adventure. The crew expects concentration throughout the long race to be its greatest test, while the campaign will also raise funds for Cancer Research UK, with charity coordinator Meiling Tsang racing on board.

IRC Two - Depth and Corinthian Strength - Entry List

IRC Two is the largest class in the fleet, with 12 entries spanning proven offshore teams and ambitious Corinthian campaigns. Frans van Cappelle and Michelle Witsenburg’s J/122 Moana leads on rating, followed by the Sun Fast 3600s Löwe von Bremen and Fujitsu British Soldier.

Half the class will race double-handed, underlining the strength of the short-handed contingent, while the fully crewed entries bring together youth development, military sailing, historic yachts and experienced RORC campaigns.

Löwe von Bremen © Hinrick FranckLöwe von Bremen - One of youngest crews to the race

The mixed German team of four women and three men, aged between 22 and 30, first came together through their Bremen yacht club while at university and has spent five years building towards this challenge.

Owned by Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen, the Sun Fast 3600 is run as a youth development project giving the sailors responsibility for preparing the boat, organising the campaign and making decisions offshore. Most have already completed two Rolex Fastnet Races together in 2023 and 2025, but the Round Britain and Ireland Race has been their main objective since taking on the yacht.

“We’re a young crew who have sailed Löwe von Bremen for five years and this race has been our goal from the beginning,” said skipper Frederick Nabor. “We’re excited to finally reach the start line and I’m hoping for plenty of fast downwind sailing, but the biggest challenge will be keeping our energy levels high, especially during the second half of the race.”

For a close-knit Corinthian team accustomed to learning together, completing the course would mark a major step in its offshore progression.

Bellino © Paul Wyeth/RORCFour-Up on Bellino

In 2022 Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino raced two-handed with Deb Fish. The pair have since been crowned RORC Season’s Points Champions for three consecutive years. In the last edition of the Round Britain and Ireland Race Bellino finished second overall to Jangada after nearly 15 days at sea. The corrected-time margin was just seven minutes and 19 seconds - only 0.03% over 1,805 nautical miles.

Craigie and Fish return in 2026, with Fish now serving as RORC Commodore, but this time Bellino will race with four on board. The crew includes two Irish graduates of the RORC Griffin Offshore Pathway, Nicole Hemeryck and Joe Griffiths.

This will be Fish’s third Round Britain and Ireland Race. She was part of the overall-winning crew aboard Derek Saunders’ Corby 45 Incisor of Wight in 2000.

“When I see the number of two-handed entries in this year’s race, I have to be honest and say I will miss being part of that fleet,” said Fish. “However, we are excited to have Nicole and Joe on board. They are great company and very talented sailors.

“The RORC Griffin Offshore Pathway is producing a significant number of young sailors and it is very important that the programme leaves a lasting legacy. As well as the Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin, which will race with eight sailors from the programme, Griffin graduates can be found throughout the fleet.

“Our approach on Bellino will not change. We will race hard, aim to finish, try to win our class and thoroughly enjoy the experience. There will be highs and lows, but we look forward to celebrating over a few drinks at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse when we finish.”  

Quailo © Rick Tomlinson/RORCQuailo III - Back Around Britain After Half a Century

More than half a century after completing the Royal Western Yacht Club’s double-handed, stopping race around Britain and Ireland, the restored Nicholson 55 Quailo III is returning with a new owner and a very different challenge.

RORC Rear Commodore Andrew Tseng will take the historic yacht around the RORC’s non-stop course with a diverse Corinthian crew spanning several generations and nationalities. “This time it is the RORC’s non-stop version, and we are coming back fully crewed,” said Tseng.

The campaign also carries a family connection. Rupert Baddeley will sail aboard Quailo III, while his son Ollie races on RORC Griffin.

“It’s an international and diverse team, bringing together British, Dutch, Australian and Canadian sailors, with women representing one fifth of the crew,” added Tseng. “We are most looking forward to rounding Muckle Flugga, but the biggest challenge will be the strong winds in the north, followed by the wind farms and oil and gas fields on the east coast.”

