Latest News & Blog — Offshore Sailing Academy

**2023 - Still Sailing**

Although 2023 had questionable plans, Kenny is still competing as trying to build on 2022 success to inspire the next generation of Offshore Sailors…
Racing offshore kept going with Kenny navigating the Volvo 70 HYPR Ocean Racing on the Carribbean 600 race in February. What a race, warm, lots of reaching and downwind sailing with limited upwind to do, whats not to like!
Following on from this, Kenny in conjunction with UK Sailmaker Ireland have been doing a series of talks aiming at developing understanding on sailboats and therefore allowing participants to have more fun! So far talks have been held in Howth Yacht Club and the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Howth very kindly recorded the talk and it is available to view here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=726fP2dzlwQ
There are more talks happening around the country, if you feel your club would like to hear about these adventures, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Lastly, we have upcoming later this year a training day, in conjunction with Dublin Bay Sailing Club.
Some boats may not have sailed since the end of a very successful 2022 season. This training day is the perfect opportunity to ‘blow off the cobwebs’ and get sailing to ensure a seamless transition into the 2023 racing season.

We all sail to ultimately have fun, at whatever level that is. To have fun on a boat, we must be comfortable in what we are doing, to be comfortable we need practise and guidance. With top coaches Barry Hayes & Kenny Rumball, **short track your learning** by getting advice from some of the best sailors in Ireland who are also trained coaches.

This day is for all boats no matter if they are season winners or just starting out, all crew and boats will benefit from the day.

DBSC welcomes this great initiative to get boats in the **2023 AIB DBSC Sailing** season off to a great start.
https://www.offshoreracingacademy.com/shop/p/uk-sailmakers-offshore-racing-academy-training-day-in-conjunction-with-dbsc
More news to follow, rumour has it flights are booked fro France again!

Link To Published Article

**Kenny Rumball reflects on La Solitaire du Figaro 2022**

A lot of planning and preparation went into this years Solitaire, from as early as January I was out in France training, primarily in the Centre Excellence Voile in La Rochelle under the tutelage of coach Etienne Saiz while also under the watchful eye of project manager Marcus Hutchinson. The early season events and performances results wise and on the water were very promising with solid results in the Solo Maitre Coq, Allmer Cup and Solo Concarneau.

Not to mention great sailing in other classes, primarily in the 1720 class in Ireland and an offshore campaign on Darkwood the J121 which yielded a class win in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland earlier in the season.

As a result, I felt better prepared than ever going into the Solitaire. Well thought out sail selection, a great backup team, weather analysis with Christian Dumard and coaching from Etienne all with significant ingredients necessary for a different format this year. Three as opposed to four legs, all 600nm with then two days ashore to rest before heading out on the next leg. This meant stopovers would be as important as the actual races.

**Leg one** was north from St Nazaire around Bishop’s Rock to a virtual waypoint halfway to Skockholm Island before heading south to Port La Foret. A very light start had us drifting north under gennaker before the wind settled in from the North West bringing the fleet North with the wind eventually shifting to the North East giving solid speeds towards Bishop’s Rock. At Bishop’s Rock we had our first transition with the wind dying before filling in from the South West. Up to 25 knots in the night gave fast speeds to the waypoint. The next day we encountered the next transition with no wind leaving the fleet drifting to the north of the Scillies. Eventually in the late afternoon, the wind filled in from the North West to propel us south to Port La Foret. Many weather forecasts said we would get a North Easterly so I took a route to the South East to capitalise on this.

Approaching Quessant, I had the first of what would turn out to be persistent electronic issues. The wind instruments displayed an error as we were screaming downwind in 25kts through the night. Essentially this meant hand steering the last 16 hours of this leg. I arrived in Port La Foret with the pack, shattered but relatively content with my performance. Straight into much needed rest, I left Guillaume my preparateur to look after the boat and seek clarity from NKE on the issues with the wind instruments.

**Leg two** would bring us North again from Port La Foret to a mark just west of Guernsey, across to Eddystone lighthouse and then all the way south to Royan which is just North of Bordeaux. Starting in a sea breeze in the afternoon, there was a good breeze at the start before the wind went light and fickle all the way to the Pointe du Raz. Initially in the light airs approaching Penmarch, I was not fast but knowing the wind would fill in from the East through the night, by the ‘Raz’ I was back in the mix with the pack. In a building Easterly with winds of 25kts and gusts touching 30kts, the fleet was beating all the way to the Channel Islands. Rounding the cardinal mark to the South East of Guernsey in the wee hours of the morning, it was a tough call for the sprint to Eddystone between the big spinnaker, small spinnaker or gennaker. Initially starting off with the small spinnaker it was fast and very wet but obvious that it was near impossible to stay high enough to make Eddystone. Peeling to the gennaker, speeds were much the same and easily making Eddystone. By the, winds had built to 28-32 knots so the pace was rapid! Approaching Eddystone and for the leg from Eddystone back to Quessant we were expecting gusts of 35 kts. Around Eddystone, it was a peel back to the small spinnaker. Some boats around me hoisted big spinnakers and found themselves overpowered and on their sides very quickly so it was the right call!

Approaching Quessant the wind was due to die and we were expecting a transition with North Easterly winds all the way to Royan. This being the Solitaire, life was not to be so easy and so with many transitions and the fleet spread widely out over the West Coast of France, we drifted around for nearly 24 hours desperately seeking any tiny bit of breeze. The wind eventually filled in from the North West and, frustratingly after being in the middle part of the pack, I found myself in the latter half of the pack as we approached Royan. However, with another leg done with no major breakages and having survived the 35 knots in the channel in one piece, it was rest time again before the last leg! The instruments had behaved well, it was one tough leg to go!

**Leg three** was shaping up to be the toughest: a nice spin to the Farallones Islands off the North Coast of Spain with a building sea state up to 4m and wind speeds between 28 and 38 knots for a fast but challenging sail home to St Nazaire. In good spirits and feeling ready, I left Royan staying very much with the pack to the safe water mark off Archachon. Sailing fast through the night, I was in a good position in the fleet the next day and sailing fast in the lighter winds. Everything was going well on board until I was awoken from a quick nap to a wind warning message from my instruments at around 3pm.

Having encountered these issues before I followed the instructions I had been given from TEEM and NKE to restart the system to see if the issue would resolve itself. Monitoring the instruments, the issue became more persistent and I started to have doubts as to whether I would be able to continue the leg given the forecast for the return leg of 35knts and 4m seas. A call to the race director Yann who allowed me to call TEEM on the satellite phone to get advice on potentially fixing the issue at sea. Remember in the Solitaire, we do not have our mobile telephones and are forbidden from receiving outside assistance while racing. I also discussed the problem with fellow Irish competitor Tom Dolan. Unfortunately the prognosis from TEEM was that my wind speed and direction sensor at the top of the mast was failing and the situation would get worse…

With the forecast and a lack of reliable wind instruments, after much deliberation I made the difficult decision to retire from the last leg and end my Solitaire for 2022. Whether or not it was the right decision, I will never know. However when you are on your own with little to no outside assistance coupled with the stresses of racing, keeping the boat and yourself in one piece and given the circumstances at the time, this is the decision I took.

