Pace Completes a Great Lap of Britain and Ireland

Cowes was still wrapped in the darkness before dawn when the unmistakable shape of Pace came sweeping home through the Solent, carrying a tired crew, a wealth of new memories and the honour of being the first monohull to complete the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race.

Johnny Vincents Volvo 70 crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line at 04:17:31 BST on Sunday 16 August, completing the formidable 1,805-nautical-mile course in 6 days, 14 hours, 47 minutes and 31 seconds. The tracker recorded an actual distance sailed of 2,113 nautical miles, reflecting the constant tactical decisions, weather routing and unavoidable deviations required to race around Britain and Ireland.

The official finishing time secured Monohull Line Honours for Pace, although the crew then faced the familiar offshore sailors waiting game as the remaining IRC contenders continued towards Cowes. Corrected-time victory could not be confirmed until the challengers behind her, including Antoine Magres Mach 50 Palanad 4, had completed their races. RORC confirmed Paces Monohull Line Honours shortly after her early morning arrival.

Line Honours nevertheless represented a considerable achievement on a course capable of exposing every weakness in a yacht, her equipment and the people sailing her. Pace encountered calm water, unstable breezes, powerful Atlantic conditions, rough seas and the cluttered navigational corridors of the North Sea before finally returning to the familiar waters of the Solent.

For Vincent, the finish represented far more than another result for the record book. It marked the completion of the longest and most demanding offshore passage he had undertaken, as well as the latest chapter in his development from an enthusiastic owner into a more experienced ocean sailor.

Four Races Joined Together

Vincent described the Round Britain and Ireland Race as four separate races joined into a single great adventure, with each section presenting a different combination of weather, geography and tactical pressure.

The first chapter carried the fleet away from Cowes, around the Isle of Wight and into familiar Fastnet waters. Although many of the sailors knew the English Channel, Lands End and the Celtic Sea well, familiarity did little to reduce the difficulty of the opening stages. Light and unstable winds demanded numerous sail changes, while tidal gates and patches of calm water created immediate opportunities for gains and losses.

Chapter two began as the fleet passed south-west Ireland and entered a far more exposed Atlantic environment. The western coast of Ireland, St Kilda and the long approach towards Muckle Flugga placed the sailors beyond the shelter of familiar coastal waters, where the arrival of stronger southerly winds finally allowed Pace to show her considerable power.

The third chapter began at Muckle Flugga, the remote outpost at the northern end of Shetland that marks one of the most evocative turning points in world yacht racing. The bow was finally pointed towards home, although Cowes remained hundreds of difficult miles away and the crew faced an entirely new weather pattern on the passage south.

Chapter four unfolded through the North Sea and English Channel, where offshore speed became only one part of an increasingly complicated navigational puzzle. Oil and gas platforms, wind farms, traffic-separation schemes, exclusion zones, sandbanks and commercial shipping created hard boundaries that could not always be seen from the deck.

Fatigue added another layer of risk because the most demanding navigational section arrived when the crew had already spent almost a week racing. Sailors attempting to rest were repeatedly called back on deck as the boat completed a relentless series of gybes between the artificial obstacles marking the final route towards Dover and the Solent.

Pace Released on the Atlantic

The defining performance came off the western coast of Ireland, where the Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Volvo 70 finally encountered the wind direction and sea state that allowed her to accelerate.

During her fastest 24-hour period, Pace covered a remarkable 486 nautical miles. Boat speeds climbed to 26 and 27 knots as the powerful yacht surfed down the Atlantic waves, leaving great plumes of white water streaming from her stern.

A Volvo 70 was created for precisely this form of sailing. These yachts were designed to race around the world with fully crewed professional teams, combining a canting keel, considerable sail area and an immensely powerful hull. Their speed can be intoxicating, although the loads involved require disciplined handling, constant attention and a clear understanding of when to press harder.

Preparation gave the Pace crew the confidence to exploit those conditions without suffering a major equipment failure. Every halyard, sail, fitting and piece of deck machinery had to be capable of absorbing the punishment of a yacht travelling at speeds normally associated with coastal racing, despite being hundreds of miles from immediate assistance.

The crews skill was not limited to maintaining a high average speed. Small adjustments to sail selection, heading and trim allowed the boat to work with the wave pattern rather than simply crashing through it. A few degrees of change can transform a brutal ride into an efficient one, reducing strain while keeping the yacht in her fastest performance window.

A Volvo Ocean Race Winner Reborn

The history carried within Pace gave the result additional resonance. The yacht was originally Groupama 4, which won the 201112 Volvo Ocean Race under French skipper Franck Cammas. That race included victories in the transatlantic leg to Lorient and the final offshore leg to Galway, establishing the Juan Kouyoumdjian design as one of the finest of the Volvo 70 generation.

