Please select your home edition
Edition
GJW Direct 2024 Dinghy

2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup Day 2

by Rupert Holmes 21 May 2022 23:14 BST 20-22 May 2022
The J/111 fleet enjoying glorious conditions at the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup on the second day of Solent racing © Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
The Cape 31 fleet on Saturday during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©James Tomlinson
Antix during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com
The Cape 31 fleet on Friday during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com
Squirt and Jubilee during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©James Tomlinson
Tokoloshe and Jubilee during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com
Gelert during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com
Rounding the top mark during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com
Cape 31 fleet during the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©James Tomlinson
GP Zero Class downwind at the RORC 2022 Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Winner of HP30 class - Chris Townsend and Richard Powell's Gweilo - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
HP30 start action - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Tony Mack's McFly saw intense racing and overall victory in the J/111 class - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Chris Jones / Louise Makin's Journeymaker ll - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Winner of HP30 class - Chris Townsend and Richard Powell's Gweilo - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Stunning final day for 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Michael Bartholomew's Tokoloshe 4 was overall winner of the 13-strong Cape 31 fleet - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
John Smart's J/109 Jukebox and Mike Yates' Jago tied on 12 points at the end of the regatta - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
J/109 class win for David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Enjoying the inaugural event for the new IRC Racing Class, Grand Prix Zero (GP Zero) - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Grand Prix Zero class start - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Success for Niklas Zennstrom's Fast40 Rán in the newly formed Grand Prix Zero class - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
A third place for Louise Morton's Bullet - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Julian Metherell's Bullit - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
Cape 31 start on the final day of racing - 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup ©Paul Wyeth / pwpictures.com
previous next

Brilliant sun, big tides and light to moderate winds that built from 6-8 knots in the morning to 10-12 knots during the afternoon provided glorious conditions for the second day of the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup.

All six classes completed three hour-long races, with either two or three laps around the course. By the end of the afternoon the leaders in several classes had firmly asserted their dominance. Sam Laidlaw's BLT in the Quarter Ton class notched up a perfect scoreline of race wins. Nevertheless, he continued to be pushed hard by other boats in this very competitive fleet, especially in today's first race, when second placed Julian Metherell's Bullit was only eight seconds behind after IRC time correction. With only two races to go Laidlaw now looks almost invincible with a five point advantage over Metherell, while Louise Morton's Bullet is five points back in third overall.

At the opposite end of the size range, in the Grand Prix Zero class, Niklas Zennström's Carkeek 40 Ràn has also won every race so far, with only Harmen Jan de Graaf's GP42 Baraka Gp managing to finish within a minute of Ràn on IRC corrected time in any of today's races. However, the Swedish boat also showed that she too is capable of making mistakes, with a decidedly third-row start in race 5 of the series.

The rest of the fleet has been enjoying a series of tight battles and only one point currently separates Ian Atkins' Gp42 Dark N Stormy and RORC Commodore James Neville's more offshore oriented HH42 Ino XXX in the fight for second place overall. Today they were frequently neck and neck on the water, with Ino demonstrating very slick boat handling, yet Dark N Stormy still gaining the upper hand overall.

"It was a terrific day, with three very good races," says Neville. "We had a really tough first race when the wind was light, but got ourselves set up right for the next two and were really competitive. Both committee boats set great windward leeward courses, with plenty of shifts and interesting tides to give excellent competition."

Two race wins today in the HP30 class allowed Chris Townsend's Farr 280 Gweilo to nibble the overall lead of Jerry Hill and Richard Faulkner's Farr 280 Moral Compass down to only 1.5 points. Jamie Rankin's Farr 280 Pandemonium put in another consistent performance with two seconds and a third place. This class also produced some very close action among the Far East 28Rs in the fleet, including Andrew Peake's Resolute, which took second place after IRC time correction in race 6.

The impressive success of boats at the top of their class shouldn't be allowed to obscure the intense mid-fleet competition that raged throughout the day. This was particularly sharp in the Cape 31 fleet, where places shuffled on every mark rounding and on occasion half a dozen boats arrived at the leeward gate almost simultaneously. The final race remained super-close for mid-fleet boats right to the finish, when five of them crossed the line in a period of barely more than 20 seconds.

