Royal Ocean Racing Club centenary dinner and prize giving 2025
by Louay Habib / RORC 17 Nov 2025 20:28 GMT
17 November 2025
As the Royal Ocean Racing Club celebrates its centenary year, there could be no better reflection of the Club's enduring spirit than the RORC Centenary Dinner & Prize Giving, held at the elegant Sheraton Grand Hotel on Piccadilly.
During the RORC Centenary Season, over 600 boats and more than 7000 sailors from around the world have carried forward the Club's founding ideals: seamanship, competition and fair play. Now in its 25th season, the RORC Season's Points Championship has evolved into the world's most competitive and far-reaching offshore series. Every result tells a story - of night watches, tactical calls, and teams that refused to quit.
After the champagne reception and three course dinner, guest speaker Sir Robin Knox-Johnston brought the room to life with a sweeping journey through the RORC's remarkable history. With trademark wit and clarity, he reminded everyone how the Club evolved from a band of bold offshore pioneers into the global authority it is today. His stories, part legend, part lived experience, captured the spirit of adventure that still defines the RORC's next century.
Master of Ceremonies was RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton, with RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole inviting prize winners to the main stage to rapturous applause from the 420 sailors and honoured guests gathered for the glittering awards ceremony. RORC Commodore Deb Fish delivered a special tribute to Steve, thanking him for his hard work and dedicated service, and honouring his exceptional contribution ahead of his retirement at the end of the year.
Full Results for the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship HERE
List of Prize Winners & Special Awards HERE
RORC Season's Points Championship Winner 2025:
Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino (GBR), racing with RORC Commodore Deb Fish
The overall winner of the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship - retaining the Jazz Trophy for an unprecedented third year in a row - also winning IRC Three and the Two-Handed division is Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing Two-Handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish. In all, Bellino won six trophies: the Jazz Trophy, the Grenade Goblet, the Psipsina Trophy, the Boyd Cup, the Keith Ludlow Trophy, and the Serendip Trophy.
"Winning the RORC Season's Points Championship once is special, doing it three times feels surreal," commented Rob Craigie. "We never set out to make history; we just love the racing. Every season brings a new mix of weather, courses, and rivals, and the goal is always the same: prepare well, race hard, finish every race. It's simple, but it works.
"The secret has always been trust and consistency. Deb and I have sailed together for over a decade. We know each other's rhythms, strengths and limits. Offshore racing tests everything: the boat, your patience, your partnership. You can't win unless you enjoy the journey as much as the finish line. This season the competition was fierce and the margins small. But that's the beauty of RORC racing, the standard keeps rising yet the camaraderie stays the same. Whether you're racing a 30-footer or a Maxi, everyone shares the same sea, the same challenge. To win the Championship again, in the Club's centenary year, feels like the perfect tribute to what RORC stands for - passion, perseverance, and the joy of going racing."
RORC Yacht of the Year 2025:
Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA)
Winning the Somerset Memorial Trophy for RORC Yacht of the Year and the Europeans Cup for IRC Zero is Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 Tschüss 2.
Few campaigns in recent RORC history have matched the dominance of Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 Tschüss 2. The team claimed an extraordinary run of victories in 2025; overall winners of the RORC Transatlantic Race, the RORC Caribbean 600, and the West-to-East Transatlantic Race, before topping it off with IRC Super Zero honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race. For co-skipper Johnny Mordaunt, the results represent the perfect blend of preparation, precision, and perseverance.
"It's been a phenomenal season, an incredible team effort built on countless hours of preparation and trust," said Johnny Mordaunt, co-skipper Tschüss 2. "Everything had to work perfectly; one small issue could have derailed the whole campaign. From refitting and re-rating the boat, to the last sail change off Cherbourg - every detail mattered. The competition was world-class; Pyewacket, Black Jack, Leopard, so we knew we had to be flawless.
"Christian Zugel is not just the owner but a true part of the team, totally engaged and pushing as hard as any of us. The feeling of crossing those finish lines, knowing what it took to get there, is something I'll never forget. It's been the season of a lifetime."
Trenchemer Cup for IRC One:
Géry Trentesaux's Ker 43 Long Courrier (FRA)
Winning the Trenchemer Cup for IRC One is Géry Trentesaux's Ker 43 Long Courrier which is second overall for the Championship. Long Courrier is also the winner of the Gordon Applebey Trophy and the Stradivarius Trophy. Long Courrier was penalised in both the North Sea Race and the Rolex Fastnet Race, which probably cost Long Courrier the overall title, but the great grandmaster Trentesaux was as positive as ever about racing with the RORC.
"Every time I return to race with the RORC it feels like coming home," said Trentesaux. "The variety of courses, offshore and coastal, is the best training for major races like the Fastnet. Offshore racing teaches you patience, precision and teamwork; every mile is a lesson.
"This year, Long Courrier was fast, reliable and full of spirit. We broke a mast two years ago, so to return and win our class feels fantastic. Sailing is about friendship, good humour and shared adventure; life's too short to sail with the wrong people."
