2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race - Day 12
by Louay Habib / RORC 20 Aug 16:57 BST
From 9 August 2026
Sam Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra - Topping the leader board in IRC One - 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race day 12 © James Tomlinson / RORC
Sam Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra completed the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race in the early hours of Thursday morning, provisionally winning IRC One after a compelling race-long battle with Challenge Ocean.
Pata Negra completed the 1,805-nautical-mile course in 10 days, 11 hours, 36 minutes and 48 seconds. Valdo Dhoyer's French Volvo 60 Challenge Ocean followed in an elapsed time of 10 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes and 29 seconds, just 13 minutes and 41 seconds behind.
Rush hour is now approaching Cowes, with numerous teams expected to finish throughout today, Thursday 20 August and into the night. Two Sun Fast 3300s are locked in a battle for both the IRC Two and IRC Two-Handed title, while extraordinary stories continue to arrive from the fleet through the Competitors' Live Blog.
Pata Negra completes a fascinating lap
Pata Negra needs little introduction to followers of RORC racing. The team has finished on the podium in the RORC Transatlantic Race, RORC Caribbean 600 and numerous races in the RORC Season's Points Championship. The boat won the race overall in 2018. However, this was the first RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race for the Lombard 46 under the stewardship of Andrew and Sam Hall.
The crew is very much one of youth, with 25-year-old skipper Sam developing into an accomplished offshore sailor under the guidance of his father, Andrew, who was delighted to discover that he was not the oldest sailor in the race.
"Well, that was a frustrating race," exclaimed Andrew Hall on Trinity Landing at 02:00. "To be fair, we have had our share of luck in previous races, but in this one, every time we turned a corner the wind seemed to turn against us. We even had to kedge at Beachy Head last night for 45 minutes.
"Having said all that, it was a fascinating experience. We might not have had any lucky breaks, but what a course and what a race."
Before the start, Sam Hall suggested that the quickest route around Britain and Ireland would be the one with the fewest breakages. "We had some sail damage, which we repaired, and a few other issues, but you expect that in a race of this length," commented Sam. "The biggest takeaway is how complicated and constantly changing this course is.
"Usually, you try to get into a rhythm during a race, but that is very difficult when the scenario is in a constant state of flux. This has not been a tough race physically, but mentally it has been exhausting. Would I do it again? Ask me in a couple of years!"
The crews of Pata Negra and Challenge Ocean were welcomed onto Trinity Landing by the RORC Race Team. After the traditional photographs and drinks, both teams were invited back to the RORC Cowes Clubhouse for a well-earned nightcap.
Two boats, two titles, one match race
Kestrel and Sky Business - Game On are the favourites to decide both IRC Two-Handed and IRC Two. At 1100 BST, the two Sun Fast 3300s were neck and neck with approximately 80 miles remaining.
Still in contention, but a few hours behind in the rankings, is JPK 1080 Mzungu!, raced double-handed by Sam White and Nathan Steffenoni.
The contest between Simon Bamford's Kestrel, racing with Zeb Fellows, and Ian Hoddle's Sky Business - Game On, racing with Willow Bland, has a fascinating backstory. Fellows and Bland were teammates at the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championship, where they finished as runners-up. Now they are racing against each other.
It is effectively a match race to Cowes, but Sky Business - Game On has the slightly lower IRC rating and can afford to finish a little behind Kestrel. With virtually nothing separating them, both titles could be decided on Thursday night.
Bellino battles on
Offshore racing always produces highs and lows. Unfortunately for Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, a broken boom has ended the team's challenge for a podium position, but not its determination to race hard to Cowes.
"Bellino is still fighting for places in the Round Britain and Ireland Race, boom or no boom," reported RORC Commodore Deb Fish from on board. "Joe Griffiths is currently tacking the boat down the Channel past the Goodwin Sands, while Rob keeps an eye on the navigation from the chart table.
"It is about to get windy, so some headsail changes are on the cards as we race to reach Cowes before the breeze shuts down. Morale on board is high, although tiredness is kicking in.
"All credit to the crew. We have been pushing as hard since the breakage as we were before it, even though we are no longer fighting for a podium position. It is now a matter of how long we can hold the other Sun Fast 3600s off. RORC Griffin is on our tail!"
Birthdays at sea
The Competitors' Live Blog has also revealed how crews are marking birthdays hundreds of miles offshore.
Among the younger sailors celebrating were Emily Wright aboard Astrid, complete with a freshly baked sponge cake, and Albert Barber on RORC Griffin, who received a specially created Round Britain and Ireland Race birthday card.
Little Regina refuses to give up
Sometimes in offshore yacht racing, fact really is stranger than fiction. That was certainly the case aboard the Army Sailing Association's Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier.
The team welcomed an unexpected crew member when an exhausted barn owl reached the boat approximately 70 miles offshore, east of Newcastle. The bird repeatedly attempted to land, initially targeting crew member Monty's head before trying the top of the mast. She fell into the sea three times and appeared to be lost, but each time fought her way back towards the boat. Eventually, she collapsed on the side deck, where the crew covered her with a towel and began nursing her back to health.
The owl was named 'Little Reg', a nickname traditionally given to soldiers in Mark Petherbridge's regiment. When the crew discovered that the bird was female, the name became 'Little Regina'.
The independent Caister Lifeboat later collected her near Great Yarmouth. The rescue was coordinated by James and Lowenna at the Barn Owl Trust, working with Dan Goldsmith of Marine and Wildlife Rescue and she is recovering at the East Winch Wildlife Centre.
"She simply refused to give up," reported Petherbridge.
The rescue was exceptionally fortunate. Barn owls do not have waterproof feathers, so the exhausted bird would have been unlikely to survive another immersion or prolonged exposure to rain.
Little Reg (or Regina) rescued by the crew of © Fujitsu British Soldier - Video reel on RORC Instagram HERE
A northerly boost for the fleet
The weather remains unsettled for boats expected to finish within the next 24 hours. Light and unstable winds may produce further frustration, but a developing northerly breeze should begin helping the teams farther north close on those ahead.
By Friday, 15 to 20 knots from the north is forecast along the eastern side of the United Kingdom, providing the boats farther back with fast downwind conditions and a welcome boost towards Cowes.
For the crews still racing, the contest is far from over. Class victories, personal battles and the achievement of completing one of offshore sailing's toughest courses remain on the line. Every finisher can expect a warm welcome from the RORC Race Team at Trinity Landing before heading to the RORC Cowes Clubhouse for a cold drink and the chance to share another remarkable story from the long way around Britain and Ireland.