Record MOCRA Turnout for the Fastnet Centenary
The Ultims and Ocean Fiftys may have their own sandbox, but the rest — cats, tris, cruisers and carbon flyers — are throwing down together in one of the most eclectic, unpredictable lineups in offshore sailing.
Leading the charge are the MOD70s — Argo (Jason Carroll, USA) and Zoulou (Erik Maris, FRA) — both turbocharged and loaded with offshore firepower. Loïck Peyron is on Zoulou, Brian Thompson on Argo. Their Channel Race showdown was a 30-knot drag race into the Solent, with Argo edging it by just three minutes. Not bad for boats nearly a decade old and now tricked out with custom foils.
Thompson helped push multihulls into the Fastnet in 1997 after an unofficial run on Lakota alongside the fleet. Peyron smashed the 1999 course record on Fujicolor. Now both are back, older, wiser, and still outrageously fast.
Beyond the MODs, it’s a proper feast. Among the standouts is the ORC 50 GDD, crewed by Halvard Mabire and Vendée vet Miranda Merron. Mabire first did this race in 1977 on a She 36. In ’97, he won both line honours and on CHS time — the last time anyone pulled off the double. Now, aged but undiminished, he’s back with a carbon cat and a freezer full of food.
“This boat is like what we used to race — cruiser-racers with guts,” Mabire said. “Built strong, fast enough, and practical. We can take passengers. We can live on it. And we can race hard.”
Then come the Dazcats — Britain’s homegrown fleet of fast cruising cats, all built at the Multihull Centre on the Cornish side of the Tamar. Simon Baker, MOCRA Vice Commodore, heads the charge aboard Hissy Fit, his fourth Dazcat and a class winner back in 2017. This year’s edition includes eight Dazcats ranging from 33ft to nearly 50, from refitted classics like Dazzle to the sharp new Minor Swing, skippered by French Figaro veteran Didier Bouillard.
Rupert Kidd, MOCRA Commodore, brings his Sueños — complete with washing machine and freezer, and crewed by one of the most seasoned offshore teams afloat. Bare Necessities, Easy Tiger, Slinky Malinki — the Dazcats bring depth, diversity, and British steel to a field full of French flair and foil.
Trimaran fans aren’t left wanting either. Paradox, a 63ft Nigel Irens design, is back under new ownership. Suerte, a grand prix 40-footer, now belongs to JFA Yachts’ Frédéric Jaouen, with Vendée Globe star Maxime Sorel aboard. Morpheus (Shuttleworth 39), Uno (Grainger 36), Rayon Vert (Pulsar 50) with Vincent Riou onboard — all fast, all built for the blue.
Even the smallest entries have teeth. Dogzhouse, an Excess 14 cruiser-cat, is the lowest-rated in the MOCRA class — but don’t count her out. And then there’s Tan 3, the brand new Dragonfly 40, fresh off wins at La Trinité–Cowes and the ArMen Race.
And just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s Black Cap and Aile Bleue — two vintage Dick Newick tris with the iconic curves and low-slung frames that recall Olympus Photo and Mike Birch’s famous 1978 Route du Rhum upset.
Simon Baker sums it up: “The centenary brought them out — from pros to cruisers. Where else do you get to start with Ultims and IMOCAs blazing past you? It’s absolutely awesome. It’s why we race this.”
From carbon flyers to old school tris, from the Tamar to Concarneau, the MOCRA class has never looked stronger — or more varied. And as they line up off Cowes for the 2025 centenary start, one thing’s certain:
It’s going to be fast. It’s going to be wild. And the multihulls are here to put on a show.