#rorc – The RORC Season's Points Championship continues this May Bank Holiday with the challenging 230-mile Myth of Malham Race. A fleet of approximately 40 yachts, from five different nations, will take part with 10 yachts racing in the Two-Handed Class. The race is of great significance in the RORC Season's Points Championship, as the route mirrors the start of the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race and has a weighted points factor for teams looking to increase their overall score for the season.
The course can be a described as a long windward leeward, starting from Cowes with the top mark as the Eddystone Lighthouse, approximately 12 miles SSW of Plymouth Sound, and finishing in the Solent. The lighthouse was built between 1878 and 1892 and is mentioned in Herman Melville's epic novel Moby-Dick. At 49 metres (161ft) high, Eddystone's light is visible from 22 miles and, along with Bishop Rock, it is the tallest lighthouse managed by Trinity House.
The end of May is typically a time of changeable weather in the UK and the Myth of Malham Race is shaping up to be a real tactical challenge. The south coast of England has complex and significant tidal flows, measuring as much as five metres at the Eddystone Lighthouse and weather forecasts are predicting varied wind speed and direction along the route. Correctly anticipating whether to stay offshore or come inshore will be a big factor in any teams performance.
Jean Yves Chateau's Iromiguy won IRC Four in last year's Myth of Malham Race; the Nicholson 33 is one of the legendary yachts of RORC racing, having won the Fastnet Trophy in 2005.
"I really enjoy RORC races, especially the Fastnet and Myth of Malham because they are very well organised and the course is very tactical," commented Jean Yves Chateau. "I have owned Iromiguy since 1976 and I will never sell her - like the name of her next race, she is a myth! We have won so many races in Iromiguy and most of the crew have been the same for all those years. The route for the Myth of Malham is so interesting, it is the reason I prefer offshore racing to regattas. The overall tidal flow is well documented but there are local effects that can really change your approach. Timing is everything, you have to look forward and anticipate when you will be at a certain point on the course to decide what you will do immediately and that is an ever changing position - it fascinates me. We will sail Iromiguy from Boulogne to Cowes several days before the start and, after the race, we will sail her back to France. It is a lot of miles but we know well in advance when the race will take place and that it will be well organised - that makes it easy for us to plan and prepare for the best."
Yachts run by Sailing Logic have won the RORC Sailing School Yacht of the Year for the last nine years. This year, the Hamble based racing school have added two First 40s to their fleet: Arthur and Galahad Of Cowes will be making their offshore racing debut in the Myth of Malham Race.
Orthopaedic surgeon, Ronan Banim, will be racing on Galahad this season. "Until last year, I had done very little offshore sailing but after competing in the Round Ireland Race I decided to do a Fastnet campaign with Sailing Logic and it was absolutely tremendous. So much so that I will be racing with the RORC for much of this season on Galahad and I am in the process of joining the club. I find offshore sailing mesmerising, there is something new to learn every race. The first RORC race we did last year was the Myth of Malham and it was a very changeable race with the wind dying near Eddystone, then picking up for a fast sail back to the finish - it was really exciting. This year I am looking forward to what I hope to be a fantastic and challenging race and to enjoy it with a group of people that I probably haven't even met before but who all share the same interest in offshore racing."
Line Honours for the Myth of Malham is likely to come down to a duel between two IMOCA 60s: Chris Le Prevost's Rosalba, and the new Artemis Ocean Racing 2. Led by Mike Ferguson, the team behind Artemis Ocean Racing 2 won the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race overall onboard the first Artemis Ocean Racing. "This year we will be taking part in a number of RORC races in partnership with Team Endeavour," explained Mike, who will skipper Artemis for the race.
"For the Myth of Malham Race, half of the crew will be injured servicemen and we will be racing a full season with RORC as Artemis Team Endeavour. These guys are getting the opportunity of racing with professionals for six of the RORC races in the Channel and one of them will be lucky enough to be selected for the Round Britain and Ireland with Brian Thompson as skipper. For the Myth of Malham Race, we are expecting a close battle with Rosalba and we know we will be up for the challenge. Two of the injured servicemen raced the Fastnet on board last year and their attitude was top notch. The only real problem was making them take a break, their enthusiasm was amazing and that has a positive impact for the whole team."
The Myth of Malham Race is the third race of the 2014 RORC Season's Points Championship. The Myth of Malham Cup will be awarded to the yacht with the best corrected time racing under the Spinlock IRC Rule. The trophy and race are named after the yacht Myth of Malham which was a 37'6" sloop built in 1947 by Hugh McClean & Co at Greenock and designed by John Laurent Giles for John Illingworth. Myth of Malham won the 1947 and 1949 Fastnet Races and in 1957 was part of the winning team for the first Admiral's Cup.
