RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race - Preview

Volvo 70 Monster Project © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St. Malo and the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Start: Friday 1200 11th July from the RYS
Course: Cowes - Casquets - Les Hanois - St Malo

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship continues this weekend with close to 80 yachts competing in Cowes Dinard St Malo Race. Teams from Belgium, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands will race across the English Channel to the famous walled port of St Malo in Brittany, France. The 175-mile race pre-dates the Royal Ocean Racing Club by almost 20 years, with the overall winner awarded the impressive, gold plated, King Edward VII Cup. Presented by the British Monarch to the Club Nautique de la Rance at Dinard in 1906.

Andrew Budgen and Fred Schwyn's Volvo 70, Monster Project was in fine form during last month's Round Ireland Race, taking Line Honours and the win in IRC Canting Keel. Monster Project is favourite to be the first yacht to finish in St.Malo but IMOCA 60, Artemis Team Endeavour, skippered by Mikey Ferguson is also very capable of taking the gun.

"During the Round Ireland we found that the IMOCA 60 was probably quicker than us downwind but upwind or reaching, in enough breeze, we were quicker." Commented Andy Budgen. "It should be a great race with Artemis and the St.Malo Race is one of our qualifiers for next month's Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland, so we are keen to do well and put the team through their paces. With the current forecast we could see a fast race. Monster Project love reaching and if we have a power reach to St.Malo it should be very exciting. Many of the crew are now regular members and that is a bonus as it takes time to learn how to sail a Volvo 70, Monster Project is a very powerful machine."

In IRC One, Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3 returns to RORC racing after a highly successful Caribbean season. Tonnerre de Breskens 3 was class runner up in last year's St.Malo Race. The current class leader for the 2014 season, RORC Commodore Mike Greville's British Ker 39, Erivale III is not racing this weekend. However, Steven Anderson's British Corby 40, Cracklin' Rosie is returning to action and likely to regain the class lead. Daniel Hardy's British Oyster 625, Lady Mariposa is currently third for the season and will be taking part in their fourth race of the series.

Seventeen yachts will be competing in IRC Two, including the current class leader, Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout's Belgian MC34, Azawakh. Chris Radford's British J/122, Relentless on Jellyfish is lying in second place for the season and will be hoping to make up ground on the class leader. In IRC Two, last year's St.Malo Race winner was Michel Péretié's A40, Stamina III and the French team will be hoping to retain the trophy.

IRC Three will be the largest class for the St.Malo Race with twenty one yachts competing, including the overall leader for the 2014 RORC Season's Points Championship; Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK 10.10, Raging Bee. Nick Martin's J/105, Diablo-J is currently second in class for the season and Christopher Palmer's J/109, J-T'Aime third. The top eight yachts in IRC Three will all be competing in the race to St.Malo.

In IRC Four, Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew is the current class leader and the veteran French skipper considers the St.Malo Race his favourite. Ludovic Melnyk's JPK 9.60, Sous Mama Boulé is second for the season by just 1.2 points and will be racing this weekend. "Our win in 2006, is without doubt the most special moment for me in all of my sailing." Smiled Noel Racine. "It was the centenary for the race and we won it overall, it was a very special moment. St.Malo is a lovely place and especially for Bastille Day. There is a great holiday atmosphere and there are excellent restauruants to enjoy French cuisine and a spectacular fire work display. This year, I believe that the first few hours of the race will be crucial. It looks as though most of the race will be downwind, so working the tide in the Solent and getting out into fast conditions, as soon as possible, may well decide the race. Foggy Dew is a good all round yacht but perhaps the boats that are fast downwind will like the forecast."

Thirteen yachts will be competing in the 175-mile race Two Handed. Raging Bee is the current leader of the class with Diablo-J second and Sous Mama Boulé third.

Three multihulls will be taking part including Loic Fequet's Maitre Jacques, which set the Multihull record for the race in 2012 of 12 hours 39 minutes. Three Class 40s will enjoy a close battle including Michel Kleinjans' Brusails for Belgium, who will be taking part in next month's Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.

The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race is one of the oldest yacht races in the world and has always been a popular event with competitors racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The timing of the race coincides with one of the biggest celebrations in France, Bastille Day. The fortress city of St Malo will be a hive of festivities and cultural celebrations, culminating in an impressive firework display.

For more information visit www.rorc.org