Jules Salter understood that pedigree better than most. The British navigator won the 200809 Volvo Ocean Race aboard Ericsson 4 and completed four editions of the fully crewed race around the world. His knowledge of Volvo 70 performance helped the crew recognise when to minimise distance, when to chase a favourable wind angle and when to release the boats full potential.

Navigation around Britain and Ireland requires far more than following the coastline. The shortest geographical route may force a yacht into weaker wind, rougher water or an unfavourable current, while a longer track can deliver greater speed and ultimately save time.

Salters approach was to combine the boats performance characteristics with forecast changes, coastal wind effects, wave direction and the complicated geometry of the course. Pace sailed close to the shortest viable route for much of the race, with significant deviations recorded after Black Rock and in the northern North Sea.

The closing stages demonstrated the value of that precision. Sailing downwind towards Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, Pace completed repeated gybes to maintain the best possible velocity made good while avoiding restricted areas. A favourable tide then helped carry her through the Solent and towards the Royal Yacht Squadron finish.

Fifty Years of Offshore History

The 2026 race marked half a century since the first RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race began on 5 June 1976. That inaugural edition attracted 25 boats divided between a non-stop competition and a separate race with stops at Crookhaven, Stornoway and Blyth.

Electron II won the original non-stop division, while Morningtown prevailed in the stopping race. The 1980 event became an entirely non-stop contest, with Chica Tica II taking both line and overall honours.

Modern winners of the John Illingworth Trophy for IRC Overall have included Incisor of Wight in 2000, Kingspan-Chieftain in 2006, Artemis Ocean Racing in 2010, Varuna in 2014, Pata Negra in 2018 and the double-handed JPK 1010 Jangada in 2022.

The records illustrate just how dependent the race is upon favourable weather across the entire course. Sidney Gavignets MOD70 Oman Sail Musandam established the outright record of 3 days, 3 hours, 32 minutes and 36 seconds in 2014. Ian Walkers VO65 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Azzam set the monohull record during the same edition, completing the course in 4 days, 13 hours, 10 minutes and 28 seconds. RORC maintains the full winners and records list.

Pace did not threaten that exceptional monohull benchmark, although records tell only part of the story in an event where each edition produces an entirely different race. Weather systems, tidal gates and localised conditions can turn the same charted course into either a rapid circumnavigation or an exhausting battle lasting several weeks.

A Crew Built on Trust

Vincent was surrounded by a formidable crew that included Al Fraser, Anthony Haines, Antonio Cuervas-Mons, Ed Myers, Jim Carroll, Jules Salter, Luke Molloy, Mark Bartlett, Neal McDonald, Pete Cumming, Stu Bannatyne, Tom McWilliam and Trystan Seal.

Among them were sailors with thousands of miles of professional offshore experience. Bannatyne brought the knowledge gained from four victories in the fully crewed round-the-world race, while Neal McDonald contributed another lifetime of high-level ocean racing.

That experience could easily have left an amateur owner feeling like a passenger aboard his own yacht, yet Vincent was encouraged to take the wheel and become part of the working crew. Professional sailors stood behind him with guidance, allowing him to experience the full power of the boat while developing greater confidence in his own abilities.

His previous longest offshore passage had been the journey from Gibraltar to Southampton, covering approximately 1,300 to 1,400 miles. Races including the Rolex Middle Sea Race, RORC Caribbean 600 and Rolex Fastnet Race had provided valuable foundations, although the Round Britain and Ireland Race demanded considerably more endurance.

Trust made the difference when conditions intensified. Watchkeepers needed to sleep knowing those on deck would protect the boat, while the navigator relied upon the crew to execute repeated manoeuvres accurately, regardless of exhaustion or darkness.

Home Before Dawn

The finish carried a particular emotional weight for Salter, who grew up on the Isle of Wight and had spent much of his sailing life competing in races that began or ended in Cowes. Returning across the Royal Yacht Squadron line after a complete lap of Britain and Ireland brought together familiar home waters and a course he had never previously completed in its entirety.

Vincent stepped ashore with Line Honours, yet his most valuable prize could not be displayed in a trophy cabinet. Six demanding days had left him feeling more capable, more knowledgeable and more respectful of what his yacht and crew could achieve together.

Many offshore campaigns are measured through results, elapsed times and silverware, although the finest races leave something more lasting behind. Pace returned to Cowes carrying the evidence of a fast and well-managed circumnavigation, while her owner returned as a different sailor from the man who had departed six days earlier.

The great lap had closed its final chapter, although the lessons learned between Cowes, Ireland, Muckle Flugga and the North Sea would remain long after the sails had been lowered and the tired crew had finally gone home.