Excitement for the upcoming RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup

The best of high performance racing is back with the Vice Admiral’s Cup. The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is hosting this event in the Solent from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd.

The 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the global pandemic; however, this year looks promising as over 50 teams have taken up the challenge. Eight classes will compete on courses with technical windward leeward.

We will be able to expect the best action for FAST40+, Performance 40, J/111, J/109, Cape31, HP30, Quarter Tonner and SB20.

Up to four ocean races per day

The Solent-based inshore regatta brings together the eight classes for three days of intense racing. During the 2019 edition, over 70 boats sailed across the water in this event. This year, we will enjoy the return of the Fast40+ class alongside the Performance 40 class.

The FAST40+ Class

This is the Grand Prix class and it is returning to race for the first time this year. Even though the class follows a box rule, the carbon fibre flyers have similar IRC Ratings. The boat to beat is the Rán, as they have won the class at the 2019 Vice Admiral’s Cup.

Moreover, Peter Morton will be returning this year to the FAST40+ division with a new boat, Jean Genie. We will also see Christian Hamilton & Guy Gillon’s Khumbu with several upgrades.

“Rán has been out training in all conditions and it will be a breath of fresh air to be back out racing,” said Rán’s Tim Powell. “As this is the first race of the season it will be very interesting to see where everybody has got to in terms of performance.”

Performance 40 Class

The RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup will be the first round of the 2021 Performance 40 Series. This class provides intense racing under tight IRC Rating rules. Winners include Michael Blair & Stevie Beckett’s Cobra and David Cummin’s Rumleflurg and James Gair’s Zero II.

Past RORC Commodore and Admiral, Andrew McIrvine, will be competing in this class with La Réponse. The navigator of the boat Sailplane 3 said “Although the Rolex Fastnet Race is very important, the vast majority of the crew are youngsters that are into weekend racing. The biggest change for this event is that we are back to a full crew, which will change how we sail the boat.”