And so started a lonely 200 mile delivery back to Lorient. Messages from the other skippers came in one by one on the VHF after the race committee informed the fleet of my decision. I phoned Marcus to let him know the situation and my family on the sat phone and pointed the boat at Lorient.

Suddenly it was all over, 9 months of training, racing, logistics, fitness, nutrition and a goal, the solo season was over. I spent two days in Lorient putting the boat away which given how much sailing had been done on number 20 over the last three years was not an easy task. I headed down to St Nazaire to celebrate with the other skippers, and go to the prizegiving to wrap up the event.

Then it was time for a much needed holiday, away from sailing boats, the wind, sun and seas of Naxos were calling for a kitesurfing holiday…

So what is next for Kenny? I’m certainly in need of a good rest from offshore sailing and the intensive training and sailing regime that goes with it. However, I will continue to develop the Offshore Racing Academy to help in building and supporting the skills of all levels of offshore racing in Ireland. Stay tuned for some developments for next year in this area!

With that in mind there is still the opportunity for young Irish offshore sailors interested in the Figaro to join Kenny to compete in the Figaro Nationals in Lorient from the 6th-9th of October…. Please email Kenny offshoresacademy@gmail.com if you are interested, just remember this is only if you are seriously interested in competing on the Figaro circuit in 2023. This event is sailed with 4 persons on board each Figaro. There is a mixture of short inshore races and a tour of Ile de Groix the island off the coast of Lorient. It is nice end to the season and an opportunity for those seriously interested in competing in the Figaro circuit next year to gain valuable insight into the class, skippers and learn what is required to compete in this professional class.

I am looking forward to doing some different sailing for the tail end of the season. The RS 21 World Championships are on the cards for November and I am looking forward to the Turkey Shoot in the familiar surroundings of the 1720. After 11 Middle Sea races, despite many offers, I am taking a break from heading to Malta for this year…

Link To Published Article

La Solitaire Du Figaro, Less than one week to go!

As the Figaro fleet heads to Nantes, this marks less than one week to go until the start of LA Solitaire Du Figaro 2022. A different layout this year, 3 long legs as opposed to four, nearly 2,000 nautical miles of sailing ahead.

However the same basic Figaro rules;
Identical one design boats
One sailor
No outside communications

The year the fleet will start in Nantes, after an initial 600 mile leg, will rest in Port La Foret, before another 600 mile leg to Royan with a final 700 mile leg from Royan back to St Nazaire.

Have a look at the video below to get an idea of what is involved in the legs;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouflIV8grrw&t=5s

The fleet can be tracked live through YellowBrick and on the event website. https://www.lasolitaire.com/

Three Irish skippers will be sailing this year, Kenny Rumball, Tom Dolan and Conor Fogerty.

Link To Published Article

July Offshore Racing Academy, La Trinite to Cowes, Cork Week, Solo Concarneau!

Learning point this year! Take a break, accommodate rest into your program for the year.

Kenny was very much told this at the start of the year but like most stubborn offshore sailors, he politely chose to ignore it and learnt why very quickly. After the successful Round Ireland race on Darkwood, there was hardly a few days before he was off to the Airport on another race, this time coaching a brand new Sunfast 3300 for a Polish owner based in France.

Believe the hype folks, Dublin Airport to travel from at the beginning of July was as the media portrayed… NUTS! Despite many travel delays, Kenny made it to familiar La Trinite sur Mer for the La Trinite to Cowes race, approximately 300 miles sailing double-handed on a brand new, out of the box Jeanneau SunFast 3300. Kenny’s brief was to figure out the performance of this boat and coach the Polish Skipper with offshore racing shorthanded. The Course was veery familiar to Kenny, up through familiar route of the North West of France as experienced many times in the Figaro Circuit.

A quick lunch with fellow competitor Tom Dolan from the Figaro where the advice was, ‘Just sail it like the Figaro!’ That they did, showing impressive speed compared to the other 3300’s Kenny and his student used their fractional code 0 sail to its full advantage right form the start in LA Trinite. A navigational error by Penmarch put the duo on the back foot but using Adrena software to its full advantage, these errors put the SunFast 3300 MyWay to the top again coming through the notorious tidal passage through the Pointe du Raz!

With the tide turning against them after ‘The Raz’, sailing through the rock around the ‘Chenal du Four’ the duo put significant miles on their competitors that they held all the way to Cowes! A successful maiden race for the boat and a happy owner that now had a complete sail selection plan and updated polars on Adrena thanks to Kenny’s coaching efforts…

Keeping rest in mind, Kenny flew directly from Cowes to Cork for Cork Week to sail his coveted 1720… A great break from offshore sailing and a chance to sail inshore with friends despite the wait due to Covid over the last few years, Cork Week did not disappoint! We’re keeping the focus on Offshore sailing, but check out the video from the week below…. https://youtu.be/043w6PxOyFc

After Cork Week, Kenny did finally take some rest away from sailing ahead of the last warm up event before the culmination of the year, the Solitaire du Figaro! This warm up event being of course the Solo Concarneau, a 400 mile sprint and the last time to check sail selections, settings and to experiment before the Solitaire.

Kenny’s boat, number 20 through the Academy had been on charter to a Swiss team for the Dhream Cup in France. As such a few days of prep work were needed before the event. While most people spend their birthdays with fun activities and relaxation, it was business as usual in Port La Foret, cleaning and polishing before the Solo Concarneau.

With relatively strong winds forecast, the Figaro fleet merged in Concarneau for this last shakedown test, many skippers opted to change from using their new sails for the Solitiare to using slightly older sails so as not to put the new sails through unwanted stress or put anything at risk before the Solitiare. A modified course took the skippers out of Concarneau, north through the notorious tidal passage of the Raz de Sein, just south west of Quessant before a long southerly leg to Les Salbes d’Olonne before a return leg back up North to Concarneau, with the current weather forecast it was essentially a beat North, broad reach south before a fetch back home.

For Kenny the race was all about getting back into the boat, feeling like Bambi off the start, Kenny was disappointed with silly mistakes in the Port La Foret Bay. However he quickly got back into it, taking places slowly but surely at every stage of the race. Gaining through the night but the Northmost mark, Kenny rounded alongside fellow Irish countryman, Tom Dolan. Downwind towards les Salbes via the Birvideaux lighthouse, Kenny picked off places one by one with promising boatspeed meaning Tom and Kenny crossed paths again at the Petit Barge buoy off Les Salbes.

Wind dying as forecast on the way into Concarneau, Kenny crossed the line in 17thposition out of 34 starters, a solid result for a shakedown event.

There is not much time before the main event of the year for the Figaro fleet, the Solitaire du Figaro! The 2000 mile solo marathon is no joke. This event kicks off next week, check back later for a full update, in the meantime, Kenny and the rest of the Solo Sailors will be found resting and sleeping!

Link To Published Article

Round Ireland Special, June Activities…

After the Allmer Cup in Le Havre, it was supposed to be somewhat of a rest after an intense few months of Figaro training and racing, however as previously reported, not so…

The Offshore Racing Academy was supporting the Luzerne Communications under 25 team for the SSE Round Ireland Race. The young team arrived in France and collected the academy’s boat number 20 to bring it back to Ireland for the race. We’ll here from them in their own words…

We have had a very busy month of June, we started by travelling to Le Havre to collect the Figaro 3 after the Alhmer cup. We were met on the dock by Kenny and Marcus where we prepped the boat for the delivery after it had been racing for the previous week. The delivery was a perfect shake down for the crew to practice our maneuvers and sail changes with only two up on deck as we would be doing for the race itself. We experienced a very varied set of conditions with quite a lot of light airs, which proved to be very beneficial preparations for the race ahead.

