Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is celebrating its centenary in 2025.
It is best known for the Rolex Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral’s Cup. Both of these prestigious events will be run in 2025 with both being based in Cowes.
RORC also organises an annual series of offshore races from its base in Cowes. Its Season’s Points Championship is the World’s largest offshore racing series attracting over 7,000 international sailors and in a Rolex Fastnet year, the RORC also organises inshore regattas in the Solent.
The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. With the first race in 2009, the Antigua-based RORC Caribbean 600 – the first offshore race in the Caribbean – has been an instant success and has extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014 and this year’s race departs on Sunday 12th January. Another race organised by RORC is the Roschier Baltic Sea Race which was established in 2022, starting and finishing in Helsinki, Finland
With 4,000 members, a majestic clubhouse based in St James’ Place, London SW1 and a superb clubhouse on the Island at Cowes this club is perfect for the ocean sailor.
Just a few days remain now until the all-important opening of registration for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s centenary Rolex Fastnet Race. These registrations will take place on Wednesday 15th January at 10:00 UTC (11:00 Europe).
Those wishing to participate in the World’s largest offshore yacht race must do so via the RORC’s entry system www.sailraceHQ.com. With the usual deluge of entries anticipated, Racing Manager of the RORC Steve Cole strongly advises those who have not used SailRaceHQ before, to set up an account within the system before 15th January. This will dramatically reduce the effort it takes competitors to enter the Rolex Fastnet Race, when the big day arrives.
As usual RORC members will benefit from priority entry to the Rolex Fastnet Race as well as a reduced entry fee.
This year’s Rolex Fastnet Race will be special being the event’s 100th anniversary. At the finish in Plymouth of the ground-breaking event in 1925, the ‘Ocean Racing Club’, as it was first known, was set up as a club for Fastnet Race competitors, a feature that remains unchanged today with Rolex Fastnet Race participation still being the principal pathway to full membership of the Royal Ocean Racing Club.
Just 7 yachts entered the first race in 1925, won by the modified Le Havre pilot cutter Jolie Brise, campaigned by the first Commodore of the Club, Lt Cdr EG Martin. Starters in the race for the first time exceeded 100 in 1963, 200 in 1967 and 300 in 1979. Recent years have continued to see participation grow with 388 entered in pre-COVID 2019 and the present record of 430 starters in 2023. In registering for the last race, 400 yachts signed up just 30 minutes after registrations opened.
This year’s centenary Rolex Fastnet Race will start from Cowes on Saturday 26th July with a first warning signal at 13:00. Class starts will follow at regular intervals- a spectacular sight for all to see.