The RORC North Sea Race, the most prestigious Offshore Race on the East Coast, has been won by Marconi boat, Woozle Hunter in 2016.
Ian & Laura Ivermee, joined by their Fastnet race crew from last season, set off from Harwich last Friday morning in a fleet of 30 IRC racers which included the best from Holland.
The race, 180 miles offshore is a real test of seamanship, stamina, concentration and persistence and this year was no different, in what turned out to be a light airs race with very little shelter from the sun.
Woozle, the slowest boat on handicap rating to finish the course, pressed on as they chased the fleet out to the South Galloper before turning North around the windfarms to head to Smith Knoll off Great Yarmouth, before turning to cross towards Holland. It wasn’t until 5:30 in the morning on Saturday that they managed to pass this most Northerly mark of the course, and as they were now way out of signal range, they had no idea of their position.
Those ashore watched the race play out on the online tracker, which you can see here, and looking at the weather forecast, it seemed that the bigger boats would have light airs all the way with the possibility of slightly increasing wind later in the evening for Woozle.
As it turned out, Woozle was still racing into the dark of Saturday evening when for a moment the wind died bringing the possibility of ruining their chances whilst the rest of the fleet had made Scheveningen. But the hole in the wind didn’t last long and at 10:30 in the evening Woozle finished after 36 hours of racing, to win the race outright, over 1 hour ahead of their nearest competitor on corrected time.
A truly remarkable and well deserved achievement for the Woozle team, in particular skipper Ian who has spent many hours preparing both the boat and assembling his crew over the past 2 years. This must rank as one of the best, if not the very best achievement of a Marconi racing member from any fleet.
The crew are seen here collecting the Goeree Challenge Cup and the Jan Moreton Salver, after the race. Later this month, they will be awarded with the Royal Ocean Racing Club Medallion at a ceremony on the 19th May at the clubs HQ in St James’s.
Well done guys.
You can see the full result here.