Kenny was home for a brief period before heading to the UK to compete in the Myth of Malham race on Darkwood the J121 as the last training race for the team ahead of the Round Ireland. The Myth of Malham went well for the team, much nicer conditions than Kenny experienced only a week before on the Allmer Cup. Downwind to the Eddystone in 15kts of steady wind before a mostly fetch home. Unfortunately, while in a great placing only 20 miles from the finish a 40 degree shift in the wind direction favoured their competitors and any hope of a class win in the race evaporated.

Meanwhile on the Figaro; We competed in the ISORA race on the 11th of June as another shakedown this time in a racing environment. With only 3 crew due to illness we were very pleased with how well we raced. Coming third in line honors and fourth in IRC overall

Finally it was time for some rest and recuperation for Kenny ahead of the Round Ireland and to spend some time ensuring the youth team on the Figaro were setup for the challenge!! These two weeks flew by, with a nice mixture of time off, exercise and preparation for the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race, ensuring both Darkwood the J121 was ready as well as the youth team on the Figaro.
There is a special mention here to Teresa and the team at the Pure Magic Lodge in Achill where Kenny headed for a few days of rest and kitesurfing on Achill Island. Teresa and the team pulled out all the stops to ensure an awesome rest and stay out west! Relaxed atmosphere, incredible food, live music and comfortable accommodation, highly recommended for some rest… and kitesurfing!

This year’s Round Ireland for Kenny was a coming together of great friends and different Round Ireland campaigns for the last three editions. The main connecting skipper in the puzzle was Mr Michael Boyd who for this edition brought together his dream team for the 2022 edition. For this edition Michael Boyd partnered with Michael O’Donnell, the owner of the J121 Darkwood where both sailors had the shared ambition of getting on the top rung of the podium of the Round Ireland Race. Nick Jones from whom Micael Boyd had chartered Lisa from in the 2016 edition was on board with the primary role of navigator. Barry Hurley also sailed in the 2016 edition on Lisa and was on board with a primary role of driver. Conor Kinsella with whom Kenny and Conor have had multiple offshore success together on Lynx and Jedi joined the crew as a driver/trimmer and bowman. Finally Kenny was onboard as Michael had chartered Jedi for the 2018 edition with a very competitive campaign hampered by the unfortunate man overboard incident, there was some unfinished business in this race for both sailors. The J121 is a unique boat in that it is water ballasted meaning despite the boat being some 40 ft in length and very powerful, there was only a need for 6 crew! With three training races and thousands of miles of cumulative offshore experience onboard, Darkwood was in a very good position going into the race!

From Luzerncomm U 25; The few days leading up to the race were spent on preparations. With full standing and running rigging inspections done as well as a lift where we sprayed the underside and polished the rudders, foils and keel. We collated and organized our freeze dry food as well as our snacks and water.

The Round Ireland is a special race, and it was great after a two year absence for the race to be back with the backing of SSE Renewables. The night before the race there was a little Offshore Racing Academy BBQ in Greystones to mark the race and for the crews o Darkwood and the Figaro to relax and get well fed before the start the next day.

The start of the race was a lovely 10-15kts downwind for the fleet away from Wicklow, onboard Darkwood, the crew were content to get away form the line clean and rounding Wicklow Head were in the position they wanted to be. Despite an unfavourable forecst the widn stayed with the fleet and at the first turning mark, Tuskar Rock, Darkwood made it around with the tide heading east along the South Coast in a dying breeze. Through the night, there were various sail changes as the wind increased, decreased and shifted but remained mostly Northerly in direction. With good winds and rhumb line sailing, the next mark on the course, the Fastnet was rounded in near record time!

A Round Ireland is not complete without some sort of bad weather and after the Fastnet as Daarkwood started to tightened the sails into full upwind mode, the wind strengthened…. Knowing this wind was coming, the crew was well rested and fed prior to the strong incoming winds and as such, there was little drama on board. Unfortunately while reefing the J3 headsail, the leech line tore and with no other sail left in the wardrobe, Darkwood was forced to sail under performance for a few hours as the only sail left in the wardrobe was the storm jib. Darkwood was possibly the only boat to reduce so much sail area but still relatively fast and most importantly, comfortable in the conditions.

Despite the conditions during the night Darkwood managed to make the first pass on what would become a fun battle for the IRC1 class win by overtaking Samaton. Unfortunately the IRC1 and overall favourite INO suffered irreparable damage in the rough conditions and had to withdraw from the race off the Skelligs. By mid-morning the winds had shifted westwards and Darkwood was back to rhumb line sailing towards Eagle Island. The sun came out and the crew took the opportunity to dry out sodden kit and more importantly dry out a sodden boat after the nights exploits. The next challenge was to make it through the tidal gate at Rathlin in a fickle westerly breeze due to last through the night and into the next day. Here the duel between Samton and Darkwood intensified as Samaton was able to sail a very deep, low mode and managed to by Rathlin regain the lead on the water from Darkwood in IRC1. However Darkwood rates lower than Samaton and as such managed to keep the lead on corrected time. Both boats made it through the tidal gate and as such thought they had put an uncatchable lead on the rest of the fleet as other contenders for the overall win such as Rockabill and Snapshot were caught the wrong side of the tidal gate at Rathlin.

However the wind in the Irish Sea had other intentions. The fleet would have to contend with light fickle northerly winds that would evaporate to nothing before lighter winds would come in from the south, effectively compressing the fleet and meaning the advantage of the tidal gate pass was only short lived. Thankfully the well-rested and well fed crew on board Darkwood revelled in the lighter conditions. Despite Samaton and one stage getting far enough ahead of Darkwood, by the finish this advantage was down to less that 2 nautical miles.

The Figaro experience; Our start was relatively conservative due to our foils. We started on port tack and found a nice gap where we began to head south down the coast. We had our A2 spinnaker up until Tusker rock where the wind died almost completely. We spent an hour or two slowly drifting towards the rock before the wind filled back in. Once past Tusker the wind filled in and we popped our A5 up. We rocketed towards the Fastnet rock and even overtook quite a number of other boats, hitting a top boat speed of 19knots. As we rounded the southwest coast we were quickly met by some large swells and heavy winds. At one point we saw gusts of 42knots. We soldiered through with one reef in our mainsail and our full j2. We got battered for about 24 hours straight. Unfortunately as the wind subsided the wind remained northerly. Which for us meant more close hauled sailing. We continued sailing upwind around the north coast till we reached Rathlin. We finally got the chance to pop our A2 again, unfortunately we had missed the tidal window but managed to sneak through by staying extremely close to the coastline. We continued on our A2 until Belfast Lough where again the breeze shut off on us. We were left sitting in 0.3 knots of wind and zero knots of boat speed. It wasn’t until we got down to Downpatrick that the breeze finally kicked back in. Again it was upwind sailing all the way to the finish line in Wicklow.

