Please select your home edition
Edition
Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial

Free money? No, but there is free coaching at the RORC Easter Challenge

by RORC Press 9 Mar 2018 06:16 GMT 30 March - 1 April 2018
Jim Saltonstall is one of several highly respected experts offering free coaching advice to all, both on and off the water during the RORC Easter Challenge © Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com

There are many ways to improve your yacht racing: You can practice more, get a better boat and equip it better, with better sails. You can round up more talented crew, maybe even a pro or two.

Frequently absent from this list though is coaching: The single feature of a campaign that can consolidate all its parts; the independent set of eyes that can identify where mistakes are being made, plus the advice on how to fast track their correction.

Held over the Bank Holiday weekend (30th March to 1st April), the RORC Easter Challenge is open to all, not just Royal Ocean Racing Club members, and available to all entrants is FREE COACHING.

This comes from several of the most respected coaches including the guru himself, Jim Saltonstall, whose 'ferrets' have included several of Britain's most successful Olympic sailors including Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, etc. Then there is RORC Chief Executive Eddie Warden Owen, a former professional sailor and coach to leading America's Cup teams, notably Team New Zealand. Also back for the umpteenth year is Mason King who aside from his three decades in the Met Police, has for 20 years also been one of the UK's leading Yachtmaster Instructors. Mason is a regular coach for Sailing Logic, which has its First 40, Arthur Logic entered in the RORC Easter Challenge sailed by a crew from J.P. Morgan.

In addition, several top professional sailors and sailmakers from North Sails UK will be on the water to offer the benefit of advice, with of course special focus on sail set-up and trim.

The RORC's new Racing Manager Chris Stone explains the value of coaching: "There is usually not enough time in people's racing programs to see improvement, so any opportunity to have some training together with their race program is a rare opportunity and something that should be taken as it's invaluable. Training should never stop, but far too often it does when there is still so much to learn."

Uniquely for this event, and specifically to aid the on the water coaching, Racing Rule of Sailing 41 (Outside Help) is relaxed. Thanks to this the unimaginable becomes possible: For example a trimmer can hop onto a coach boat to examine sail trim from off the boat which is impossible to do when racing. Equally, a coach can be invited onto a competing yacht to demonstrate to the crew how to fix some issue in person, which is also not possible when racing.

This free coaching is available to all; the RORC's aim simply to help raise the level of UK yacht racing. "This is not something that is just focussed on the sharper end of the fleet - it is focussed on all the fleet regardless of their level," confirms Stone.

However the coaching is optional. To receive it crews competing must register for it with the RORC beforehand, when they can also specify anything they need the coaches to address.

The coaching is not just on the water. The RORC and North Sails are paying for drone footage of the racing to be taken. This are a key part of Friday and Saturday's debriefs, led by Jim Saltonstall, at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse.

Making their way from Brighton to Cowes for the RORC Easter Challenge for a third consecutive year is Andy Williams and the crew of the Max Fun 35, Mad Max. Williams explains of their participation: "We find the crew listen to the coaches much more than they do from us! A great one is weight distribution on the boat. We are forever trying to get the crew to switch on to that and when they hear it from Jim Saltonstall on the water or in the debriefs they listen. Similarly with tips about spinnaker handling. Also for fine sail set it has been a great help. Particularly the North sails guys help you think through that - even though we don't have North Sails!"

Since coming to the RORC Easter Challenge Williams says they have started to see great improvements in their results. "In 2016 we would have been at the back of the fleet and struggling to keep up with some of the local boats. Now we are up with them and we put a huge amount of that down to the benefit of doing the Easter Challenge." This year they will be asking the coaches to address them with coaxing the best VMG downwind out of their A-sail equipped boat.

The Easter Challenge marks the start of one of the most challenging and ambitious seasons for the RORC, including the combined IRC Europeans and Commodores' Cup in the Solent in June and the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race in August.

Racing at the RORC Easter Challenge is run by two time Olympian and two time Etchells World Champion Stuart Childerley on the Solent: Up to three races a day will include windward-leewards, reaching starts and round the cans courses.

Related Articles

The Iconic Admiral's Cup Returns!
Harken UK caught up with the RORC CEO and Admiral's Cup sailors ahead of the event After a long hiatus, this prestigious international yachting regatta makes its grand comeback from 17- 31 July at The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Posted today at 3:30 pm
A century of human endeavour
The Fastnet Race is regarded as one of offshore sailing's most complete proving grounds For 100 years, the Rolex Fastnet Race has been regarded as one of offshore sailing's most complete proving grounds. It is a place where ambitions and dreams meet harsh reality, where skill, endurance and fortitude are severely tested. Posted today at 10:14 am
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Four preview
The pinnacle of grass roots sailing has 97 entries The very largest yachts, including the 100ft Ultim foiling trimarans and 60ft IMOCAs are an essential part of the spectacle of the Fastnet Race, however a critical element in the race's enduring appeal is that this is predominately a grass roots event. Posted on 14 Jul
RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race concludes
Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijf, completed a remarkable hat-trick Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG and the Royal Yacht Squadron. Posted on 14 Jul
Double Double
And the rest of the line is not toil and trouble, but quadruple, then another double… On the eve of the 100th Fastnet that has attracted some 464 entries, I heard of one entry in this record fleet that seemed so very apt. Not only because it includes the Commodore of the RORC, but because it combines two Brits and two Aussies. Posted on 13 Jul
2025 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race Start Photos
Martin Augustus of sailingimages.co.uk was out in the sunshine as the fleet sailed out of the Solent The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, the thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, started on Friday and Martin Augustus was on hand to catch the action in the Western Solent as they made their way in the sunshine towards Dinard. Posted on 12 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Three preview
This has produced the overall winner of two of the last six editions IRC Three may consist of smaller, slower and in some cases older boats than those that will garner headlines in the first couple of days of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 11 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race: IRC Two Preview
With 73 entries in IRC Two, the Rolex Fastnet Race is set to deliver a striking display. Could two new JPK 1050s upset the apple cart in IRC Two? Jean-Pierre Kelbert has a habit of breaking the mould in IRC racing, and his new 34-footer may well be a game changer in this competitive division with 73 entries. Posted on 11 Jul
Admiral's Cup AC2 Class
Offshore legends, small boats, big test In the 2025 Admiral's Cup, AC2 features smaller boats than their AC1 team mates but the challenge is every bit as tough, if not tougher. This is where elite skill meets raw offshore endurance. Posted on 9 Jul
Django Team to represent Italy at Admiral's Cup
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches two-boat campaign in historic return of the elite offshore race After a 20-year hiatus, the Admiral's Cup is back - and Italy is ready to make a bold return to one of offshore sailing's most legendary stages. Posted on 9 Jul