Today's notable performances in this fleet include Tony Dickins' Jubilee in the final race of the day, which he won by almost two minutes. However, his position slipped to third in the overall standings, thanks to Russell Peters' Squirt putting in a very consistent series of results, including a win in the second race. Michael Bartholomew's Tokoloshe 4 remains at the top of the leaderboard having been able to discard a disappointing 10th place in race 6.

"The wind was building all day and then steadied nicely," says Lance Adams, who won today's first race sailing Katabatic. "It's exhilarating and there's nobody racing in this fleet who hasn't got a big smile on their face."

Both the J/109 and J/111 fleets joined the action today. In the former, David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish won every race, with Mike Yates' Jago second and John Smart's Jukebox third. However, this again belies how close the racing was today.

In their opening race, for instance, Jago won the start with a perfectly judged run into the middle of the line. However, a slow spinnaker drop at the end of the first lap allowed Jellyfish to close the gap. She then gained the advantage on the second lap and power reached to the finish in a vein of stronger wind only five seconds ahead of Jago.

The top end of the J/111 fleet was dominated by three boats: Anthony Mack's McFly, Chris Jones and Louise Makin's Journeymaker ll, and Cornel Riklin's Jitterbug, with the trio frequently shuffling position during each race.

McFly had a strong mid-line start in the final race and held a 39 second lead over Journeymaker at the end of the first lap, before extending her advantage to an impressive 71 seconds at the finish. It was a performance that leaves the two boats tied on five points at the head of leaderboard, three points ahead of Jitterbug.

Two more races are scheduled for each class tomorrow (Sunday), which promises yet more bright sun, but a weaker pressure gradient than the past couple of days.

Full Results available here.

Related Articles

RORC Transatlantic Race day 10
15 teams continue their race to the finish line in Grenada On Day 10 of the RORC Transatlantic Race, 15 teams continue their race to the finish line in Grenada. Kosobucki and Grzegorz Grabowski's JV44 Fujimo (POL) reached the halfway mark today. Posted on 21 Jan
Crew of Lucky interviewed after breaking record
RORC Transatlantic Race crew jubilant in Grenada Bryon Ehrhart's Juan K Maxi 88 Lucky (USA) crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Monday 20th January 2025 at 09:19:41 UTC. Posted on 20 Jan
Lucky sets new RORC Transatlantic Race record
Monohull Line Honours, winning the IMA Transatlantic Trophy Bryon Ehrhart's Juan K Maxi 88 Lucky (USA) crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Monday 20th January 2025 at 09:19:41 UTC. Posted on 20 Jan
RORC Transatlantic Race day 7
Lucky is under 800 miles from the finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina. Bryon Ehrhart's Juan K 88 Lucky (USA) is on record pace for the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race. The Monohull Race Record was set in 2022 by the Juan K 100 Comanche (MON), which completed the 3,000 mile race in 07 days 22 hrs 01 mins and 04 secs. Posted on 18 Jan
Entries open for Cowes Week
199th edition of the world's biggest annual keelboat regatta Cowes Week Ltd is delighted to announce that entries for the 2025 Regatta are now open. Posted on 17 Jan
2025 RORC Transatlantic Race day 5
Speed, strategy, and sail survival Five days into the RORC Transatlantic Race, the fleet has left the comforts of everyday life far astern, trading routine for the raw reality of ocean racing. Posted on 16 Jan
Rolex Fastnet Race entry records demolished again
First yacht to successfully register was Frenchman Oscar Lenoel's Pogo 12.50 Cléobulle Entry to the Rolex Fastnet Race opened at 1000 UTC this morning and within just minutes staggering new records were set in terms of the speed with which boats registered and their quantity. Posted on 15 Jan
2025 RORC Transatlantic Race day 3
Most boats clocking exhilarating double-digit speeds The adrenaline-fueled magic carpet ride continues for the entire RORC Transatlantic Race fleet, with most boats clocking exhilarating double-digit speeds. Posted on 14 Jan
11th RORC Transatlantic Race sets off
Perfect sailing conditions just outside Marina Lanzarote The RORC Transatlantic Race launched in spectacular style, with perfect sailing conditions just outside Marina Lanzarote. The stunning backdrop of Arrecife and the excitement in the air set the stage for an unforgettable start. Posted on 12 Jan
Change of course adds tactical twist
The Canary Islands have been removed from the RORC Transatlantic Race course The 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race is set to begin with a new twist, following an important amendment to the Sailing Instructions announced on Thursday, January 9th. Posted on 10 Jan