After very trying and testing conditions in the last 10 miles of the race, Darkwood literally drifted over the finish line off Wicklow in the early morning hours after nearly 5 full days at sea! Relief that we had secured a class win but now the waiting game started as we waited for the other boats to finish to determine the overall results and perhaps more importantly to see if Michael Boyd had over three editions secured strong enough finishes to win a Volvo car.

After a nail biting day, the results were in, Darkwood had finished 3rd overall under corrected time, won IRC1 after a brief trip to the protest room and Michael Boyd would be heading home with the keys to a new Volvo! Great result for a well thought out and executed campaign, not forgetting of course that Darkwood, Snapshot and Rockabill had secured the team prize!

The Figaro wrap up; It was an incredible experience sailing a Figaro 3 around Ireland as a group of 4 under 23 year olds. Lorcan Tighe (22) Andrew Irvin (22) Cian Crowe (19) Ronan Mooney (19), with an average age of 20 and a skipper aged 22. We are immensely proud of what we achieved coming 4th in our class and being the first U23 team to complete the race. Unfortunately it was a light wind and upwind race which didn’t suit the Figaro but such is offshore racing, we can’t have perfect conditions all of the time.
A massive thank you must be extended to the offshore racing academy and Marcus Hutchinson for the use of the Figaro 3 as well as the constant support during the month of June, it has been an amazing glimpse into the world of professional offshore racing. We also have to thank all of our sponsors who have made this race campaign possible as well as the consistent support of friends and family.

Link To Published Article

Allmer Cup Le Havre Review and May Update!

May update from the Offshore Academy, its been a bumper month so let’s get you caught up! This month was primarily focused around the Allmer Cup in Le Havre but that’s not to mention, there were plenty of adventures along the way! Feel free to send on our adventures to others that may be interested!

Offshore racing is all about the racing, well yes but what can be lost behind the fanfare, flags and most reports is the logistical challenges that are there behind these projects…. For the Le Havre Allmer Cup this year, we were faced with the necessity to move the boat, van trailer and assist three other Figaros to get from Port La Foret, our home port, up around North Western France, across the Cherbourg peninsula and to Le Havre, a 300nm delivery, 5 hours by road or nearly 3 days on the boat, not ideal rest before a solo offshore event.

Faced with light winds for the delivery, it was obvious we would be spending a lot of time under engine so with extra diesel cans on board, we left Port La Foret in the early hours of the morning with the intention of heading direct to Le Havre, with the potential to stop in Roscoff or Cherbourg for a pit stop. We had a convoy of myself, Conor Fogerty of Ireland on his boat RAW, Tiphaine and Ahmad on Pier Cophams boat, Voile Des Agnes and Sanni Beucke would be joining us along the way as she was coming from Lorient, about 30 miles south of Port La Foret.

Those who sail regularly will know the potential risk of lots of time under engine due to light and fickle winds, there is the huge risk of runner over and getting fouled in Lobster pot markers, this risk is increased ten fold when at night when it is impossible to see the markers. As our delivery had seen little to no wind, we had as a group decided to make a pit stop in Roscoff to get some rest and top up on diesel. About midnight in the pitch black dark of night, thankfully only 2 miles from Roscoff but very close to the island of Ile De Batz the engine came to a very sudden and abrupt stop! Being in the dead of night it was very hard to see how badly the propellor was wrapped but worryingly there were two narrow aluminium, staffs running out from the back of the propellor, this was no simple wrap! Here we were in the dead of night, disabled in no wind but close to Roscoff but in notoriously fast flowing and dangerous tides. My training group from La Rochelle had pulled into Roscoff a day earlier so thankfully Alexi Thomas and Swann answered my desperate phone call for help and came out in a RIB to tow me into the safe haven of Roscoff. Tired, relieved, frustrated but most importantly in a safe haven it quickly became apparent that the best course of action was to get some sleep and deal with it in the morning…

What came next is just the pinnacle display of kindness and help to a solo sailor in need. Tired and urgently looking to get on the way to Le Havre, I wandered up to the Captainerie (Harbour Master) to explain my plight and look for help. The lady behind the counter immediately understood the situation I was in, faster that I could think, there was a RIB alongside my boat towing me over to the travel hoist to lift the boat out where the staff of the marina and yard were on hand, tools at the ready to free my propellor, before I knew, it, my baot was back in the water on a berth alongside my friends and fellow Figarists, propellor free an dready to continue my delivery when I chose. Somehow I had managed to mow over the flag staff of a lobster pot marker wrapping the aluminium staff of the lobster pot, the equivalent of an Optimist sprit, around my propellor shaft 3 times…. I cannot thank the staff of marina in Roscoff for their immediate help and gratuity to a foreign solo sailor. I was bowled over when I went into pay for everything and they waived all the bills!!! Tahnkyou!

After all this drama, I quickly came to the realisation it would be best to forgo continuing my delivery that day and spend a night on the marina, have a good meal with my friends from La Rochelle and leave as part of a bigger convoy the next day. A great decision as the rest of the delivery was painless and we arrived in Le Havre incident free 28 hours later. We arrived on the 18th of May, with plenty of time to rest ahead of the Le Havre Allmer Cup.

The Le Havre Allmer Cup is a challenging event with a long offshore stage and two coastal races mixing offshore strategy and sailing with inshore boat handling and intensity. Due to weather complexities and the potential of the Royal Navy practising live firing off the south coast of the UK, our offshore course was subject to change. Yann Chateau was our director of racing and is one the best, he is the model of race director who is totally on top of his game, in touch with competitors and spectators alike and someone I would place full trust in for any offshore race management. Yann gave us an excellent course that would take us out of Le Havre, North to the Needles fairway buoy off the Solent, westerly to Eddystone Lighthouse and the south to a buoy in the channel of the entrance to Roscoff before heading east, through the challengine tides in the channel islands, up over the Cherbourg peninsula and back to le Havre, some 450 miles! The weather forecast was relatively stable which would see light in fickle winds as far as the Needles fairway buoy before and building upwind leg to Eddystone followed by largely downwind reaching and running conditions back to home.

We started the race well rounding in light conditions the first top mark in the top 10 before having a disastrous downwind leg and getting clear to head towards the UK in the bottom 10!!!! In light winds, it became a speed test in reaching conditions with lots of peeling (sail changing) between the gennaker (Code 0) and big spinnaker with no sleep to cross the English Channel north to the Needles Fairway buoy just west of the entrance to the Needles. Despite my best efforts in fleet where there was a lot of expansion and compression of the fleet, I rounded the fleet in the bottom end ahead of a long beat westwards to the Eddystone lighthouse.

Our upwind slog Westwards was long with the complexities of the tide on the South Coast of the UK and the fact that we managed to hit almost every headland against the tide which made the best long, very long, almost 24 hours to the minute to get from the Needles Fairway to the Eddystone lighthouse. There is very little to report on this leg, inshore to get out of the tide, then offshore to get into the tide when preferable to make way west along our route, there was a change to the sailing instructions forcing us to go south of a line between two waypoints as the Royal Navy were using the area for some target practise which caused some fun and amusement along the way.