Emily Verger Plate for IRC Two:
Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster (GBR)
Winning the Emily Verger Plate as winners of IRC Two is Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster. Few boats in RORC history have achieved the sustained results of Ross Applebey's Scarlet Oyster. The 38-year-old boat has once again proven that preparation, teamwork and experience can triumph over pure design advantage. Winning IRC Two for the fourth time and third in succession, Applebey and his long-standing crew continue to define what consistency means in offshore racing.
"I think the defining factor has been keeping most of the same crew together for five seasons," explains Ross Applebey. "That continuity means we start every year already in tune; the teamwork, the communication, the trust, it's all there from day one.
"Scarlet Oyster might be old, but she's still competitive because of how much care and time we put into her. We've spent decades refining every detail - from sail trim to hull finish. It's that dedication, combined with a great crew, that keeps us at the top year after year."
Cowland Trophy for IRC Four:
Mark Brown's JPK1010 Jetpack (GBR)
Winning IRC Four and the Cowland Trophy is Mark Brown's JPK1010 Jetpack. Consistency, camaraderie and sheer determination defined Jetpack's 2025 season. Their campaign across the RORC calendar culminated in Jetpack taking the IRC Four title. Skipper Mark Brown, who runs an RYA Training Centre, assembled a team that blended youth and experience, with half the crew under 30 and many lifelong friends brought together by a shared passion for racing.
"We started the season with one goal, to win our class. To actually achieve it feels fantastic," said Mark Brown. "We had our highs and a few heart-stoppers too, like a full nose-plant and broach in 40 knots at the Myth of Malham! But that's offshore racing - you learn, regroup and keep pushing.
What makes this special is the crew. A great mix of young talent and salty experience who just love sailing together. Every race tested us, but by the Fastnet we knew we'd done enough. To win IRC Four in such a tight fleet is the perfect reward for a brilliant season."
MOCRA Class Winner:
Didier Bouillard's Dazcat 1296 Minor Swing
The MOCRA Class champion for the second season in a row is Didier Bouillard's Dazcat 1296 Minor Swing.
"After years away from racing, returning with a multihull was like starting a new chapter," said Bouillard. "The team mixed experience and enthusiasm perfectly; my old Figaro friends brought discipline, and the younger crew brought energy and new insight. To win the MOCRA championship in RORC's centenary year is a huge honour. It's a credit to the team's dedication and to the RORC for keeping the passion for offshore racing alive for 100 years."
Concise Trophy for Class40 Winner:
Greg Leonard's Class40 Swift
The Class40 Division champion, winning the Concise Trophy for the second year in a row is Greg Leonard's Swift. Racing in partnership with professional sailor Jack Trigger, Leonard used the RORC calendar as the backbone of a wider campaign. A season defined by preparation and the pursuit of precision to increase performance in the Class40.
"This year Swift was a real collaboration between Jack Trigger and me, and we've enjoyed every mile of the RORC races as part of our wider Class40 campaign," commented Greg Leonard. "The Cervantes and Guingand Bowl were great tune-ups, and the Rolex Fastnet was simply spectacular; perfect weather and incredibly close racing. We finished ninth, just over an hour behind the winner, which shows how fierce and precise this fleet is. You have to be on your game every second. The RORC calendar gives us a brilliant backbone to train, test and refine. It's the heart of our season, even if we can't make every race. To win the Class40 title again is hugely rewarding, and we'll definitely be back."
RORC Special Awards:
Winning the Alan Paul Trophy for consistent high performance is Simon Toms' Sun Fast 3300 Zephyr, which is third overall for the Championship after competing in 10 races.
The RORC Griffin Offshore Pathway scooped up two special awards, the Peter Harrison Youth Trophy and the Dillon Perpetual Ladies' Trophy. The young team raced the RORC's Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin in eight season's points races finishing the season in a highly respectable sixth overall. The Felix Scheder-Bieschin Memorial Trophy for Best Female Griffin Sailor is Nicole Hemeryck. Albert Barber won the best male Griffin sailor award.
The Duncan Munro Kerr Youth Challenge Trophy was won by Darkwood's Simon Leeming. Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood is also the winner of the Highwayman Cup.
For an outstanding act seamanship during the 2025 West to East Transatlantic Race, Jeremi Jablonski's Avanti is awarded the Seamanship Trophy. Richard Oswald from Magic Time is awarded the Fastnet Seamanship Trophy.
Andrew Tseng's beautifully restored 1971 Nicholson 55 Quailo III is awarded the Freddie Morgan Trophy for the best Classic Yacht in IRC and the Beken Trophy for the Concours d'Elegance in RORC Races.
A Season to Remember
The 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship will be remembered not only as the Club's centenary edition but as a celebration of everything that defines offshore racing; endurance, camaraderie and the relentless pursuit of distinction. The champions of 2025 were not simply the fastest boats or the most finely tuned machines; they were the crews who adapted, endured and stayed true to the values at the heart of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. From seasoned professionals to passionate amateurs, each campaign was a testament to teamwork and resilience. The very qualities that have sustained the RORC through a hundred years of evolution and adventure.
For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: www.rorc.org