Ramsgate Week 2026 at Royal Temple Yacht Club - Series Race 3
by Peter Jackson 24 Jul 06:36 BST
19-24 July 2026
With the wind staying light from the north and the tide weakening but still south flowing it was mostly the usual culprits who set the pace in IRC and YTC classes 4-6 on a windward-leeward course starting from the Club line off the harbour.
In the new RYA/RORC Yacht time correction (YTC) class Mike & Jo Brand's Royal Temple based X40 Fox out the Box quickly built a lead on the light wind beats against the tide from James & Lizzie Fisher's 36ft 2 handed Loki, with the bulk of the fleet, led by Gary Walters J97 Jura, also from the Royal Temple Y.C. left 15 minutes and more behind. Zephyros was again the fastest Dehler 34, sister ship Flyer not Flying 2 places back behind the French 850 Carpe Diem. They finished and corrected in that order after 2-3 hours racing.
The IRC Classes were racing for the newly donated Ivor Thomas Cup. Peter & Alex Jackson's scratch Class 1 Royal Temple based Pronavia (Stimson) 42 Assassin again showed her speed in those conditions, building up an 18 minute lead over the next boat and finishing in 1hr 40 minutes. The chasing pack slowed each other down, but Martin Law's (also Royal Temple based) modified Cork 1720 Flying Pig from Class 2 slipped through and away, finishing even ahead of the second Class 1 boat Simon Farren's A-40 Warrior, and second Class 2 boat John Barrettt & Paul Woodward's X-362 Sport Stiletto, again RTYC based, corrected ahead of the A-40.
The twond visitor on the water and across the line was Barry Male's custom Thomas 36 Cumara but Simon Clifton's A-31 Aztec finished within 2 minutes and corrected ahead, in 5th overall, just behind her big sister and ahead of Simon Northrop and Paul Thomas (the race sponsor) in the local Melges 24 Lock Stock, second in Class 2. Robin Page's Corby 33 Imposter finished within 40 seconds of Cumara. Assassin then took the Trophy with ease, to post three IRC wins in a row, but with wind direction forecast to change skipper Peter Jackson told the skipper of Aztec, leading class 2 from Flying Pig, that he expected them to get an overall bullet by the end of the week.
In YTC Class 6 the RTYC's James Bradney's beautiful varnished Mullins 23 Monarch didn't get it all her way for once as the modified E'boat Zigge of Alan Lucas and Anthony Nicholson, also of RTYC, came out to play and took the win by two minutes. John Barnard's Limbo 6.6 LoFlyer from Greenwich YC & Poolbeg Y&BC both finished and corrected less than 10 seconds behind Monarch for 3rd place with the Link 30 Zorra in 4th, craving more time off the wind.
The Cruiser class had a shorter inshore course also had the same winner in Bernard Sealy's Dover based Karibia Breezes but with new podium places in Susan Anderson's Gibsea 262 Impulse and Peter Shawyers Hunter Legend 41 Carenage 2, both from both the Royal Temple and Margate Y.C. Finishing in 2hrs 31 and 2hrs 39 minutes respectively.
Event website: www.ramsgateweek.com