Finally around 0800 French time after short tacking in off Start Point through the night, we rounded Eddystone lighthouse to be able to make our way south towards what was originally supposed to be a mark off Roscoff but a change in the course meant we were heading slightly further East to a mark called La Jument des Héaux which is about 30 miles east of Roscoff and a mark I remember well from rounding during the Solitaire 2 years ago on the legs in and out of St Breuic! Downwind sailing, sun out, 12-15kts of steady wind allowed time to dry the boat, get some rest and eat some food…. The leg was very straight forward, 145 True Wind Angle the whole way to the mark. Despite the simplicity of the leg, by the bottom mark I had regained 4 places!

A gybe at the mark and then it was a tighter reach along the French coast towards Guernsey, where we thankfully were fighting tide as we approached the channel islands but the good news is that we were then to have the notorious tides around the Cherbourg peninsula with us as we crossed the top of the peninsula, to head back towards le Havre!

The remainder of the race was very straight forward after this with a few gybes over the top of Cherbourg, reaching and running all the way home! In this race I finished up 20th which I was reasonably happy about. The placing was not the most important thing, what was more important was to prove to myself that I had the speed in the relevant areas to be able to sail with the pack and pick off a few places from time to time! Bed time was followed the next day by a Pro-Am day where the two Irish skippers Tom Dolan and Kenny Rumball took some winners or a radio competition racing in J80s off Le Havre, great fun and a fantastic opportunity to get sailing in a relaxed environment!

Friday and Saturday were coastal race days, a race a day of about 30 miles. Race one was. A simple loop around the end of the shipping channel in Le Havre and back to a finish line similar to where we finished the offshore. This race was in 15kts of wind mostly, dying to 12kts at the end. A silly mistake at the first windward mark cost a lot of places, however a solid 18th kept me content despite losing a lot of places initially! The final coastal day race on Saturday started with a windy reach and then a long tactical challenging upwind to the nearby port entrance of Antifer before a long run home. I sailed well in this race to post my best result of the series, with a great result of 9th which I was content with but my coach stated that it was about time I sailed to my potential.

With no time to spare, as soon as we hit the dock, it was time to swap sails and get the boat delivered to Ireland for the Round Ireland Race. Luzerne Under 25 team from Ireland had arrived to bring the boat back to Dublin. This is a key component of the Academy. Here we are supporting four U25s in their ques to compete in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland race. The Academy is supporting the team in terms of boat charter, coaching on the water, navigation preparation, food selection etc, exactly what the Academy was setup to do.

No rest for Kenny, I was home for a only a short few days before it was off to the UK for a final shakedown race on Darkwood the J121 which I will be onboard for the Round Ireland this year!

Link To Published Article

Preparing for the Allmer Cup in Le Havre

Coming up next on the solo calendar of the Classe Figaro circuit, we have the le Harve All Mer Cup running in Le Havre from the 20th to 28th May.

Similar in format to the recent Solo Maitre Coq, competitors will face a long offshore leg of around 340 nautical miles which sends the fleet in a rectangle around the English Channel, starting and finishing in Le Havre. A day of rest before two coastal races in and around le Havre to wrap up the series!

For this 5th edition, there is a fleet of around 30 Figaro Bénéteau 3 expected at the feet of the Société des Régates du Havre. And for this edition, ther eis a new race officer, Yann Château.

The last edition of this event was held in 2018, with reasons due to Covid and other factors, the last editions have not been possible. As with all events in the Championship Elite, there will be full festivities and a social calendar for skipper and their support teams.

Ireland will be represented by 3 skippers, Tom Dolan who has already competed in the Allmer Cup in previous editions with Kenny Rumball and Conor Fogerty competing in the event for the first time. All 3 Irish boats are already in the race village with the official days for boats arrival, safety, security and inspections starting on the 20th.

The first race, 340nm offshore is scheduled to start at 1600hrs French time on Sunday the 22nd. Tracking the race and event updates will be possible on the official event website here: https://www.lehavreallmercup.fr/

Link To Published Article

ORA April Activities & Solo Maitre Coq Race Report

Here I am on the ferry back to Ireland, absolutely shattered after another month of intense offshore sailing in France at the highest level, there is a lot to reflect on as always and more importantly build upon!

We headed out for some last minute sail testing and short course practise ahead of the Solo Maitre Coq, the first solo offshore event of the year for the Figaro Classe at the beginning of the month. The time flew by and before we knew it after some rig tweaks and changes of battens in our jib, we were off up to Les Salbes d’Olonne to line up for the first time this year against the rest of the fleet.

We had glorious weather for the few days of boat, sailor and meteo preparation for this event. I was very lucky to have Paddy Hutchings an experienced preparateur and future Figaro rockstar join me to make sure the boat was 110% ready for the races. Paddy was busy checking lines, re-splicing and swimming in the boat daily to make sure the underside of the hull was as clean as possible for racing! Timothy Long who had done some sailing with me as part of the Academy was also on hand to help out as he was learning all about the preparation that goes into these boats before we head to sea for a race!

Our race course was largely unchanged with the notable exception that we would be omitting the Birvedeau lighthouse from the course as there would be military firing exercises in that area while we would be racing. It would mean rounding the Island of Belle Ile would be the most northerly part of the course! As for the weather, it was looking pretty straight forward, upwind there, downwind home, a windward-leeward just 330 miles long!

The race started off as predicted by the weather with a light 10-13 knots of wind from the north, the race committee gave us a short beat to ensure the fleet got away evenly before we headed off downwind to Ile d’Re. The wind was coming from the shore and initially those the dared go as close to the exclusion zone on the shore as possible were the early boats to gain, of which IRL 20, Kenny was…

Not more than three hours into the race, we had our first shutdown and weather transition with the new wind coming from the North West. This saw a small reshuffle of the pack but nothing to worry about. This new wind was to build for the rest of the day and shift back to the North East overnight, which it did exactly! Coming around Ile d’Re we were quickly sailing upwind in demanding conditions short tacking as close to the coast as possible, moving the 90kgs of stackable weight on every tack! Tiring work but working hard here separates the fleet!

Eventually the fleet settled onto starboard tack which would take the fleet past Ile d’Yeu, leaving it to port and all the way up to Belle Ile. From here it was a drag race of identical boats! Sail selection, setup and time spent driving would be the determining factors on speed and ultimately position! It was the first real test of speed for the fleet in 2022!

By early morning the time spent sailing the boat hard through the night was well spent with some place gains overnight and approaching Belle Ile in a good position! The wind had not really changed with around 20-24kts all the time! We were expecting it to have died to around 15 kts for the downwind kite sail back towards Les Salbes! But more wind means more speed, our biggest spinnakers up and we were off heading downwind at speed to the Rochebonne plateau. 25kts of wind, big sea state saw consistent boat speeds in the high teens all the way south…. Lots more driving required meant no time for rest or food, this was turning out to be a tough race.

By the Rochbonne Plateau we had a big sea state and winds into 30kts, taking the big spinnaker down solo was demanding especially when there is only one of them on board and we knew it was needed later on in the race! Damaging it was not an option…

As if you thought there was time for rest, the intensity continued with gennakers unfurled blast reaching back in the direction of Les Salbes at a consistent 15 kts or so. At this stage, I was sitting comfortably in 11th position knowing all that was a left was a 60nm loop from Les Salbes out to a weather buoy 30 miles to the South West and then back again. How hard could it be?

As is typical in the Figaro class… Very! Approaching the weather buoy, the wind died and died and we rounded it in 0kts. 30 Miles back to Les Salbes, tired, hungry and being honest a bit emotional!

