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Advance Notice of the 2012 Commodores' Cup
Saturday 21st - Saturday 28th July 2012
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce details for the 2012 Commodores' Cup to be held in Cowes, Isle of Wight between Saturday 21st and Saturday 28th July 2012 in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron.
National teams to race three boats
This tough mix of inshore and offshore races will be concentrated into a challenging seven day racing schedule on the testing waters in and around the Solent. The RORC have introduced a change to the IRC rating band to encourage more entries. The smallest boats will have a minimum rating of 1.020 and the fastest boats a max rating of 1.230. Three boats can be chosen from this rating band with the proviso that only one boat in the team may rate 1.150 or above.
RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine explained the rationale behind the change: "in previous events we have had three distinct bands however some countries have struggled to find a competitive boat in each band. We are keen to get more foreign teams to enter the competition and feel that by opening up the entry criteria, there will be more good boats available for charter, which makes sense in today's challenging economic climate," explained McIrvine. "However, we do not want teams to dominate the competition by bringing three big boats, thus the reason for only allowing one boat in each team to be faster than 1.150."
The racing format will also be changed so that all the boats will start together rather than having three individual races for each rating band as was the norm in previous events.
The last Cup in 2010 was the tenth biennial event and it attracted 10 highly competitive teams from five nations: France, Ireland, Great Britain, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Ireland claims victory in blustery Rolex Commodores' Cup finale
Ireland has done it. After mounting multiple teams, considered favourite going into both the 2006 and 2008 events but failing to win either, so the Irish boats Antix, Marinerscove.ie and Roxy 6 today secured the Rolex Commodores' Cup for the emerald isle.
"It is delightful to finally have a chance to get our hands on the trophy," declared Anthony O'Leary, owner and helmsman of the Ker 39 Antix, the Irish team's big boat. "For all three boats, the Rolex Commodores' Cup has been the absolute pinnacle of what we have wanted to do this year. While Antix and Marinerscove have been around, it is a credit to the guys on Roxy because they had a new build and got the boat in the water, and then there were all the attendant things you have to do. Owner Rob Davies, in fairness to him, didn't take a huge amount of persuasion to sign up and make the extra effort required to do it. We owe him a huge debt."
David Dwyer and his Marinerscove.ie team were equally ecstatic. "I bought this boat in 2006 and we have been waiting since then for the right time. This time it worked. It was absolutely brilliant."
Roxy 6's pro sailor Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell added: "We put in a massive effort and it is nice to have got the reward. Cowes is going to go ballistic tonight!"
Read more: Ireland claims victory in blustery Rolex Commodores' Cup finale
Outcome rests in Ireland's hands
Now on 63.5 points to second placed Hong Kong's 101.5, the Irish team's position at the Rolex Commodores' Cup is looking all but unassailable. With just one inshore race to go tomorrow it would now take a major disaster in all three classes for the immaculate Irish to lose their grip of the trophy that has eluded them for so long.
Today the 29 strong fleet (one down with Paul Turner's Artemis in GBR Black out of the competition with a damaged keel) sailed anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight, the results from this 55-nautical-mile carrying a points co-efficient of 1.5x. This was held in southwesterly wind that peaked at around 24 knots as the boats battled their down the western Solent towards the Needles in lumpy wind against tide conditions.
In the big boat class, Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix scored another win, her fourth this week, giving her by far the lowest points score of all the boats at the Rolex Commodores' Cup. She won on corrected by a minute, once again from her sistership, Bernard Gouy's Inis Mor racing in France Yellow.
"The start was very tricky," commented Dave Lenz, Antix' tactician and one of the crews two permitted professional sailors. "There was tide, not much breeze and while you weren't crossing the line on starboard, you wanted the left because of the effective bias there." Surprisingly only one boat, Inspara (RSA), was swept over the line by the tide and had to re-start.
Ireland extend their lead
A grim overcast start and lumpy wind against tide conditions gave way to brilliant sunshine and a summery finish off the Royal Yacht Squadron for the Rolex Trophy Day inshore race at the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup. Today's one race was held around multiple marks in the central western Solent starting in 18 knot southwesterlies with a wet beat through short chop before the tide turned and the wind dropped gradually through the race, ending at below 10 knots.
