“It was a tough race. Any time you race 150 miles in 25 knots, you know you have been in a proper race! Early on was particularly light and shifty, so we had to stay alert, keep looking outside the boat and make the most of every change in pressure and direction.

“We reached into the Needles Fairway, where Khumbu had a masthead zero and was able to get past us. Later, on the long VMG leg, the breeze freed enough for us to sail a lower, faster mode. We tried a couple of different options and eventually came back alongside Khumbu. It was neck and neck until they suffered a gear failure, which was a real pity because we were having a fantastic race.

“We were regularly sailing at 17 to 20 knots and saw 24 knots at times. At those speeds, crew work and communication are everything. Getting all the weight aft and out to max righting moment kept us under control and you need the trimmers and helmsman working together. There were also plenty of gybes and tacks, particularly approaching the eastern turning mark, where the wind and tide made the approach difficult.

“Coming home, we stayed close to the coast for flatter water before tacking offshore into rougher conditions. The final section became a proper beat, but we had the tide underneath us and managed to finish just before it turned.

“The objective was line honours, so we are very pleased to have achieved that and to win overall under IRC as well. This race was another important part of our build-up towards the Admiral’s Cup. We have made several modifications across the whole package, and the Channel Race gave us the opportunity to test them properly.

“It was a classic Channel Race: tactical, physical and heavily influenced by the tide. It paid off for us, so naturally I am very happy.”  

In IRC Zero, James Neville’s Ino Veritas won from Rost – Van Uden, with Graeme Lewis’ Carroll Marine 60 Venomous third. Khumbu retired with gear failure. In IRC One, Jacques Pelletier’s L’Ange de Milon won the Stetson Plate. Trevor Middleton’s JPK 1180 Black Sheep was runner-up. The Tall Ships Youth Trust Challenger 4, skippered by Michael Collier was third.

In IRC Two-Handed, Midnight Blues was the winner. A close battle for second was won by Ian Hoddle’s  Sun Fast 3300 Sky Business – GameOn, racing double handed with and Willow Bland. GameOn was second by just nine seconds from Rob Craigie’s Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing double handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish. The competition remained close deep into the fleet, with only 30 minutes and 47 seconds separating second-placed GameOn from Phil Stubbs and Sarah Nicholson’s eighth-placed Elaine Again after IRC time correction.

Jean-Eudes Renier’s Midnight Blue won the Royal Albert YC Trophy for IRC Two and the Assegai Bowl for IRC Two Handed and commented after the race:

“The conditions suited Midnight Blues because the long downwind section was exactly what the boat was designed for. She is built for reaching and downwind sailing, and when she is handled well in those conditions, she is very difficult to beat.

“Upwind is a completely different story. The boat has a very narrow technical groove, especially when there is breeze and chop. You have to twist the mainsail and jib, keep the setup forgiving and constantly steer around the waves to rebuild speed without making too much leeway. It demands constant attention and, after an hour, you are exhausted.

“Downwind, the reward is enormous. We were regularly sailing at 13 or 14 knots and reached around 19 knots on the short fetch with the A6, full mainsail and all 200 litres of ballast deployed. We had the right boat, the right sail and the right conditions, so our job was simply not to make mistakes.

“Joe (Lacey) and I barely used the autopilot. Upwind, it was not really an option because the boat needs to be actively sailed all the time. We shared the helming, mainsheet and trimming, sometimes sleeping for only half an hour each.

“The racing behind us was extremely close and the rankings kept changing. The boat deserves a lot of the credit, but you still need to sail her properly. She is hard, technical and tiring, but when she lights up downwind, she is also tremendous fun.”

James Holder’s Uno is having a fantastic season and despite the windward leeward style Channel Race Course, which is not ideal for a reaching multihull, the RORC member was full of praise for the choice, especially with an eye on entering the 2027 Rolex Fastnet Race.

James Holder, skipper of Uno:

“We were really pleased with the course. On paper, two and a half windward-leewards might not sound ideal for a reaching multihull, but it was brilliant. We had a 70-mile downwind leg in a big low and covered it in about four and a half hours. It was absolutely full-on and great fun.

“The crew were amazing. They put in a 16-and-a-half to 17-hour shift without a break and pushed the boat hard the whole way. That commitment made the result possible.

“We are having a hell of a season. We have been first multihull across the line in  the Royal Western Triangle, the Myth of Malham, the Round the Island Race and now the Channel Race. The focus now is on pushing Uno and preparing her for a major Rolex Fastnet Race campaign in 2027. We are always hoping for a reaching race, although it rarely happens, but the Fastnet is still the best race on earth. That is exactly why we want to do it.”