Given that in the fleet we are not allowed to carry mobile phones or have any assistance from the outside world our weather information was now 48hours+ old so it was very hard to determine where to position oneself on the beat home.

Ultimately the left hand side of the course paid with the top back having a pretty big reshuffle as well as the rest of the fleet. Frustratingly, I dropped 9 places eventually crossing the finish line in 20th position. However I was very content with my overall performance taking into account decision making, speed and sail selection!

We now had A FULL DAY off to recover before two coastal sailing days on Saturday and Sunday. It was a joy for me as my parents came out to visit and support the last two days of the event. Saturday was very very light winds, no more than 5kts where the race officer gave us Bannane courses which are windward-leewards. Hugely unstable light and variable winds saw one messy race completed where I was consistent finishing 19th, leaving me 18ht overall in the standings going into the last day.

For the last race, we were to have a coastal race of 30 miles with a short upwind, equally short downwind before a beat up the coast past Les Salbes and then back. A good start saw me around the first windward in the mix of the lead pack and I held this on the next downwind leg. However on the 11 mile upwind I started to realise something was wrong as my speed was not as good as on the long offshore race. Post race discussion and it would be evident I had set my mast up wrongly with too much tension in the D1 shrouds. I still managed to keep the boat moving and finished this race in 20 position, leaving me 20th overall in the event.

Given this was my first solo race in two years with a considerable improvement in performance and finishing position over my last solo race, I have walked away from the event very content.

It was now time to rest, I was very fortunate that Paddy along with some member of the Malizia IMOCA team took the boat north for me to Port La Foret where it lives when not sailing. It has been a very intense few months with the boat being lifted out of the water for the first time since January!

There is now some time off before we’re off to the UK this weekend for the RORC Cervantes race this weekend with some fellow Irish Sailors. Its busy busy and important to find some rest in-between these races if only for a day or two!

Lots more to come so keep tuned for next month’s exploits.

Link To Published Article

**Offshore Racing Academy, March Update with Solo Maitre Coq Special!**

Another month has raced by in France, the UK and Ireland with projects, programs and lectures in all countries, all dedicated to offshore yacht racing, learning and developing.

March started off with the Classe Figaro Academy training race of which a full report can be read here!  https://www.offshoreracingacademy.com/latest-news-blog

In essence it was incredibly windy with Kenny Rumball and Timothy Long securing a 5th place finish across two races! When we say windy, really windy, 35-40kts coming off the start line, see a video of what the first 12 hours of the race was like here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhg4e9Uf030

Shortly after this race, there was some relocation to Port la Foret to help out a new Irish JPK 10.30 with father and son duo Justin and Nathan Burke! Enough about what I have to say, here is Justin Burke’s take on the few days I spent with them and some outside sessions we organised…
Most club sailors see racing as part training but to train efficiently you need a coach . Coaching brings structure , wealth of knowledge and focus . A coach will also bring a measurement / review structure that is rarely done professionally after racing . If you lose the race no one wants to indulge in the blame game and if you win, its off to the bar.
Having raced FF15 and SB20 over the past 2 decades I recently bought a cruiser racer boat . Aside from the new format of passage racing , I was confronted with latest range of electronics . I likened this to making a phone call 20 years ago in a public phone box with press button A and then be handed the later iPhone and expect to learn on the hoof. You can learn by trial and error if you have the patience and time .But at some stage you will recognise that the sport of sailing is one of the few sports that does not have a strong and broad infrastructure for coaching. Arranged by the Offshore Racing Academy, Christian Dumard gave an excellent tutorial on how to use Windy , learn what weather to expect during your passage . Also we received an in depth session, how to use Adrena the most advanced racing navigational software , coupled with this we were given a course on NKE hardware , this to include racing with the autohelm. There is no way we would have been able to puzzle this out with out professional help . We received on the water coaching , all the time incorporating the NKE and Adrena navigational system . All 3 together was challenging ,as its easier to think you can race by the seat of your pants but when you see what the pros are using ,you see there are more options . We also received a review of calibration of equipment and boat set up , all I can say what you don’t wont hurt you but will loose you the race.
*Cut the learning curve , get coached and enjoy the new knowledge .It might even help your results .*

While in Port La Foret, we spent one evening with our initial series of talks ahead of the Irish Offshore circuit for 2022, hosting an evening on an Introduction to Offshore Sailing. This introductory talk was to breakdown and simplify some of the barriers and misinformation about offshore sailing. We were stunned by the sign ups with 120 registering interest and 101 attending the online talk! A great two hours with lots of interesting questions and proof there is considerable interest in Offshore racing in Ireland!

With little to no rest it was off to the UK for a training weekend, back in the world of IRC! Certainly was a step back to familiar territory for Kenneth, sailing back on board a boat with 5 other persons on board! Two 30 miles races Saturday and Sunday, more on this to follow in the next few months!

Back to France for one of the last training weeks before the upcoming Solo Maitre Coq…. We were back in La Rochelle for 4 days of sailing, mainly focusing on sail testing of the options from the different sailmakers! We had test sails from North Sails, Delta, Incidence and Technique Voile. A superbly interesting week allowing out training group to sail with and investigate the changes in the designs for 2022. This allows us to make informed decisions about our choice of sails for the upcoming season and our main focus the Solitaire du Figaro in August! Don’t worry it’s not always hard work, we treat ourselves from time to time too, see one of the pictures!

To say we squeezed a lot in would be an understatement so there was a very welcome return home to Ireland due at the end of the month! To round up the month, we had our second seminar with world renowned weather router Christian Dumard who showed the huge advantages of Windy.com and how to use it to it’s best extent for Offshore racing. Once again we had a phenomenal turnout with over eighty sign ups on our website for the course.

Coming up next we have the Solo Maitre Coq in the month of April, we will give a full report on the race once we have completed it, but to give you a flavour of what we have coming up…

The first event of the 2022 season of the Figaro Bénéteau Class, the Solo Maître Coq will be hosted this year from April 15 to 24 in Les Salbes d’Olonne the same port that the Vendee Globe starts and finishes from. This year there is a significant change in that the long offshore race will be run before the in-shore courses to better reflect current events and the return of the Fair-Expo to the Vendée Globe square between the April 21 and 24.

The Grande Course will take skippers around the islands of Ré, Yeu and Belle-Île. This long offshore course runs North and then back South with a length of approximately 240 nautical miles.   It is expected this race will take the skippers approximately 3 days at sea to complete the course.

Then, for two days, the skippers will compete on two short courses of approximately 30 miles in the bay of Les Sables d'Olonne, giving spectators the chance to see the Offshore boats and sailors compete within distance of the shore!

