RORC Myth of Malham Race 2025 - Tradition, tenacity, and triumph
by Louay Habib / RORC 27 May 14:05 BST
24 May 2025
First held in 1958, the Myth of Malham Race has built a rich legacy for more than six decades of offshore racing. The 2025 edition proudly joins the ranks of its most memorable chapters.
The race brought together the largest fleet seen in RORC racing since the record-setting 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race. A total of 140 yachts carrying over 900 sailors from 28 nations lined up for the 235-nautical mile offshore challenge. 12 Boats destined for the 2025 Admiral's Cup were among the diverse RORC armada with professional sailors and passionate corinthians racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club.
The 2025 Myth of Malham marked the sixth event in the RORC Season's Points Championship, the world's largest offshore racing series. It also played a pivotal role in the season, acting as a key qualifier for the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, as well as a crucial leg in the new RORC Cowes Offshore Series.
French mastery and family firepower light up the podium
The 2025 Myth of Malham belonged to Géry Trentesaux's Ker 43 Long Courrier which stormed to victory, claiming the overall win under IRC after a near flawless offshore performance. But it was no runaway win, Foggy Dew skippered by the ever-canny Noël Racine, snapped at his heels, finishing just under three minutes behind on corrected time in a nail-biting finale.
Rounding out the podium was Sun Fast 3300 Orbit, continuing its blistering form this season. While known for double-handed racing, Orbit went fully crewed for this showdown. At the heart of the team: father-and-son duo Dan and Zeb Fellows, joined by Volvo Ocean Race champion Jules Salter and his son Fred—a potent blend of experience, youth, and offshore pedigree.
Top Honours
IRC Overall Winner: Long Courrier (Ker 43), Géry Trentesaux
Monohull Line Honours: ROST - Van Uden (Ker 46), Gerd-Jan Poortman
Multihull Line Honours & MOCRA: Adamas (Rapido 40), Vince Willemart & Michel Kleinjans
IRC Class Winners
IRC Zero: ROST - Van Uden Ker 46, Gerd-Jan Poortman
IRC One: Long Courrier, Géry Trentesaux
IRC Two: Scarlet Oyster (Oyster 48), Ross Applebey
IRC Three: Foggy Dew (JPK 1030), Noel Racine
IRC Four: With Alacrity (Sigma 38), Chris Choules
IRC Two-Handed: Mzungu! (JPK 1080), Sam White & Sam North
Brutal upwind, blistering downwind: a true offshore challenge
Starting from the iconic Royal Yacht Squadron Line, the fleet raced down the English Channel to round the Eddystone Lighthouse, before turning back to finish at North Head.
The RORC fleet faced a fierce test of endurance and seamanship as strong south-westerlies built to 15-20 knots, with gusts touching 30 and waves exceeding two metres. The long beat to Eddystone was a punishing uphill grind, testing every manoeuvre and tactical decision. But the reward was worth it—once around the lighthouse, crews cracked sheets and hoisted downwind sails for a thrilling high-speed ride back to the Solent, surfing home on a full-throttle ride to the finish.
Trentesaux targets Rolex Fastnet Race after Myth of Malham success
Géry Trentesaux, skipper of Long Courrier, has set his gunsights on what he claims to be his last Fastnet. Gery has competed in the RORC's most famous race at least 18 times, winning class on five occasions and winning the Fastnet Challenge Cup in 2015.
"The Myth of Malham is one of the most important races in the championship," commented Géry Trentesaux. " It's a proper offshore test—wet, windy, and hard on the crew, but perfect preparation for the Fastnet. We didn't break anything, the crew performed well, and we passed Eddystone second overall. That gives us a lot of confidence for what's next."
Young Dutch crew take Line Honours in full-on offshore ahead of Admiral's Cup
Monohull Line Honours went to the young Dutch team led by Volvo Ocean Race veteran Gerd-Jan Poortman. Ker 46 ROST Van Uden finished the race in an elapsed time of 29 Hours 04 Mins and 25 Secs averaging over 11 knots for the entire race.
"We're absolutely chuffed to take line honours and win our class in such a tough race," commented Poortman. "It was a proper offshore test, and we sailed an awesome race—everything in one piece, solid teamwork, and a young crew averaging just 23 years old. This result is huge for us, especially against our Admiral's Cup rivals. They weren't quite as ready, but we've put in the training and strengthened the boat. To cross the line first out of such a big fleet. It's a rare and proud moment."
The skipper of ROST Van Uden continued: "We don't have decades of big boat experience, but what we do have is a team that works incredibly hard for each other. Our strength is our teamwork. In tough conditions, we stayed solid, avoided mistakes, and stick to our strategy. This race was a great test, now it's full steam ahead for the North Sea Race and our big goal this summer: the Admiral's Cup."
Struck by Thor's Hammer: Mzungu! masters the Myth of Malham
For the 27-strong IRC Two-Handed Class victory went to the JPK 1080 Mzungu! raced by Sam White & Sam North. Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews racing Sun Fast 3200 Cora was second for the race and completing the podium was Sun Fast 3600 Bellino owned by Rob Craigie and co-skippered by RORC Commodore Deb Fish.
Sam North from Muzungu! describes an unforgettable moment in the race: "The Myth of Malham this year was an incredible race. Highlights for me have got to be on the way back from the Eddystone going past Start Point. It was blowing about 20 knots, and the boat was getting on really nicely, but we got hit by what could only be described as Thor's hammer. Suddenly, 30 knots of wind in just two seconds and the boat absolutely took off, with spray everywhere, we just kind of had to hold on. So, a really amazing race. Thank you so much to the RORC Team."
A gruelling test, standout performances
Congratulations to all the teams that conquered this demanding offshore challenge. Among the standout performances, Robin Herbert's J/133 Corazon gave Scarlet Oyster a serious run for her money in IRC Two, pushing hard all the way. In IRC Three, Peter McWhinnie's JPK 1080 In Theory came within just 11 minutes of winning the class, claiming a well-earned third.
In IRC Four, Chris Choules' With Alacrity secured their second class win of the season, showing impressive consistency. Mark Brown's JPK 1010 Jetpack also impressed—chasing down Cora and missing out on second place by less than five minutes in a thrilling finish.
The 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the North Sea Race starting from Harwich on 30 May across the North Sea to Scheveningen, Netherlands.
Full results here