The RORC Cervantes Trophy Race delivered a dramatic shift in conditions that tested skill and strategy from the very start, followed by raw pace for a spectacular finish.
Greg Leonard’s Class40 Swift claimed Monohull Line Honours in 17 hours, 18 minutes, and 32 seconds. The high-performance crew included Rolex Fastnet Race winner Tom Kneen and offshore talent Jack Trigger.
Winner of overall IRC victory was the Sun Fast 3300 Orbit . . . raced double-handed by the father-and-son team of Dan and Zeb Fellows, who delivered an impressive performance to correct out and claim overall IRC victory, lifting the Cervantes Trophy.
Kestrel, with Simon Bamford and crew Ollie Grogono onboard, secured second place, while Game On, skippered by Ian Hoddle and crewed by Nikki Curwen, rounded out the podium in third.
In IRC Zero, the win went to Venomous, the sleek CM60 owned by Graeme Lewis and skippered by Gregory Pachany, delivering a strong performance in just over 19 hours.
In the Multihull Class, it was a head-to-head duel between two Dazcat 1295s. Didier Bouillard’s Minor Swing emerged victorious in a match race against Peter Coote’s Slinky Malinki.
IRC One delivered one of the closest contests of the race, while Gery Trentesaux’s Sydney 43 Long Courrier took line honours for the class, it was Dawn Treader—Ed Bell’s JPK 1180, co-skippered by Mark Spearman that claimed the win. Second place went to Sun Hill IV, the J/133 skippered by François Charles, with Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 Darkwood in third.
In IRC Two, Figaro II Mefie Te, skippered by Guillaume Fleuriat, took both Class Line Honours and the win on IRC time correction. Second went to Corazon, a J/133 owned by Robin Herbert and third was Revive, the Prima 38 co-skippered by Paul Farrand and Peter Allen.
In IRC Four, Mark Brown’s JPK 1010 Jetpack took Line Honours and a commanding IRC win by over 20 minutes. Second was Philippe Benaben’s Sun Fast 3200 Platypus. Third was Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada, racing double-handed with his daughter Sophie.