For this year, there will be three Irish competitors in the race. Tom Dolan will be back for his 5th turn of this course while Kenneth Rumball will be on his second attempt. New for 2022 will be Conor Fogerty a well-known and proven offshore sailor! The full list of sailors can be found here:  https://www.solomaitrecoq.com/copie-de-skippers-2021

Don’t forget to track the competitors here over the course of the offshore and inshore races;  https://www.solomaitrecoq.com/cartographie

Link To Published Article

Offshore Racing Academy 5th Overall in Inaugural Team Vendée Formation/Classe Figaro Course Académie

The Offshore Racing Academy was not the only organisation to realise the supports needed for newcomers to offshore racing in France and specifically the Figaro circuit.
For the first time this year the class association, Classe Figaro Beneteau and Team Vendée Formation, based in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, teamed up for the inaugural Course Académie. Translated from French, the aims are below…
Landing on a circuit such as that of the Figaro Bénéteau can sometimes seem like too high a mountain to climb for some. Making the slope more gentle, such is the leitmotif of the Figaro Bénéteau class and the FFVoile which are establishing the Figaro Bénéteau Academy this year.
“Our mission, in this context, is to support newcomers to the circuit and more particularly to the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship,” announces Estelle Graveleau who, after having held the positions of secretary and then director for a long time of the Figaro Bénéteau class, has been working for nearly 10 years within Team Vendée Formation, a structure that offers sailors and technicians a unique support and training system for sports sailing professions.
“My experiences have led me to this observation: it is useful to make jumping into the deep end easier and more readable for sailors, preparers and all people taking their first steps in the environment,” assures the director of the centre based in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, joined in all respects by the executives of the FFVoile and the administrators of the Figaro Bénéteau class, all driven by the same desire to welcome ever more players.”
*It’s a whole circuit that collaborates and puts its skills on the table to move forward. We also rely heavily on the “old” to accompany and even sponsor, in a way, the “new”.*
Kenneth Rumball shares his wealth of offshore experience with the Figaro rookie Timothy Long | Credit: Nicolas Michon/Course Académie
In keeping with the aims of the Offshore Racing Academy and the Classe Figaro and Team Vendée Formation, Kenneth Rumball, an experienced Figaro 3 sailor for the last three years, entered the event with 17-year-old Timothy Long from the UK — a ‘Bizuth’, or rookie, in the Fiagro 3 class.
Although the initial programme of the Course Académie changed as the event approached, the main aims were to be realised through two races, a short coastal 30nm race and a longer offshore of 300nm.
However it was not just the racing that the rookies would benefit from. The races were held to full Classe Fiagro rules and regulations with safety checks, stack and equipment checks and inspections, and mandatory online registration and validation of all of these areas.
All of these class rules were done in supportive manner under the watchful eye of the director of the course, Yann Elies, himself a multiple Solitaire du Figaro champion and legend in offshore racing in France in all the major classes: IMOCA, Ultime, Class 40 and more.
Phillipe Cousins was the technical and measurement director for the course, offering advice, technical and measurement support in the lead up to the races. Specifically to help the ‘étrangers’ or foreigners, Marcus Hutchinson was present with his support RIB to assist the non-French and French alike.
The first coastal race was a simple 30nm round trip from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie to the mark ‘Sablaire’ off Ile d’Yeu and back. Mostly a beam reach there and back in 18-25 knots of wind, the fleet of 10 boats made light work of the course, completing it in under three hours and thus the entire fleet beat the initial record set for this course by Sam Davies in a Figaro 2 a number of years ago.
Rumball and Long were fifth across the line in this race and the first non-French boat.
Long and Rumball were rewarded for their efforts | Credit: Nicolas Michon/Course Académie
The fleet quick returned ashore for an evening to catch up with the other competitors and some much-needed rest before the 36-hour, 300-nautical-mile race the next day.
Long recounts that experience: “My first two weeks of training on the Figaro were wrapped up with a 340nm offshore race. I was nervous before the start, it was windy and I felt I was somewhat heading into the unknown…
“After the start gun went, the first four hours were extreme; we had up to 40 knots and the whole fleet was screaming along at 20+ knots boat speed with full code-zero, jib and mainsail. I had never felt anything like it, the sense of exhilaration was immense – I couldn’t believe how hard we were pushing the boats, it was mad!
“Throughout the rest of the course, we continued to push hard and those who made the least mistakes were ultimately the ones who had the most success. That is why it takes years of experience in this class to become the best; it is not about having faster boat speed because everyone is capable of the same speed, it’s about being the one who makes the least mistakes.”
The course was rapid, with average boat speeds for the initial 24 hours around 18 knots. In the final 12 hours or so the wind moderated which saw average boat speeds plummet to the more mundane 6-8 knots.
Rumball and Long sailed a good race with some ups and downs to finish in sixth position and therefore secure fifth overall in the event. Both sailors exhausted but delighted with their overall result.

Link To Published Article

**Offshore Racing Academy February 2022 Update!**

As I sit down to write the update for February, it dawns on me, how quickly the month has raced past and also as to how much sailing and time on the water was achieved in 28 days!

We started the month on the water, sailing and training with Susan Beucke from Germany, Silver Medallist in the 49er FX class who is exploring the adventures of offshore sailing in the Figaro 3 circuit. Based out of Lorient we were sailing with Lorient Grand Large. For me it was a chance to train with a different perspective and different training partners including fellow Irish Offshore Champion, Tom Dolan.

The superb week of sailing made up for the fact that the team trailer had been broken into with lots of expensive and necessary support equipment stolen including, diving gear, stack bags, offshore drysuits to name but a few of the items that we will unfortunately have to delve into the reduced funds we have to replace.

Wrapping up for the first week, we made the move back down to La Rochelle where number 20 was based. Next up was a week of solo sailing for Kenny to make sure the solo skills were still there as the potential to compete in some upcoming Figaro 3 events was becoming more and more of a reality. During the week we had mixed conditions, with windy days and equally light days, most importantly, the solo skills were there! To wrap up the week it was necessary to deliver 20 north to Lorient as there was another charter on the boat for it’s old skipper Will Harris and team Malizia. The 24 hour delivery reminded me exactly how solo sailing at night in the winter is not that much fun!

As 20 was on charter for a week it gave some time off and a chance to return to Ireland for some rest and recuperation which was much needed…

Recharged and back ready for action and a nice surprise of first class trip to France with Aer Lingus, it was back to Lorient to pick up 20 and head south to Ile d’Yeu for a 10 day training camp with Pole La Rochelle! Joining me for the week would be Timothy Long from the UK. Timothy has an impressive sailing background having circumnavigated the UK aged just 15!

Also joining us for his first Figaro training camp would be Conor Fogerty and his Figaro number 64 RAW. Leaving Lorient on the back of a front, it was a pleasure to have a co skipper of Maïween Deffontaines to sail to Ile d’Yeu with! Perfect conditions on a reach the whole way there under gennaker in 20kts of wind we made light work of the delivery arriving on the dock to me met by Timothy with plenty of time to get the boat prepped for an intense week of training.

Intense the week certainly was, lots of wind every day with those conditions you only get once in a while to actually push a boat and see what it can do! On one trip around the island we had 25 kts of wind downwind with the big spinnaker up and then blast reaching with the gennaker in 30 kts! Check out our video on YouTube to get an idea of how intense the boat is!

Unfortunately Timothy had commitments to attend to back in the UK and I was left to do a nice 24 hours solo training race with the rest of the group. Light downwind conditions followed by wind and plenty of gennaker sailing back towards the Island!

With lots of training and sailing done, it was time to get back to Ireland. Literally 4 hours back on the Island, enough time for a quick sleep and packing of bags before we were off again to sail the boats to St Gilles to get them put to bed for aa week or two!