It was another solid day for the Irish team, leaders since the opening day of the regatta last Sunday. Their big boat, Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix and their small boat, Robert Davies' Corby 36 Roxy 6 both won their classes today while David Dwyer's marinerscove.ie posted a third. No other team was close to being as consistent today.
In the small boat class Roxy 6 came out on top partly thanks to a navigation error on the Hong Kong boat, Christopher Opielok's Corby 36 Rockall III [at the time of going to press this was subject to a protest for redress*]. "We were very lucky," said Roxy 6's helmsman Andrew Creighton. "Rockall went to a wrong mark and they were ahead of us. With them making that mistake it obviously pushed us into first, although one of the French guys, Goa, came very close to us, but we had them by about 25 seconds."
Roxy 6 was only launched in April, but has had an intensive season at regattas throughout the UK and her native Ireland. Designed by Cowes resident John Corby, the 36 footer relished today's conditions. "The short Solent slap suits this sort of boat," said Creighton.
Back at Cowes Yacht Haven, Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Andrew McIrvine stepped off the boat he co-owns with Peter Morton in buoyant mood. His Beneteau First 40.7 La Réponse won the mid-sized class today by two and a half minutes on corrected time ahead of past RORC Commodore Peter Rutter's Quokka 8.
Irish hold the line offshore
Boats have been returning to Cowes Yacht Haven throughout today, back from the offshore race of the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup. With a 2.5x point co-efficient this race had the potential to provide a major upset in the results, but after four days of competition the Irish team hold an even more commanding lead, now up to 29.5 points. Hong Kong has regained second place, this time with a 25-point cushion over the leading French team, which in turn is just 5 points ahead of GBR Red and 15 points ahead of France Yellow in fifth.
Hong Kong and Ireland scored equal points in the offshore race with the former's Rockall III winning the small boat class while the latter's marinerscove.ie claimed the mid-sized class.
On the water Rockall III was first home in the whole fleet, crossing the line just to the west of the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour at 10:40:41 BST, winning her class by almost one hour on corrected time. While racing for Hong Kong, where he used to live, Rockall III's owner Christopher Opielok is German. His crew is largely from Hong Kong but also includes two Dutch, one Irishman and three Australians. According to Opielok he bought his Corby 36 specifically to compete in the Rolex Commodores' Cup, "we have been preparing for this for a long time. The boat clocked since delivery to us last year, 4,000 miles. We did a lot of offshore racing. We have four very good helmsmen. The navigation was very well prepared. We had a good tactician and I believe altogether with a very good boat, ended up with this result."
Opielok said they faced stiff competition from the Irish team's small boat, Roxy 6, "we focussed on sail trim and sailed extremely hard without any rest. We knew we could only beat Roxy upwind. We put all our effort into the 60-mile beat and then we tried to control them downwind. Luckily the tide went with us and pushed us even further than expected." The tide was particularly beneficial on the final run into the finish.
Simon Henning, owner of the Alice II from GBR White was delighted to have won the big boat division. His Farr 45, the biggest yacht in this year's Rolex Commodores' Cup does not have a favourable rating and they have not performed well in the inshore racing so far. Having to continue past Anvil Point and on to the East Shambles mark in Weymouth Bay, the Class 1 course at 191-nautical-miles was some 35 nm longer than the Class 3 version, which simply did an about-turn at Poole. Yet Alice II reached the finish line just under four minutes astern of Rockall III.
Alice led the 30-boat fleet out of the Solent in the strongest conditions of the race and enjoyed a fantastic blast down to the Owers, the easternmost mark of the course, to the southeast of Selsey Bill. "We saw 24-25 knots [of wind] and we were surfing up to 17 several times – it was lovely," commented Henning. Thanks to this they caught the tide turning at the Owers and from there never looked back. Despite the wind dropping to five knots this morning, they claimed the big boat class by a margin of 1 hour 20 minutes on corrected time.
