Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) training regatta, the RORC Easter Challenge supported by North Sails, kicked off on Easter Friday
Windy conditions in the Solent; 15 knots gusting up to 30 knots from the south west, produced thrilling conditions for over 200 sailors racing with the RORC.
PRO Stuart Childerley and the RORC Race Team organised a series of practice starts followed by a technical windward leeward race and a Solent marks race for all classes.
David Franks’ J/112 Leon was the standout performer in IRC 2, taking two wins from two races on the opening day.
In Race 1, Leon won by 3 minutes 51 seconds on corrected time from Army Sailing Association’s Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier, while Max Walker’s Sun Fast 3600 Elysium IV was just 24 seconds further back in third.
Race 2 followed a similar pattern, with Leon taking another win, this time by 3 minutes 4 seconds on corrected time from Fujitsu British Soldier, and Elysium IV only 20 seconds behind the runner up in third.
John Smart’s J/109 Jukebox was the standout performer in IRC 3, taking two wins from two races on the opening day.
In Race 1, Jukebox won by 1 minute 59 seconds on corrected time from Oliver Love’s J/109 Frank 4, while Harry Heijst’s S&S 41 Winsome was 1 minute 53 seconds further back in third.
Race 2 saw Jukebox stretch its advantage, winning by 3 minutes 6 seconds from Frank 4, with Winsome just 20 seconds behind Frank 4 in third after another solid performance.
After racing, the RORC Cowes Clubhouse was packed with sailors for the RORC Easter Challenge video debrief, led by coaching coordinator Richard Moxey, Olympian Vita Heathcote, North Sails’ Ronan Grealish and professional coach Phil Deveraux.
During the hour long session, Moxey focused on bow set up and hoists, Heathcote and Grealish analysed sail trim. Deveraux looked at all round performance gains and commented on spinnaker hoists in gusty conditions.
