The ‘other’ Cup: Admiral’s Cup builds to high tension finish at the Rolex Fastnet Race

The Admiral’s Cup is back. The inshore/offshore team racing event has concluded its inshore series in Cowes, with just the Rolex Fastnet Race to go. Crosbie Lorimer and Helen Fretter report from Cowes

“I think it’s really good when we see the team’s owners get together, put on the same t-shirt, fly the flag and come; and I think the sport’s really missed that for the last 20 years,” enthused Beau Geste skipper Gavin Brady in Cowes at the start of racing for the Admiral’s Cup.

That mood of an energised reset – it’s 22 years since the last Admiral’s Cup was held – was palpable on the dock as the 30 boats, representing 15 teams from 12 nations prepared for the event opener, the Channel Race on Saturday 19 July.

Beau Geste flying at the RORC Admiral’s Cup 2025. Photo: James Tomlinson/RORC

The revived Admiral’s Cup, organised by RORC in its centenary year, has lived up to its billing as the ‘big boat world championships’. The level of talent, preparation and, frankly, cash, that some teams have invested is astonishing.

Everywhere you look in Cowes at the moment, there are America’s Cup skippers rubbing shoulders with Volvo Ocean Race winners. When merely having won a World Championship or single Olympic medal means you’re one of the ‘nippers’ on the boat, you know you’re in some seriously illustrious company.

But the yacht club ‘team’ element gives the Admiral’s Cup a unique dynamic. There are also boats with a majority of friends, family, amateurs and youth sailors, supplemented by a bit more experience in key roles.

This isn’t just an old-timers revival regatta, and there is already plenty of dockside chat about next time…

Kiwi America’s Cup sailor and match racer Dean Barker at the daily prize giving for the RORC Admiral’s Cup. Rick Tomlinson/RORC

Admiral’s Cup start

Despite the anticipation, there was no early drama in the first offshore Channel Race. So light and patchy was the breeze that the east-going tide did more than the wind to carry the fleet eastward out of the Solent.

A repeating cycle of snakes and ladders racing finally gave way to a building southerly as the fleet headed for the Le Havre turning mark, winding up to a fast and furious downwind return across the English Channel in the early hours of the following morning.

It was a race that had something for everyone, but it was the Italian Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s team that came out on top in the big boat fleet (AC1) with Giovani Stronati’s light and rapid WallyRocket51 Django taking top spot (check out our sail onboard the WallyRocket51 here).

James Murray’s 42ft Callisto took out the smaller class AC2 win for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

It was a light airs start to the first offshore for the RORC Admiral’s Cup 2025. Photo: James Tomlinson/RORC

Inshore mix

After a layday, the fleet shifted into three days of inshore racing.

The first was a Solent classic. A 15-20 knot sou’wester against an outgoing tide made for a punchy windward/leeward race westward from the Bramble Bank. Sadly, that race put paid to the hopes of the Hamburg Sailing Team, with Carl-Peter Foster’s TP52 Red Bandit being dismasted.

“It was on the second beat, explained Red Bandit crewmember Adrian Hörsch. “We were just going upwind in a straight line, and then at some point, just mass collapsed. There was no warning, no manoeuvre, nothing special – it just collapsed and broke into three pieces.”

The German TP52 Red Bandit dismasted in the RORC Admiral’s Cup 2025. Photo: James Tomlinson/RORC

“I think everybody’s pushing the boats to the limit, for sure. We were as well. But we’ve had this boat in way worse conditions and offshore. But better now than offshore in the Fastnet!”

Until that point the young German team had been enjoying their Admiral’s Cup experience. “It’s great to have the event back. I think most of our team were in Opti’s or not even born when the last one happened. So I think it’s unfinished business here, though. I guess we might have to come back!”

That race was also something of a warm-up for the second start of the day: a 25nm round the cans race for both AC1 and AC2 divisions.

Close inshore racing for the RORC Admiral’s Cup 2025. Photo: James Tomlinson/RORC

By the end of the first day of inshore races the cream was already rising to the top, with the exceptionally well-armed Yacht Club de Monaco (Peter Harrison’s Jolt 3 and Jolt 6) leading on a countback from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste and Beau Ideal), with the Italian YCCS team (Giovanni Sronata’s Django WR51 and the smaller Django JPK) in third.

Day 2 of Solent racing was a frustrating affair, with a sketchy northerly airstream gaining just enough energy for the PRO Stuart Childerley to get the fleet away on a windward/leeward race, before the breeze turned to a whimper, leaving the round the cans race abandoned, shortly after it started.

Mid-point leaders

With four races completed the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club had taken the lead in the series by a single point from Yacht Club de Monaco. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron was in third, two points ahead of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Despite a persistent and unobliging patchy northerly airstream that persisted, PRO Childerley was determined to make good the shortfall by running three races on Day 3. That resulted in a very long day in the eastern Solent, with the last race start gun firing at 1700 but all three races successfully completed!

“The Fastnet is going to feel like a holiday after that!” one tired sailor was heard to say on the dock afterwards.

Ino Noir racing at the RORC Admiral’s Cup, 22 July 2025. Photo Rick Tomlinson/RORC

All to play for

With the six-race inshore series completed a discard could be brought into play, and just one point now separates the top three boats in AC1. The script for the revived Admiral’s Cup, counting down to the deciding final act of the Rolex Fastnet Race, could not have been better written!

In the big boat class Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Django WR51 (YCCS) holds a very thin lead over Peter Harrison’s Jolt 3 (YCM) and Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste (RHKYC).

In AC2, tied on points for the class lead are James Murray’s Callisto (RNZYS) and Karl Kwok’s Beau Ideal (RHKYC). Pierre Casiraghi’s Jolt 6 (YCM) is third.

Historically, the triple point scoring Rolex Fastnet Race has been the making and breaking of many Admiral’s Cup teams over the decades; so with the points close, a forecast for a lighter airs race in play and none of the top three teams’ yachts having a major ocean race under their keels, there’s still everything to play for.

Albator goes through the Solent chop in the RORC Admiral’s Cup. Rick Tomlinson/RORC

Check out our full Rolex Fastnet Race coverage on Yachtingworld.com, social channels and YouTube as we follow the Admiral’s Cup and 450-boat Fastnet fleet to Cherbourg.

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