Tough night ahead
The 30 strong Rolex Commodores' Cup fleet shot off east down the Solent this morning with the wind and tide but under a grey rain-filled sky at the start of their high points scoring offshore race. The course for the 10 teams is full of zigzags taking them first out towards Selsey Bill while tonight they will be heading west along the bottom of the Isle of Wight en route for a mark off Poole Harbour. At this point the three classes will race slightly different courses before the run back east tomorrow morning that should see them finishing off a line to the west of Portsmouth Harbour sometime tomorrow afternoon.
At 17.00 BST Simon Henning's Alice II, a Farr 45, and the longest, highest rated yacht in the race, was approaching the Owers turning mark, the easternmost on the course, while the chasing pack were spread five to thirty-nautical miles astern of her. It seems likely that Alice II will steal a march on her Class 1 rivals, as her rounding of the Owers should coincide with the tide turning westbound, while those behind will face a further hour or two punching into it. Already Alice II in the GBR White team looks to be leading the big boat class on corrected time.
The absent Géry Trentesaux, the Frenchman who was instrumental in his country winning the Rolex Commodores' Cup in 2006 and 2002, would be proud. The First 40, Coup de Coeur, he co-owns with UNCL Commodore Marc de Saint Denis was leading Class 2 on handicap at 17.00 BST as part of the France Blue team. Meanwhile, in Class 3, it was the turn of the Hong Kong team to head the standings, with Christopher Opielok's Corby 36, Rockall III.
The latest positions from the racecourse indicate that the Irish team is not only still leading overall in the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup, but they have extended their lead albeit marginally. The 17.00 BST sched showed Anthony O'Leary's Antix second among the big boats, David Dwyer's Marinerscove.ie second in the mid-sized fleet and Robert Davies' Roxy 6 second among the small boats. With these results the Irish team would be on 44.5 points ahead of France Blue and Hong Kong tied in second on 71.5. GBR Red holds fourth on 86.5, followed by France Yellow in fifth.
France's Day, but Irish remain Front Runners
Ireland remains the runaway leader after day two of the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup. Those chasing, led by 2008 winners GBR Red, with strong competition for second from France Blue in third and the potent Hong Kong team in fourth, did a good job to minimise the damage inflicted today: the Irish managing to extend the gap over the second-placed team, but only by 2.5 points.
Conditions were perfect for today's two races with brilliant sunshine and more breeze – 14-17 knots from the northwest for the first, dropping off to 10-15 for the second. First up was an inshore race around the length and breadth of the eastern Solent, followed by a shorter windward-leeward course set off Hill Head on the mainland shore.
In the big boat class race one saw a rare corrected time tie between Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix (IRL), maintaining her perfect scoreline for the Irish team, and Nicolas Loday and Jean Claude Nicoleau's Grand Soleil 43 Codiam in France Blue. While Antix remains the boat to beat among the big boats, it was Codiam that scored two bullets today.
"I think the conditions were ideal for our boat, which is a bit heavy and ideally needs about 15 knots," commented Nicolas Loday, racing his fourth Rolex Commodores' Cup, but his first in the Grand Soleil 43. "It is a boat that goes very well with flat water. It is not at all a boat that goes fast in the big waves or the choppy seas you get in the Channel. So today the conditions were perfect for this boat – like yesterday, but yesterday we made wrong tactical decisions. Today we kept close to the other boats and this paid off very well."
Perhaps it was coincidence, but in Class 2 another Grand Soleil 43 shone today with former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter's Quokka 8 (GBR Red) scoring two bullets ahead of UNCL Commodore Marc de Saint Denis and Géry Trentesaux's Coup de Coeur (FRA Blue) and Ireland's marinerscove.ie, belonging to David Dwyer. Quokka 8 rates at 1.103 under IRC compared to Codiam's 1.110 as the French boat has a larger sail plan.
