ADMIRAL’S CUP 2025
Welcome back
And, boy, was writing that headline a pleasure. RORC Commodore DEB FISH welcomes all competitors, supporters and families to Cowes
The Cup returns
Childhood Admiral’s Cup fan MAGNUS WHEATLEY breaks down in detail the programme, the racing format and what to expect on and off the water
Centre stage
IRC is well-established as the scoring system of choice for organisers of all the world’s big ocean races as well as other major regattas… Now it gets to strut its stuff on the most prominent stage to date. MAGNUS WHEATLEY and IRC Rating Director JASON SMITHWICK
Runners and riders
In (mostly…) their own words
FEATURES
Making an entrance
FRANCESCO FERRI
No free advantages
One-designs and SailGP make for great racing but there can be hiccups along the way, Alinghi bows out and the scoring headaches of water ballast. ROB WEILAND
Cautious ladies, feisty boats
MAURIZIO COSSUTTI likes nothing better than getting stuck into resurrecting iconic IOR designs
Strong foundations
A good year for CLARE MCCOMB to delve into Fastnet history with a look back at the influential life of Irish offshore racer HARRY DONEGAN
TECH STREET
Extreme H2O: Designing the PB72, a semi-foiling offshore machine
REGULARS
Commodore’s letter
DEB FISH
Editorial
ANDREW HURST
Update
And Naples it will be for AC38, so more pressure for light-air pace, but do we see the AC75s again? Also LINDSAY OWEN-JONES and the Magic Carpet pathway, high voltage in Monaco and a good St Tropez for Gladiator. BLUE ROBINSON, JACK GRIFFIN, TERRY HUTCHINSON
World News
The remarkable famille PETITHUGUENIN, ANDREW PINDAR has done so much and yet there is so much more still left to do, Nacra sailor MICAH WILKINSON is a convert, TP52 developments, a time for consolidation in Oz, the promise of new leadership at US Sailing. IVOR WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, BLUE ROBINSON, MICHAEL BLACKBURN, MAGNUS WHEATLEY, DOBBS DAVIS, CARLOS PICH, NACHO POSTIGO… AND CHARLIE ENRIGHT
Paul Cayard – Come on up, team
And the winner of the 1988 Star Worlds, the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup and the 1997 Whitbread Round the World race now has something else to celebrate
ORC – Driving design
DOBBS DAVIS reflects on how rating systems influence yacht design, plus MARK MILLS has a very sporty new machine building at King Marine
RORC – Heroes all
A timely reminder of the wholesale rush to serve of RORC members during WWII and of a few of their courageous exploits… JEREMY WILTON
Seahorse build table – Been there done that
It’s not only fuel-saving technology for shipping in which VPLP have made great strides. They are also now leading the way in wing rigs for cruising craft
The finest grp boat I’ve ever seen
So sayeth the great DOUG PETERSON
Seahorse regatta calendar