This Saturday sees the start of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s De Guingand Bowl, the sixth race of the 2019 RORC Season’s Points Championship.
68 yachts have entered, with well over 400 sailors taking on the demands of racing in the forecast full-on conditions. Complex tides and the rounding of virtual marks will add to the challenge for the skippers and crews.
The 2018 overall winner and holder of the De Guingand Bowl, Ker 40 Hooligan VII sailed by Ed Broadway (GBR), returns to defend the trophy.
Hooligan VII faces stiff opposition just in IRC One, including two FAST40+ yachts that had a photo-finish for the overall win in their last race; Redshift sailed by Ed Fishwick (GBR) and Ino XXX sailed by James Neville (GBR).
A13 Phosphorus sailed by Mark Emerson (GBR) was third overall for the race in 2018. Proven winners in the class include; JND39 Lann Ael 2 sailed by Didier Gadoux (FRA), and XP-44 Orange Mecanix2 sailed by Maxime de Mareuil (FRA).
IRC Zero features four powerful yachts from 50-70ft on the start line. Botin IRC 52 Tala sailed by David Collins (GBR), took Monohull Line honours and the class win in the Myth of Malham.
In IRC 2, Sailing Logic have four teams racing in Beneteau First 40s, including last year’s class winner Lancelot II, this year sailed by Jon Tyrrell (GBR). The class leader for the 2019 RORC Season’s Points Championship will be in action; J/133 Pintia sailed by Corinne Migraine & Gilles Fournier (FRA).
In IRC Three, Trevor Middleton’s Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep, sailed by Jake Carter (GBR), is the overall leader for the 2019 RORC Season’s Points Championship.
IRC Four has 16 teams racing in a huge variety of yachts, traditional designs include the largest yacht in the class. The 47’6” 1957 Laurent Giles Bermudan sloop Cetewayo, which has been loving restored and sailed by David Murrin (GBR).
IRC Four contains four British teams racing Two-Handed in fast-planing Sun Fast 3200: Cora sailed by Tim & Nigel Goodhew, All Or Nothing sailed by Chris Blackburn & Simon Dipple, Hair of the Dog sailed by William Prest & Richard Ash, and Mzungu sailed by Sam White & Arthur Nicholls.
Seacart 30 Buzz sailed by Ross Hobson (GBR) returns having won the race in the Multihull Class last year. Class40 Eärendil skippered by Catherine Pourre (FRA) will be racing Two-Handed with Pietro Luciani (ITA).
Both Buzz and Eärendil will be putting in valuable racing miles before competing in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race.
2019 RORC De Guingand Bowl
Start: 0900 BST, Saturday 8 June, 2019
Cowes-Around Marks (110-160nm)
For more information including YB Tracking of all the yachts: www.rorc.org