Irish set formidable pace
Ireland grabbed the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup by the throat on the opening day. With two windward-leeward races held in the eastern and central Solent, the three Irish boats won in each of their classes in the first race. In the second race, the team's otherwise perfect scoreline was only tarnished by their mid-sized boat, David Dwyer's Mills 39 Marinerscove.ie, posting a second. With six days of competition left, the Irish, on 7 points, already hold a huge lead over the defending champions, GBR Red and Hong Kong, tied on 23. Previous experience will not allow the Irish to get carried away just yet.
The Solent started out grey and miserable today but the sun broke through mid-morning with a 10 knot northwesterly and a strong eastbound tide. For race two the Race Committee moved the race area to just east of the Brambles Bank to minimise the tide and for this the wind had veered into the northeast and built, at times gusting up to 20 knots.
In this opening day of competition for mainly Corinthian crews, with only one or two professionals allowed on each boat, some cobwebs were being blown out with a number of sail handling errors evident and even a collision during a port-starboard incident in race two between two mid-sized boats - Francois Lognone's Nutmeg IV in France White and Paul Turner's Grand Soleil 43 Artemis in GBR Black. The French subsequently admitted their mistake – explaining that they lacked steerage to avoid the incident. While they came out unscathed, unfortunately Artemis was holed and is having to be repaired overnight. Both yachts retired from race two.
Followers of this event will know that Ireland leading after day one is a regular feature of recent Rolex Commodores' Cups. The Irish have been favourites going into the last three events, but they have never before made such a strong impression on the event so soon.
No clear cut favourite, but smile in Irish eyes
International entries from as far afield as Hong Kong and South Africa have descended on Cowes ready for Sunday's start of the biennial Rolex Commodores' Cup.
As usual the event is for teams comprising three boats in different IRC rating bands, the boats ranging from 35-45 ft in size. Teams are national with at least 50% of the crew coming from the country they are representing. The Rolex Commodores' Cup is also strongly Corinthian: only two professional sailors are allowed on the Class 1 boats and just one aboard Class 2 and 3 entries.
This year, the tenth edition of the competition, 10 teams are competing, the largest contingent coming from France, who are fielding four teams; GBR has three teams and Hong Kong, Ireland and, for the first time, South Africa each with one. Whilst the team numbers are down from two years ago, "the top four or five teams are as good as they were last time," says Eddie Warden Owen, CEO of the event's organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club.
In terms of the form, Warden Owen thinks the Irish will be ones to watch, as they have certainly been in the past, although they have never won; "they are very competitive, they seem highly focused and they have some very good amateur sailors on board as well as professionals." The Irish team is led by experienced Rolex Commodores' Cup skipper Anthony O'Leary and his Ker 39 Antix.
South Africa and Hong Kong also have strong entries, the latter having learned from competing here two years ago, again with the driving force of Jamie McWilliam behind them.
Rolex Commodores' Cup 2010 Team Line Up Complete
Racing commences on Sunday, 15 August, with the first race scheduled for 10.30 am and, as one would expect, there has been no shortage of activity since close of challenges for the 10th biennial Rolex Commodores' Cup.
Whilst the single team nations, Ireland, South Africa and Hong Kong, set out their stall early, identifying boats and team members, the multi-team nations, United Kingdom and France have faced more complex decision-making in defining the composition of their various line-ups.
Ten teams, comprising a total of thirty yachts spread over five nations, will be on the start line all fired up in anticipation of a highly competitive event. Teams are made up of three boats, one in each of three precise rating bands. The full National team listings are available on line at http://commodorescup.rorc.org/ and www.regattanews.com.
Rolex Commodores' Cup draws South Africa
There are only a few weeks to the close of entries at this year's Rolex Commodores' Cup. Whilst most teams have finalized their boats and crews, others are still engaged in discussions to determine their line-ups. For all teams, both settled and prospective, certain things are set in stone. Most importantly there must be three boats, one in each of the stipulated rating bands, and, all teams must be on the starting grid for the first race on Sunday, 15 August. At present, organisers', the Royal Ocean Racing Club are expecting 11 teams representing France, Ireland, Hong Kong, South Africa and the United Kingdom to contest the international trophy.
