The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Summer Series came to a conclusion with the fourth and final race of the RORC Summer Series.
A light airs 36-mile race was held in The Solent. Ed Fishwick’s GP42 Redshift took line honours and the overall race win after IRC correction. James Neville’s HH42 Ino XXX was second overall, and with the result, won the four-race series. Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada, skippered by Jeremy Waitt, was third overall for the race and for the series. 136 boats entered the RORC Summer Series, which was designed to replace part of the 2020 RORC Season’s Points Championship.
Redshift’s Nick Cherry, a six-time figarist commented: “We really enjoyed this race and the series. Racing with six people, instead of ten, you really have to focus all the time and whilst we adapted our manoeuvres, we made no changes to the systems on board. When we get back to fully crewed offshore racing, this has served as great practice, as you are in a watch system, often without the full complement of crew on deck.”
Congratulations to the class winners of RORC Summer Series Race 4 including Ed Bell’s JPK 1180 Dawn Treader and Sun Fast 3300 Fastrak XII, sailed two-handed by Henry Bomby & Shirley Robertson.
Full Results: http://www.rorc.org/racing/race-results/2020-results
RORC Summer Series IRC Class Report
IRC One
Overall series winner, RORC Vice Commodore James Neville’s Ino XXX scored a first and two second places in class to win IRC One. Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 Darkwood was second in class and Rob Bottomley’s MAT12 Sailplane 3 was third.
“Well done to the RORC Race Team for coming up with the idea and making it happen,” commented James Neville. “The day races have been quite special, as it’s a good day out for the crew and a real challenge, especially racing Ino XXX with a reduced number. The series has been held in an amazing range of conditions and has been a lot of fun.”
IRC Two
Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster was the run-away winner of IRC Two, scoring two bullets and a third. Gavin Howe’s Sun Fast 3600 Tigris was second in IRC Two and third in IRC two-handed. Ed Bell’s Dawn Treader was just two points behind in third.
IRC Three
Olympic two-handed hopefuls, Henry Bomby & Shirley Robertson, racing Nigel Colley’s Fastrak XII took the win in IRC Three and second in IRC two-handed. Richard Oswald’s Elan 450 Emily of Cowes was runner-up. Jim Driver’s Sun Fast 3300 Chilli Pepper was third.
After the second race, double Olympic Gold Medallist, Shirley Robertson commented: “Henry is an amazing young talent who has cut his teeth in the Figaro. Henry is a good teammate and a great teacher. It’s been good to hang out with Henry for the summer.”
IRC Four
Richard Palmer’s Jangada, skippered by Jeremy Waitt, was the clear winner of IRC Four and the winner of IRC two-handed. Chris Frost’s Swan 36 Finola was second in class in the last race to finish runner-up for the series. Tony White’s Sun Fast 3300 Mzungu was third.
MOCRA Class
Nine multihulls raced during the series and the smallest of the fleet came out on top for the series. Ross Hobson’s Seacart 30 Buzz was the victor. MOD 70 Powerplay, skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield, with Peter Cunningham on the helm, was second. James Holder’s Dazcat 1295 Slinky Malinki was third.
Whilst the RORC Summer Series has come to an end, Friday 4th of September marked the start of the 2H Autumn Series. Race One was a race of approximately 100 miles, the first over-night race organised by the RORC since February. Jangada skippered by Jeremy Waitt, was the winner. Rob Craigie & Deb Fish racing Sun Fast 3600 Bellino were second. Sun Fast 3300 Wild Pilgrim, skippered by Daniel Jones, was third. The 2H Autumn Series, consisting of three races, continues on Saturday 26th September with another overnight race for two-handed teams.
Image: Ed Fishwick's GP42 Redshift (Rick Tomlinson) Image from 2019 RORC Vice Admirals Cup.