RORC Articles
For offshore sailors, the Admiral’s Cup isn’t just another regatta. It is the World Cup of sailing – a blend of relentless inshore contests and long-haul offshore endurance races, culminating in the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the sport’s most legendary challenges. The teams that emerge victorious don’t just win a trophy; they etch their names into history.
Key Dates for the Admiral’s Cup 2027 The 2027 Admiral’s Cup will begin on Tuesday 13 July with the opening day of measurement and inspection.
© Rick Tomlinson/RORC
From Sardinia to Cowes: the road to offshore sailing glory is back.
05-10-2025
Every great ocean race needs more than a start line. It needs a stage. A harbour that embodies the romance of offshore sailing, the grit of preparation, and the sense of stepping into something larger than yourself. For the RORC Transatlantic Race, that place is Marina Lanzarote – a port where volcanic ridges meet the Atlantic trades, and where decades of investment in infrastructure and community spirit converge into one perfect launchpad.
06-09-2025
## A Principality Crowned: Monaco Wins the 2025 Admiral’s Cup
The revived Admiral’s Cup, long considered the unofficial world championship of offshore sailing, returned in 2025 after a 22‑year absence. And in a watershed moment, the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM)—making its very first appearance—secretly emerged as the 2025 Admiral’s Cup champions. Monaco’s debut was nothing short of sensational, combining precision sailing with strategic mastery across inshore Solent races, a demanding Channel leg, and a nail‑biting Rolex Fastnet Race finale. Runner‑up on the podium was the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, with Italy’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda claiming third
05-08-2025
The Rolex Admiral’s Cup fleet spent a wild second night offshore, taking on the long, punishing beat through the Celtic Sea. The wind wasn’t ferocious, but the sea state was—big Atlantic swell, relentless chop, and a hard-earned haul towards one of offshore racing’s most iconic landmarks: the Fastnet Rock. Standing 54 metres tall, forged from Cornish granite, the lighthouse marks more than just a turning point in the Rolex Fastnet Race. In its 100th edition, it’s a century-old beacon of salt, grit, and glory.
01-08-2025
Rolex Fastnet Race | Admiral’s Cup Dispatch – July 2025
There’s a new name at the top—and it’s flying the Dutch tricolour. The young guns aboard ROST Van Uden (RMYC) have clawed their way into the AC1 lead on corrected time, and they’ve done it with nerve, timing, and a whole lot of boat speed. With 150nm to go, they’re three hours ahead after IRC correction and showing no sign of blinking.
01-08-2025
Its started on Saturday 26 July 2025
Veterans of the last two Rolex Fastnet Races are checking the weather with cautious optimism. After two editions that opened with 30-knot headwinds and a battering Channel slog, the long-range forecast for this centenary running looks — dare we say it — gentle.
31-07-2025
After the cannon roared, the fleet scattered like gulls in a gale. Black Pearl (YCCS), skippered by Stefan Jentzch, wasted no time — tacking straight toward the mainland shore. She sniffed out a lift and took it like a thief in the night, gaining ground fast. But out near the island side, Jolt 3 (YCM) helmed by Peter Harrison, was all business — early leader on the water and staying sticky to the fleet like barnacles on a buoy.
30-07-2025
As the Admiral’s Cup fleet thundered west toward Start Point, the gloves were off and the tactics got real. The leaders split north of the rhumb line—Black Pearl taking the high road, while Eric de Turckheim’s Teasing Machine dug in low and fast to the south. Black Pearl rounded Start Point with a boat length to spare over Jolt 3, both storming along at nine knots. Slightly offshore, Rán and Teasing Machine were pushing harder, notching up close to ten.
29-07-2025
The Admiral’s Cup roared to life with a deceptively light start — and then reminded everyone why it’s earned its legend. The 160nm Channel Race looked tame leaving the Solent, but by sunrise the next day, the fleet limped back soaked to the skin, eyes red and salt-blasted. A confused sea, building pressure topping 25 knots, and a foaming downwind leg back from France — it was a full-pelt Atlantic slap in the face. The final reach to the finish? A screecher, with kites straining and helms gritted.
24-07-2025
Its starts on Saturday 26 July 2025
Veterans of the last two Rolex Fastnet Races are checking the weather with cautious optimism. After two editions that opened with 30-knot headwinds and a battering Channel slog, the long-range forecast for this centenary running looks — dare we say it — gentle.
24-07-2025
Wouldn’t be the first time a Jean-Pierre Kelbert design came in sideways and stole the silverware. His initials are stamped on the transom — literally — and his boats have a reputation for upsetting the pecking order in offshore racing. The 34-foot JPK 1050 might just be the sharpest new weapon in a fleet of 73, and it’s already shown a flash of brilliance.
20-07-2025
Revived by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) for its centenary year and to be held biennially thereafter, the 2025 edition promises high-performance racing, intense offshore challenges, and a celebration of sailing heritage.
18-07-2025
The Admiral’s Cup returns to Cowes from 17 July to 1 August 2025, reviving offshore sailing’s iconic team race. National teams will compete in inshore and offshore events, celebrating Corinthian spirit, tradition, and global competition on the Solent.
17-07-2025
IRC Zero has a rich seam of ocean-going history running through it. While French round the world race legend Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (aka VDH) isn’t competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race, two of his former steeds will be on the IRC Zero start line.
10-07-2025
The fight to claim the prestigious monohull line honours prize in the centenary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race is lining up to be a tough one between the world’s fastest 100ft maxi yachts. The winner of the Erivale Trophy for monohull line honours will follow a long line of the most significant offshore racing yachts of all time, such as Rambler 88, Comanche, ICAP Leopard 3, Alfa Romeo, Stealth, Steinlager 2, Congere, Nirvana, Condor, American Eagle, Gitana IV, Stormvogel, Latifa, among many others.
03-07-2025
Less than two months now remain until the start of the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, this year coinciding with the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centenary. Another huge fleet has entered. While 2023’s 50th edition of the event, that back in 1925 caused the RORC to be founded, saw a record 430 boats set sail, the 2025 entry list indicates that even this figure may be exceeded when the race starts from Cowes on 26 July, bound for Cherbourg-en-Cotentin via the famous Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland.
03-06-2025
Giovanni Lombardi Stronati has entered two boats for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup that will be competing under the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS). The YCCS team will consist of a brand new design, the Wallyrocket 51 for the big boat. The small boat will be a JPK 1180. Both boats are called Django.
30-05-2025
The Admiral’s Cup stands as one of the most storied and prestigious events in the world of offshore yacht racing, a competition that has long been regarded as the unofficial world championship of the sport.
28-05-2025