The RORC Easter Challenge offers crews the chance for some vital pre-season training and fine-tuning. With the relaxation of RRS41, the highlight of the event is the availability of experienced coaches on the water to assist teams with getting back up to speed. They will be supplemented by the North U Regatta Services who can not only help with sail trim, but also offer advice on how to start and get into clear air. A selection of courses and wind angles presents a perfect opportunity to improve your racing. Combined with the popular debriefs after each day’s racing at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse and the unique prizes of Easter eggs, the RORC Easter Challenge is the perfect way to tune up for the upcoming season

A cross-Channel dash from Cowes to Le Havre, approximately 110-160 nautical miles. Depending on the weather conditions, the race may include various marks along the way. It always provides a good shakedown, particularly for those practising longer races later in the season.

A classic among classics, the North Sea Race. The race starts outside Harwich before proceeding around the Galloper wind farm and on north to Smith’s Knoll Buoy – the two notable marks in the course – before finishing in Scheveningen.

Presented to the Club by ‘Buster’ (Vice Commodore 1957-1959) and Mrs De Guingand, the Bowl goes to the winner of the annual race bearing their name. The race will head out from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, taking in headlands along the south coast and rounding marks and waypoints in the central English Channel, before returning to the Solent to finish. Complex tides add to the challenge for the skippers and crews with the course being set to take account of the expected wind and tidal conditions

This year’s Morgan Cup race will again finish in the beautiful harbour of Dartmouth and, so as not to reproduce another ‘Myth of Malham’ race course, some virtual waypoints will likely be used to provide some variety and different tactical challenges. One of the jewels in the crown among West Country harbours, Dartmouth, plus Kingswear opposite, and the always welcoming Royal Dart Yacht Club make this a popular sailing destination.
Unusually, while the RORC may run the Morgan Cup, the trophies awarded to the winners are owned and administered by the Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) – including the prestigious Morgan Cup trophy itself, donated to the RTYC in 1929. This relationship goes back to the earliest days of the race in the 1930s when the RORC was involved in its running, and it joined the RORC programme in 1950. For those fortunate enough to win, the trophies are awarded at the RTYC Annual Dinner in London.