Incl. 2026 Double Handed National Championship – Race 1
Course: Cowes to St Malo, approximately 150 nautical miles

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG and the Royal Yacht Squadron  -  Image: 2026 RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race © Paul Wyeth/RORC

 

Glorious sunshine and a building breeze set the stage for a spectacular start to the RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, as the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s largest offshore fleet of the season charged west down the Solent. With 79 boats on the start line, the international line-up delivered a formidable and diverse mix of talent, from fully crewed high performance boats to double-handed teams and classic yachts racing under IRC, as well as multihulls racing under MOCRA.

 

A steady increase in wind strength at the start produced an exhilarating opening chapter. Competitors were treated to a testing beat out of the Solent, with sharp decision-making and precise boat handling required from the outset. In the Solent’s narrow confines, strong tidal flows and shifting pressure patterns compressed the fleet, making the race for clear air and a decisive early lane a key factor.

 

Beyond the Needles, the race opened into the English Channel, where strategy broadened. However, the forecasted shift failed to materialise, with the fleet heading south sooner than expected. Favourable conditions in the early stages produced a fast, tactical race and towards the end there were anxious times for many teams as the breeze went lighter and forward. This set the tone for a standout edition of this classic RORC offshore challenge, the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race dates back to 1906.

 

The overall winner under IRC, claiming the historic King Edward VII Challenge Cup, was the French J/133 Sun Hill IV, skippered by François Charles. Second overall was James Neville’s Botin 52 Ino Veritas, which also won IRC Zero. Completing the overall IRC podium was Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino.

 

Racing double-handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish, Bellino was one of the standout performances of the race. In addition to placing third overall under IRC, Bellino won IRC Three and took victory in IRC Two-Handed, the opening race of the 2026 IRC Two-Handed National Championship.

The overall winner of the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race was Sun Hill IV, which is based in Morlaix, where François Charles and his crew are not only friends but also work around the marina as riggers. They maintain and run the J/133 themselves. The boat is still relatively new to the team, making victory in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race especially significant. There was also a sense of redemption: in the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, started from the same Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes, Sun Hill IV was over early and received a two-hour penalty. This time, the Morlaix crew turned that experience into a major overall victory under IRC.

 

François Charles, skipper of Sun Hill IV, commented: “We did not get off to a great start. Perhaps the memory of the penalty from the last Fastnet was still in our minds, and we were also still getting to know our competitors. But things went well through the Solent and, despite the start, we stayed in touch with the front of the fleet. After that, we made an early decision to stay on the right side of the course, anticipating the tide change, and we gained a lot in the light winds by taking a more southerly route towards Alderney. Under spinnaker it became more unpredictable; sometimes we would take off when the wind filled in, and sometimes we had to watch the boats around us pull away.

 

“We are a multi-generational crew, from 19 to 70 years old, and we had a fantastic time together. Many of us are riggers, so it is very rewarding to see that the set-up of the boat is working well. Before the race, we hoped to win IRC One, but to win overall and lift this magnificent trophy makes us incredibly proud. The Cowes-Dinard is never easy, so this is a very happy crew.”

 

Line Honours went to Johnny Vincent’s Volvo 70 Pace. In the multihull fleet, Line Honours went to Christophe Bogrand’s Sterec Ultime, while the multihull winner after MOCRA time correction was Didier Bouillard’s Dazcat 1295 Minor Swing. Nicolas Lemarchand’s Lift scow bow Weeecycling won the Class40 division.

 

In IRC Two-Handed, Rob Craigie’s Bellino, co-skippered by RORC Commodore Deb Fish, took the class win. Nick Martin’s Sun Fast 3600 Diablo, racing with Joe Slipper, was second. Roeland Franssens and Martijn Graafmans, racing the JPK 10.30 Il Corvo, completed the podium in third.

Bellino’s Deb Fish commented after racing: “It is very satisfying to win this race because St Malo is always a hard one to do well in. It is a big fleet, the standard is high, and in IRC Two-Handed there are some really good boats and sailors, so this one feels especially pleasing. The start really mattered. It was quite exciting off the Green, with boats tacking close together, but we came out of the Solent in good shape. After that it was about staying a little high and then keeping the boat fast through a lot of mode changes. For Bellino and the boats around us, using the back eddy off Alderney, was also key.

 

 The wind was up and down all the time, so there was a lot of trimming and adjustment. With just two people, reliability and trust are everything. You need the pilot, instruments and systems working, and you need to know the other person is completely on it. Rob is brilliant at that, and it means you can go below, sleep and recover, knowing the boat is still being sailed to the maximum.”  

 

In IRC One, François Charles’ Sun Hill IV won the class. Maxime de Mareuil’s Orange Mecanix 2 was second, with Jacques Pelletier’s L’Ange de Milon third.

 

In IRC Two, RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog, skippered by Alastair Walton, won the class. Jean-Charles Scale and Laurent Corazza’s Farr Breton was second, with Corentin Lognoné’s Nutmeg Solidaires en Peloton completing the IRC Two podium.

 

In IRC Three, Bellino won the class. Laurent Charmy’s Raging-Bee 2 SL Energies was second, with Nick Martin’s Diablo completing the IRC Three podium.

 

In IRC Four, Cédric Milnaire’s J/92 Tous A Bord won the class. Romain Gibon and Jean-André Hebel’s Abracadabra² Support the Don Bosco Foundation was second, with Chris Choules and Nancy Gould’s With Alacrity completing the IRC Four podium.

 

The RORC Season’s Points Championship and RORC Cowes Offshore Series continue on 25 July with the RORC Channel Race. For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: www.rorc.org
 

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