RORC Griffin © Paul Wyeth/RORCTwo Crews, One Shared Purpose

IRC Two also features a compelling contest between two fully crewed Sun Fast 3600s with very different backgrounds, but a common purpose.

RORC Griffin, co-skippered by Nuala Sellwood and Albert Barber, brings together eight sailors aged 18 to 30 from the Griffin Offshore Pathway, continuing a development programme established in 1947 to create opportunities for the next generation of offshore racers.

Fujitsu British Soldier © Paul Wyeth

Fujitsu British Soldier represents the Army Sailing Association, which returns for its fifth Round Britain and Ireland Race. Skipper Will Naylor is also aiming to complete the course for a fifth time.

One crew is taking its next major step; the other is extending a long association with the race. Both see offshore sailing as a powerful way to develop people by giving them genuine responsibility in a demanding environment.

“The progression through the programme has been huge,” said Barber. “The coaches pushed me towards the back of the boat and into some of the key decision-making. We are preparing the boat, getting it ready for the race and making the decisions throughout.”

Sellwood added: “Pushing yourself to the limit can feel tough, but afterwards it is always incredibly rewarding.”

“Offshore racing develops the same qualities we look for in military life: leadership, discipline, resilience and trust,” said Fujitsu British Soldier's Naylor. “It pushes people into that stretch zone where they learn a great deal about themselves and each other.”

Over 1,805 nautical miles, those qualities may prove every bit as important as boat speed.

IRC Three - Small Boats, Big Challenge - Entry List

IRC Three brings together seven contrasting entries, from Neal Brewer and Andrew Baker’s IMX 38 Hummingbird at the top of the rating band, to Dirk Lahmann’s 1978 Two Tonner Snifix Dry, the lowest-rated boat in the entire race. With four double-handed teams, classic yachts and proven offshore performers closely matched on rating, IRC Three should produce a contest in which endurance, reliability and smart sailing matter every bit as much as outright speed.

Dirk Lahmann’s Snifix Dry returns after completing the 2022 race in 17 days. Lahmann marked that achievement in memorable style, changing into his best clothes - including a cravat - before stepping ashore for a gin and tonic with his wife.

For 2026, the 1978 Two Tonner brings together a new three-person Corinthian crew whose friendship developed through chance meetings at offshore races. “The three of us came together by pure chance,” said the team. “Now we are taking on 1,800 miles around Britain and Ireland together.”

Lahmann is the sole returning veteran, while his two crewmates face the greatest offshore challenge of their lives. "We can’t wait for the wild west coast of Ireland and Muckle Flugga. The biggest challenge will be pacing ourselves, and each other, all the way to the finish.”

Their ambition is simple: enjoy the adventure and bring Snifix Dry safely home.

Mark Brown’s JPK 1010 Jetpack will be among the smallest and lowest-rated boats in the race, but neither the design nor its highly experienced crew should be underestimated. Based in Gosport, Hampshire, Jetpack has developed into one of the most consistent smaller boats in the RORC fleet, with an impressive record of class and overall results.

The JPK 1010 has exceptional form around this course. Sistership Jangada won the 2022 edition overall under IRC and, should the 50th anniversary race produce similarly light conditions, Jetpack will have more than a good chance of emulating that achievement.

While the larger yachts disappear up the course, Brown and his crew will focus on keeping Jetpack moving efficiently through every transition. Over 1,805 nautical miles, a proven design, experienced sailors and relentless consistency could make one of the fleet’s smallest yachts a serious threat to them all.

The RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race fleet will leave Cowes together, but from the moment the start gun fires, every boat will begin its own story. Out on the 1,805-nautical-mile course, careers may be defined, friendships forged and crews tested in ways they cannot yet imagine. Some will chase victory, for others the glory will be to simply finish, but all will return changed by the experience. What happens on the 50th anniversary of the Round Britain and Ireland Race may create stories still being told for decades to come.

Full Entry List - 2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race