2009 RORC North Sea Race

12 of the 56 IRC entrants for the RORC North Sea Race were East Anglian Offshore Racing Association Yachts. Bright sun and 10-15kts of breeze got the yachts away from the start and towards the South Galloper buoy.

After rounding the buoy and bearing away, spinnakers were hoisted for the long leg north toward Smith’s Knoll buoy. Sadly the wind didn’t hold up and progress became very slow as night fell and the strong flood tide checked progress.

Many yachts bunched up at Smith’s Knoll at dawn on Saturday morning before the wind returned, albeit briefly, for the leg across the North Sea to MSP.

Most vessels finished in darkness on Saturday evening off Scheveningen, with the always tricky tidal conditions testing navigators to get boats across the finish line correctly.

Results were very soon available and it was a superb result for Russell Walker’s Baltic 37 Cosmic Dancer who not only won Class 3 and the Charlie Mills Trophy for first EAORA yacht but, after narrowly coming second the year before, won the North Sea Race overall. Mike Wilkinson’s OOD 34 Nazca II came second in class 3.

EAORA Class 2 was won by Adrian Lower’s J109 Jaguar of Burnham with Stuart Galloway’s Elan 40 Titian second.

Trevor Bassett’s Prima 38 Oz Privateer won EAORA Class 1 with Jason & Judy Payne-James Dufour 44 Heartbeat 3 of Burnham second.