Britain well, winning IRC Three ahead
of two other ‘IRC-ed’ Mumm 36s.
ForthethirdIRCEuropeanstobeheld
on 9-16 June this year, one can only guess
at the turn-out. Given it will be held
in the IRC epicentre of Cowes, easily
accessible to the UK’s strong domestic
fleet, and a short delivery trip for
ultra-competitive teams from northern
and western France and Benelux,
entries could conceivably top 100.
IRC Europeans entries must have
IRC Time Correction factors (TCCs)
of 0.995-1.270. This equates to Sun Fast
3200, X34s, HOD35s up to Fast40+s.
WhiletheMarseilleevent’stopTCC
limit was 1.400, allowing in four
TP52s including Dr Hasso Plattner
and daughter Tina’s Phoenix, this limit
has been lowered this year, to keep
the fleet closer together and prevent
deeper draft boats limiting where Stuart
Childerley’s race team can lay courses
on the Solent (the NoR also limits
boats to a maximum draft of 3m).
The fleet will be divided into four
classes, with a single IRC European
Champion ultimately crowned. “I
think it will be very well subscribed
and competitive too, especially if we
get the Fast40+s, but it is an event
for racers and racer-cruisers,” says
Dr Jason Smithwick, director of
rating at the RORC Rating Office.COMMODORES’ CUP
If this were not attraction
enough, the 2018 IRC European
Championship will also incorporate
the Commodores’ Cup, the RORC’s
biennial offshore championship for
three-boat Corinthian teams.Aside from being part of another event
forthefirsttimeinits26yearhistory,the
Commodores’ Cup is also being opened
up, with RORC aiming to remove all
barriers to entry. Therefore boats must
comply with the overall TCC limits
fortheIRCEuropeans,butthereisno
requirementforonetobea‘bigboat’or
any to fall within specific rating bands.
Traditionally the Commodore’s
Cup has been between national teams,
often fielded by World Sailing Member
National Authorities, such as France
Blue, winner in 2016. Now this has
been entirely removed: three-boat
teams can represent a nation, a region,
a yacht club or just three friends
with boats, not necessarily even of
the same flag. As RORC CEO Eddie
Warden Owen puts it: “It will allow
competitors to form any team that
theywant.Youfindyourteamthatyou
want to sail with and put it together.”
As ever the Commodores’ Cup is
intendedasacompetitionforamateur
crews – mostly. In 2018 each crew
will be able to include one World
Sailing Group 3 professional.
However yachts competing at
the IRC Europeans, but not in the
Commodores’ Cup, are unrestricted in
this respect. In a welcome development
teams are also allowed to carry one
extracrew,overthatstatedontheir
IRC certificate, if there are least two
females on board or two under 25s or
at least one female and one under 25.
The Commodores’ Cuppers will
sail exactly the same races as those
only competing in the IRC Europeans,
following the mixed format, refined and
developed during recent Commodores’Cups. This will comprise up to 10
inshore races (windward-leewards and
roundthecans,somewithreaching
starts), a race round the Isle of Wight
(x1.5 coefficient) and a 150 mile/
30-36 hour offshore race in the
central Channel to suit the
wind direction and strength
and with a x2 coefficient).
Whether the Commodores’ Cup
will revert to a stand-alone in 2020
remainstobeseen.“Itdependson
whatthesupportisforitandthe
feedback,” says Eddie Warden Owen.
MeanwhiletheIRCEuropeans
issettocontinueannually,moving
toanothercountry,mostprobably
as we go to press, Italy, in 2019.IRC SEASON PREVIEW
24 Yachts & Yachting April 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk