Cowes Dinard St Malo Race (R5 Cowes Offshore Racing Series)

A cross-Channel classic forged by history

150 miles between Cowes and the ramparts of Saint-Malo, tricky tidal streams, the Channel shipping lanes to navigate: the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race is no ordinary crossing. Organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) alongside UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG, and the Royal Yacht Squadron, this event stands among the most respected fixtures on the offshore calendar.

For many crews, it serves as a dress rehearsal before the season's major challenges — the Rolex Fastnet Race chief among them. A test of endurance and tactics where pure speed is never enough.

The 2025 edition left a lasting impression. The Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijf, achieved an historic treble: Line Honours, victory in IRC Zero, and overall IRC victory, claiming the prestigious King Edward VII Challenge Cup. The bar is set high for 2026.

The course: from the Solent to the Corsair City

The route — roughly 150 miles in theoretical distance, often more depending on tactical choices — demands constant vigilance.

• Start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line at Cowes, heading west to exit the Solent
• Passage of the Needles, then crossing the Channel with crucial strategic decisions around the Casquets and the Channel Islands
• Finish at the entrance to the Rance, off the fortifications of Saint-Malo, followed by the traditional sailors' dinner

For the fastest boats, it's a high-intensity sprint of around twelve hours. The crew of Leopard 3 emphasized this after their 2025 victory: sometimes you have to forgo rest watches to maintain peak performance.

Classes and trophies at stake

The race welcomes a varied fleet, divided under IRC and MOCRA (multihull) ratings.

Main categories

• IRC Zero to IRC Four — the heart of the fleet, from maxis to more modest cruiser-racers
• IRC Two-Handed (Doublehanded) — a rapidly expanding category, regularly serving as a round of the IRC Two-Handed European Championship
• Multihulls — competing for the Dinard Trophy (Line Honours) and corrected time classification

The major trophy

The King Edward VII Challenge Cup remains the holy grail: it rewards the overall winner on IRC corrected time across all classes. Other prizes recognize class winners and first-to-finish honours.

Find the complete offshore season calendar on spencer.club.

The contenders

While the entry list evolves until race day, recent performances point to several serious contenders.

• Leopard 3 (Farr 100) — Joost Schuijf (MON). Title holder with their 2025 treble. The team aims for reliability and pure performance, with no margin for error.
• Django (JPK 1180) — Giovanni Lombardi Stronati (ITA). Second overall and IRC One winner in 2025. A formidable corrected-time hunter.
• Pogo RC Amarris (Class40 / Pogo) — Achille Nebout & Gildas Mahé (FRA). Doublehanded winners in 2025, highly experienced duo (Québec–St Malo winners) on a recent boat.
• Corazon (J/133) — Lawrence Herbert (GBR). IRC Two winner in 2025 with a crew whose average age maxed out at 27 years, capable of challenging the most seasoned French teams.
• Uno (Grainger 36) — James Holder (GBR). Recent holder of the Multihull category Line Honours trophy.

Three key challenges for the 2026 edition

The Doublehanded battle

The Two-Handed category has become one of the race's most intense battlegrounds. In 2025, it served as the opening round of the IRC Two-Handed European Championship. The format attracts top-level duos on JPKs, Sun Fasts and Pogos. Achille Nebout himself describes a sector "in full growth" and increasingly competitive. Tactical duels promise to be tight.

The ultimate Fastnet rehearsal

For much of the fleet, Cowes–Dinard is the last full-scale test. Joost Schuijf makes no secret of it: the race offers "the perfect platform to test everything" — technical reliability, crew cohesion, settings — before the major challenges ahead.

Strategic reading of the Channel

The key to victory is often forged in mid-Channel. In 2025, Leopard 3 built their lead after the traffic separation zone, capitalizing on a favourable shift and their superior speed. Conversely, Corazon won their class thanks to a bold decision: staying high on the course to catch the wind shifts. Treacherous currents, erratic breezes, dense shipping traffic — the Channel forgives no approximations.

Compare entered boats and follow the latest on this race at spencer.club.