The shaping field looks to be as competitive as ever. The sea battles that have been fought in recent weeks off the coasts of France and Ireland, and, of course, on the event venue waters of the Solent suggest that a no quarter given epic is in the making.
Neutrals, with an eye for the outsider, are likely to follow the progress of the South African team over the course of the Rolex Commodores' Cup. 2010 marks the first time a team from the world's second largest continent has participated. As with Hong Kong's presence in 2008, for this to happen a number of stars have had to be in alignment.
According to Mike Bartholomew, skipper of the team's Class 2 yacht, the King 40 Tokoloshe, "it was Eddie Warden Owen from the RORC who actually suggested to Rick Nankin and myself that we should consider putting a South African team together. The whole thing really just grew from there. We approached two others we knew well, Phil Gutschi and Rick Garratt, to see if they could join the party. Both were enthusiastic from the word go." Gutschi owns the Landmark 43, Windpower, to be skippered by Nankin in Class 1, and Garratt has chartered the J-109, Zelda, to be skippered by Dave Hudson in Class 3.
Rolex Commodores' Cup: RYA Press Release
RYA Team GBR Red and White teams announced for Rolex Commodores' Cup
After careful consideration and in depth discussions with boat owners and crews, the RYA has announced which entries will make up two of the four potential GBR teams who will compete at the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup in August.
As in 2008, RYA Team GBR can enter four teams in the event, with each team comprising one boat in three specified IRC class Rating bands. The RYA is aiming to select four teams from the UK naming them, Team GBR Red, Blue, White and Black.
The Brits will be going into the cup as defending champions, with GBR Red holding the 2008 title, and the RYA's selectors have taken care to ensure the best possible combination of boats and crews have been put together for the first teams announced; the country's best two prospects for defending the cup.
GBR Red will comprise White Heat (King 40, Class One), Quokka 8 (Grand Soleil 43, Class Two) and Premier Flair (Elan 410, Class Three). GBR White's lineup is; Alice II (Farr 45, Class One), La Reponse (Beneteau First 40, Class Two) and No Chance (Beneteau First 35, Class Three).
Rolex Commodores' Cup shaping up to be International Affair
Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK:
With three months to go to the 10th edition of the biennial Rolex Commodores' Cup, the international fleet has every prospect of being one of the more exotic in recent events. A noteworthy success in these straightened times. The headline foreign contingent is perhaps South Africa, participating at the regatta for the first time. Hong Kong has confirmed it will be back following its happy venture in 2008. Thereafter, the northern European teams – Ireland, France and the United Kingdom - that are the traditional backbone of the event - will be present in numbers. Organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, anticipate a total of 12 teams. Racing is from 15 to 21 August, with close of entry on 12 July.
The Rolex Commodores' Cup is a weeklong series mixing inshore racing on the waters in and around The Solent, the body of water separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland United Kingdom, with an offshore course that takes the fleet out into The English Channel and a course round the Isle of Wight. All of the racing is typified by one thing. Comprehensive knowledge of the tides and currents affecting these areas is essential. Furthermore, it has been proved time and again that is not just the team with the best boats or the best sailors that wins. It the team that is the best prepared in all aspects.
Take the Hong Kong team, led by Jamie McWilliam. Having finished fifth overall in 2008, surprising many of the more seasoned campaigners in the process, McWilliam and his teammates were resolute in their determination to return. Not just to participate, mind you, but to have a crack at winning. "In 2008 we arrived with a crew that had trained hard but which had never seen the boats before the regatta, as they were either charters or brand new. This meant that we spent quite a bit of important time just before the event working on the boats instead of working on our speed, and as a result we were still learning about the boats during the series. Our team this time was determined to avoid that mistake," comments McWilliam, explaining that this time, "all the boats are owned by Hong Kong owners and we therefore have much more time [to prepare]. Our full team will be at the UK IRC Nationals in late June and we are scheduling other weekends over the summer for the boats to have new sail trials."
