Andi Robertson With not one but two major round Britain and Ireland races set for 2022, there will be plenty to challenge both Corinthian and pro sailors alike this season
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rom what I understand to have been a club which was not exactly prospering three or four years ago it is great to see the historic Royal Western YC in Plymouth bouncing back with a strong programme of offshore and oceanic events. That is where the club really made its name: from the 1960s onwards with the OSTAR and the TwoHanded Round Britain & Ireland race, which was first started in 1966, followed by the TWOSTAR – the two-handed Transatlantic Race – which was first raced in 1981. Considerable thought and proper market research have gone before the decision to change the course for this year’s two-handed Round Britain & Ireland Race. Bisecting Britain with Plymouth at the start and finish kind of fixes a halfway stop in Lerwick which stays from the historic course, but the other two stopovers are now Galway in Ireland and Blyth in Northumberland. Adrian Gray is Rear Commodore Oceanic at the RWYC of England - a new post set up last spring to develop the ocean and offshore programme. He explains there was some resistance from traditionalists to moving the stopovers from the likes of Barra where the facilities were limited. Some would argue that seamanship skills, strength of character and embracing the hardships of mooring up in these remote places are part of the DNA of the race, but the reality now is that they are a barrier to maximising the entry and therefore depth and level of competition. To arrive at a decent marina with hot showers, shops, hotels and decent transport links is what more people want. They now also have the incumbent clubs fully engaged as well, and the whole event really has grown a real groundswell of interest. As a reminder, there is a mandatory 48 hour timed stop in each stop. Now there can be one crew change made at one stop; previously a crew change could only be for medical reasons. This will also make the race more inclusive as not everyone can take three straight weeks away to do the full race. Starting 29 May, there are already over 20 entries. The
size limit is 60 feet and it is very much a Corinthian race in spirit. However, the club has been liaising closely with IMOCA to publicise their four ocean races, which will surely appeal to the older generation of boats (pre-2008) which are no longer allowed into IMOCA Globe series races. And so the club now has four oceanic races: the Round Britain and Ireland, the OSTAR, and they are developing a Round Iceland Race and a Bermuda race. Make no mistake the Round Britain and Ireland course is tough. One way or another it is relentless, there is always something going on in terms of weather transitions, tidal currents, and navigation. It is much harder than any transatlantic. So too the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland - the RORC offshore held every four years - which is already gathering a big entry. It will be the highlight for many two-handed teams this season. While the RWYC race in May is stopping, by contrast the RORC race is 1805 miles non-stop. Boats will set off on 7 August. It will be the pinnacle event of the season for Shirley Robertson and Dee Caffari who will be campaigning a new SunFast 3300 together, the boat supplied by SeaVentures. SeaVentures owner Nigel Colley will himself do the race on his new 3300 and expects between five and seven 3300s. He has sold 22 SunFast 3300s into England now and notes that all but one of them are actively racing two-handed. Colley is a vastly experienced racer who has done the RWYC race before and is a big fan of it. He reflects: “The Sevenstar RORC race is probably more for the hard core as it is non-stop and so there is much more preparation involved, more self-preservation and personal management, because of the level of competition and intensity of the course you will have to be fast all the time. But the RWYC race you stop and so you can repair and recover properly on shore and you can have a few beers with your rivals at each stop, you see them and enjoy their company. Whereas the RORC race, I suppose, is like all the others - you leave home, sail a big circle, and don’t really see your competitors!” In either case, both will be fascinating to follow.
IMAGE PAUL WYETH/RORC
‘ IT WILL BE THE PINNACLE EVENT FOR SHIRLEY ROBERTSON AND DEE CAFFARI WHO WILL BE CAMPAIGNING A NEW SUNFAST 3300 TOGETHER’
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FEBRUARY 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
ABOVE The start of the last Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, four years ago
ANDI ROBERTSON An offshore sailing expert, few people can match Andi’s insight into the big boat world, both in the UK and globally