It cannot be underestimated about the community out here. No sooner had I arrived in St Gilles on a Saturday, the slings were changed on the crane and number 20 was out of the water and safely in its cradle! Top work by Guillaume and the team in Port La Vie and we had Conor’s boat number 64 out also! After a manic 48 hours it was time for some rest and food!

We’re a few days into March and it is already busy, we are providing lots of training to the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association and have lots happening and planned….

It’s great to be busy!

Link To Published Article

**Offshore Racing Academy January 2022 Update!**

The offshore shorthanded racing scene has exploded and is racing away without any signs of slowing down. Countless numbers of IMOCAs and Class 40s are in build ahead of the upcoming Route du Rhum and also the next Vendee Globe in 2024, so where do we fit in? We’re mainly focusing this year on the Figaro 3 the founding fleet for the best sailors in the offshore world! It’s almost a right of passage, to be considered competitive in the Class 40 or even IMOCA fleets first you have to have been competitive in La Solitaire du Figaro.

Offshore Racing Academy founder, Kenny Rumball has completed one so far with no focused training before due to the out break of Covid in 2020, to even get on the start line that year was an achievement! With the learning from this, we’re fulfilling our aims and goals to lend a helping hand and guidance to rookies coming into the most demanding, competitive and intense one design offshore fleet in the world!

January 2022, we have hit the ground running, before the obligatory Christmas break, we had assisted the Raw campaign of Conor Fogerty in delivering his Figaro 3 by sea and his cradle in the team van and trailer setup, early January saw us crack into fitting out, optimising and ensuring his boat was class legal for the season ahead. With this work in progress, we also focused some time on the water with Matthew Beecher of Kinsale by getting some one on one boat handling practise and coaching in Port La Foret, the birthplace of solo offshore racing in France.

Using our considerable network of contacts in the industry in France and with thanks to the victory of Yannick Besthaven in the last Vendee Globe who hails from La Rochelle, we were the first to hear of the new Pole La Rochelle Course au Large. In France the ‘Pole’s are sailing centres of excellence, combining all the necessary elements to compete at the highest level. State of the art classrooms, gymnasiums, coach boats and a boat support network, there is nothing that has not been thought about already.

But don’t take our word for it, Matthew Beecher accounts on late January;

January with The Offshore Racing Academy was busy, challenging and super rewarding. I kicked off the month with a couple of days of solo manoeuvre practice in Port la Foret, "the birthplace of solo offshore racing", on my Figaro 3 in preparation for some more one to one coaching sessions with Kenny Rumball. We then got to work preparing the boat for an intense training block with Pole La Rochelle. For my first solo passage I delivered "Han" down to La Base Lorient (the current home of short handed offshore sailing) where I met up with Kenny once again, and a day later we started the 20 hour double handed delivery down to La Rochelle. There is a few different training groups for Figarists around France, and thankfully the Offshore Racing Academy had already established a relationship with the coach and sailors in the "Pole La Rochelle" training group. Over a week Coach Etienne facilitated multiple small races, speed tests, manoeuvre drills and classroom sessions. There was 4 boats and 6 sailors involved, a mixture of rookies, established class members and seasoned professionals (one of them is here to train for the Vendee Globe 2024!).

As a Figaro Rookie, all of this is new and strange to me. I feel like this massive goal for me would be completely unattainable if I were here in France on my own, especially considering my lack of French, shoreside resources, local knowledge and awareness of this completely different sailing culture that exists and thrives here in France. I am here to become the best offshore sailor that I can be, and this means I need to put my pride and ego aside and trust the experience of the Offshore Racing Academy. Kenny Rumball and Marcus Hutchinson both value the sailing culture here very highly, and are always setting up valuable introductions for me to get a better awareness of how all of this works. The resources available through the Offshore Racing Academy are absolutely invaluable. Important contacts, technical sponsors, a van, a trailer, spare equipment and most importantly people to bounce ideas off of and offer well-founded advice. I am extremely grateful for the help I have received from the Academy as I begin to find my footing in this extremely competitive industry.

Kenny and Marcus also offered me lots of valuable advice on how to approach the business side of offshore racing. Finding the money to make my solo racing dream happen consumes a lot of my time, and I feel fortunate to be able to associate my campaign with an Academy which specialises in this industry. I look forward to welcoming more partners on board with my campaign, so that I can continue to engage with the Academy and take my sailing to the next level. By the way, sailing in January is absolutely freezing!

February is upon us, no time left to waste, this week, we are with Lorient Grand Large, La Rochelle at the end of the week, and there’s rumours we’ll be on the start line of the Dublin Bay Turkey Shoot on Sunday in the 1720!

That’s all for now!

Kenny

Link To Published Article

Offshore Racing Academy partners with Expedition Foods

The Offshore Racing Academy which aims to provide professional impartial offshore sailing and racing advice to make offshore sailing and racing more fun, enjoyable and safe for sailors of all levels from the gruelling Figaro and Class 40 solo offshore circuits to national and coastal IRC sailing is delighted to announce a strategic partnership with Expedition Foods.

Established in 1995, Expedition Foods provides top quality freeze-dried meals to internationally acclaimed explorers, rowers, sailors, endurance athletes and mountaineers as well as campers, scouts, film crews, military personnel and rescue service teams all over the world.

Expedition Foods’ delicious light-weight meals provide the perfect nutrition for a wide range of outdoor pursuits. Sold globally, Expedition Foods is recognised as one of the top brands of freeze-dried meals available in today’s market. Manufactured in Britain, Expedition Foods is the expert in producing meals that retain all the nutrition of a perfectly balanced meal in a single, light-weight packet. Our meals deliver the fuel and balanced nutrition required for the most gruelling of challenges; to summit our highest peaks, to row our oceans, and to traverse the remotest wildernesses on our planet.

Kenneth Rumball of the Offshore Racing Academy has been solely using Expedition Foods for the past number of years as supplier of choice for gruelling offshore races and expeditions, in his own words, ‘Expedition Foods are perfect for offshore racing whether you are fully crewed or sailing solo. The meals are lightweight, delicious to eat and with three calorie options High Energy (800+ kcal), Regular Serving (450 kcal) and Extreme Energy (1000 kcal) you can choose how much you need right away with no wastage! The fact that all you need to do is add hot water, you reduce cooking time and mess on board which means you can eat quickly and efficiently and then get back to the racing with minimal downtime!’

Expedition Food will be the Offshore Racing Academy’s food supplier of choice with members competing in both the Classe Figaro Beneteau and Class 40 circuits this year.

The Offshore Racing Academy’s racing season is non stop this year…. Some races are literally back to back, our calendar includes;

The Offshore Racing Academy is actively seeking further partners to help actively promote the values of companies, businesses and individuals who wish to gain exposure in a unique diverse platfrom. With events in France, the UK and Ireland this year, any company or individual who is looking to promote their business of idea will reach a very wide audience.

If you would like more information on how to partner with the Offshore Racing Academy, please do not hesitate to email offshoresacademy@gmail.com

In the meantime for up to the minute information, please follow the Offshore Racing Academy and Expedition foods at the links below;

https://expeditionfoods.com/

https://www.offshoreracingacademy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionFoods/

https://www.instagram.com/expeditionfoods/

https://www.facebook.com/offshoreracingacademy

https://www.instagram.com/offshoreracingacademy/

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