Read more: Rolex Commodores' Cup shaping up to be International Affair
Rolex Commodores' Cup: RYA Press Release
Rolex Commodores' Cup door remains open for Class one entries as selection trials kick off for RYA Team GBR
The RYA is putting a final call out for Class one entries for RYA Team GBR, the team set to compete at the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup, as the selection trials for Class two and three entries for the team get underway this weekend (April 24-25) at the closing event of the Warsash SC Spring Series.
As in 2008, RYA Team GBR can enter four teams in the event, with each team comprising one boat in three specified IRC class Rating bands. This year the RYA is aiming to select three teams from the South and one from the North of the UK naming them, Team GBR Red, Blue, White and Black.
Looking to sign up more Class one entries, the RYA is holding open the door to interested parties making an exception to the selection trials allowing for any final Class one entries. Chair of Selectors Roger Wilson explains: "We are delighted with the response we've had to our call for entries to the trials and our Class two and three prospects for 2010's Team look to be in good shape. However we are still looking for two more Class one boats, even if they are unable to take part in the present trial races."
RORC announces a change to the class bands for the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup
The Royal Ocean racing Club today announced a change to the class rating bands for the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup. The lower limit of Class 1 has been lowered by 10 points from 1.120 to 1.110. The rating bands for classes 2 and 3 remain unchanged.
Eddie Warden Owen, RORC CEO, explained the thinking behind the change: "We have become aware that many countries have struggled to find competitive Class 1 boats and by lowering the bottom rating limit of Class 1 and creating an overlap between classes 1 and 2 I am sure it will help countries select competitive teams."
"Interest in the event continues to grow from all over the world," explained Eddie. "America, Scandinavia, the Baltic, Germany and South Africa are all assembling competitive teams as IRC continues to grow worldwide."
The pre-notice of race has been altered as follows:
BOAT/TEAM ELIGIBILITY: A team shall consist of three boats, one from each of the following rating bands: -
Class 1 1.110 – 1.230 DLR not exceeding 200
Class 2 1.075 – 1.119 DLR not exceeding 200
Class 3 1.025 – 1.074 DLR not exceeding 215
DLR = Displacement Length Ratio
CHALLENGES: (which need not identify the boats) shall be lodged by a Member National Authority. RORC shall have the discretion to accept a Challenge or Challenges from two or three Member National Authorities in combination, with the intention that any such team is representative of an identifiable region (e.g. Scandinavia).
NATIONALITY: At least 50% (rounded up e.g. a crew of 9 = 5) of the crew of each boat on board in any race shall comprise individuals who are Nationals of the country of the relevant team or individuals who have since 1 August 2009 had their principal residence in that country or individuals who were born in that country.
SAILOR CLASSIFICATION CODE: ISAF Regulation 22, Sailor Classification Code, shall apply
(a) Crew Limitations
The crew of each boat shall include no more than:
For Class 1: two Group 3 sailors
For Class 2: one Group 3 sailor
For Class 3: one Group 3 sailor
The full Notice of Race will be published in January 2010.
Advance Notice of the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup
Race Date: Sunday 15th – Saturday 21st August 2010
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), together with Rolex, is delighted to announce details for the 2010 Rolex Commodores’ Cup to be held in Cowes, Isle of Wight between Sunday 15th and Saturday 21st August 2010.
This tough mix of inshore and offshore races will be compacted into a challenging 7 day racing schedule on the testing waters in and around the Solent. As in 2008, the handicap system will be IRC (Endorsed) and there will be three rating bands.
The international teams will consist of three boats, with one boat from each of the following Bands:
Class 1, TCC 1.120 - 1.230, maximum DLR (Displacement Length Ratio) 200
Class 2, TCC 1.075 - 1.119, maximumDLR 200
Class 3, TCC 1.025 - 1.074, maximumDLR 215
Note: the RORC reserves the right to change the rating bands slightly in the light of any changes to the IRC Rule. It is not intended to change the range of eligible boats.
Within these Bands, each boat must also comply with STIX and AVS (Safety and Stability Indices) requirements.
The three bands proved successful in 2008. These remain the same for 2010. This will promote close racing on the water, whilst still ensuring competing teams have a sufficiently large pool of yachts from which to choose.