Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 Jangada (GBR) racing Two-Handed with co-skippers Jeremy Waitt/Rupert Holmes win the 2022 RORC Yacht of the Year and the RORC Season's Points Championship © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
Jangada wins 2022 RORC Yacht of the Year
The 2022 Royal Ocean Racing Club Annual Dinner and Prize Giving was held in the Ballroom of the InterContinental London Park Lane.
Celebrating an impressive season of RORC racing, over 200 guests enjoyed a cocktail reception and gourmet dinner at the luxury five-star hotel. Sailors came from all over Europe and further afield for a night of festivities with the RORC. A glittering array of prestigious prizes were presented to the season's winners. With trophies dating back over a century, the RORC Season's Points Championship is part of yacht racing history; it is the largest yacht racing series anywhere in the world.
The 2022 RORC Season's Points Championship featured 16 offshore races held in nine different countries. The exciting programme included: the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, the RORC Caribbean 600, the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race, the inaugural Roschier Baltic Sea Race, and the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race.
For 10 months, over 400 boats and 5000 sailors raced an astounding variety of offshore certified keelboats. Ranked under the IRC Rating Rule, jointly administered by the RORC and the UNCL, competition was thrilling and close, right through the classes. The RORC Season's Points Championship also awards prizes to Multihulls and Class40s.
Three cheers for 2022 RORC Yacht of the Year + Season's Points Championship winner:
Richard Palmer - JPK 1010 Jangada (GBR) with co-skippers Rupert Holmes & Jeremy Waitt © Rich Bowen Photography
2022 RORC Yacht of the Year + Season's Points Championship winner:
Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 Jangada - racing Two-Handed with co-skippers Jeremy Waitt/Rupert Holmes:
Winning the RORC Season's Points Championship is an achievement desired by any serious offshore sailor. The Overall winner of the 2022 championship, lifting the Jazz Trophy was Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 Jangada, which was raced Two-Handed with two co-skippers during the season; Jeremy Waitt and Rupert Holmes.
Jangada completed 12 races, accumulating a massive haul of points for overall victory. But perhaps the best indicator of Jangada's performance was that the team was victorious in two classes, IRC Two-Handed and IRC Three, where the winner is decided by the best five races in the series. Jangada was also the winner of a new trophy; The Gordon Applebey Trophy for the best six races in IRC Overall.
In IRC Three with 71 entries, Jangada narrowly beat Sun Fast 3200 Cora, raced by Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews. Cora's impressive season was rewarded with The Assuage Trophy. Mike Yate's J/109 JAGO was third. In IRC Two-Handed with 99 teams, runner-up to Jangada was Cora and third was Sun Fast 3300 Chilli Pepper, raced by Jim & Ellie Driver.
Jangada's ambitious resolve to win the RORC Season's Points Championship started in 2018 when Richard Palmer and Jeremy Waitt narrowly missed out in their first attempt, thwarted by rig failure in their final race. In 2020, after a superb start with an overall win in the RORC Transatlantic Race, the pandemic took away any chance of winning. This year, Jangada sealed off an immense season with the overall win under IRC for the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race.
"Five years ago, we set out to win the Jazz Trophy but we had no idea where this campaign was going to lead us," commented Richard Palmer. "Finally, this year has exceeded all our expectations, winning the Championship overall and winning the RORC Yacht of the Year. A massive thank you to my co-skippers for their huge commitment, and to our families and friends that have supported us on this fabulous journey."
