Rolex Commodores' Cup

First held in 1992, the Rolex Commodores' Cup is an international offshore regatta for three-boat national teams. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, this biennial event is held over seven days in Cowes.

The competition is designed to test the teams over a variety of inshore and offshore courses. Member National Authorities must endorse team challenges and strict nationality rules apply to the crew, along with limitations on the number of professionals allowed on each boat. Such is the competitive nature of the racing that more often than not the title is only decided on the last day.

A total of six nations and 15 teams were competing this year, that's two up from 2006. The participation of Spain and Hong Kong was particularly welcomed and, alongside the strong, multiple challenges from Ireland, France, The Netherlands, and the UK, participants and spectators were guaranteed some intense action on the water. Following a review of the 2006 event, RORC instituted some changes to the racing format for this year, including a round the Isle of Wight course as part of the offshore component and positioning a double points inshore course as the last race of the series.

Preparation pays off for the GBR Read team

After eight days of exciting encounters and adventurous advancements, the GBR Red team of John Shepherd's Fair Do's VII, Jerry Otter's Erivale III, and Peter Rutter's Quokka 7, proved that preparation is everything by winning the Rolex Commodores' Cup in emphatic style.

While the GBR Red team started the final day with a comfortable lead, a double points scoring final race combined with a front passing over the Solent bringing with it solid 30 knot winds, even stronger gusts, rain and terrible visibility maintained the tension until the very last moments of the competition.

In the end John Shepherd's big boat, Fair Do's VII made it around the race course cleanly to post a second place behind Anthony O'Leary's Antix Eile in Ireland White, while the two smaller GBR Red boats, Jerry Otter's Erivale III and Peter Rutter's Quokka 7 had a much harder time in their classes, the mid-boat finishing ninth and the small boat coming home fourth. But overall the results were good enough for GBR Red to win the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup comfortably, on 122 points with the two Irish teams White and Green on 144 and 161 respectively, pulling ahead of France Blue, the defending champions dropping to fourth on 166.5.

"This is the fifth event we have done," said Shepherd. "The standard has increased dramatically, even over the last two years. It is a much more serious event. It has also been a very cheerful event too, especially the camaraderie among the teams."

The turns left Quokka 7 trailing the fleet but the crew pulled out all the stops for the remainder of the race. "We flew the kite on the first run and took off and ground our way back. You could feel the Rolex Commodores' Cup eeking away from us at that stage. And the boys kept going and kept going and there was enough race left in it." Impressively over the course of the race Quokka 7 sailed up the fleet from last to finish third on the water.

Overcoming trials and tribulations

Jerry Otter's team also managed to squeeze through the final day despite encountering its own set of problems. "We went through a gybe and broached out and had to recover from that - we were on our side," recounted Otter. "On the second run, the halyard slipped and it dropped about 20 feet. So just two bad things in the same day: one was a failure of equipment, the other was our own mistake. But that's how it goes."

Otherwise Otter was jubilant about GBR Red's result and personally his second Rolex Commodores' Cup victory: "It's fantastic news - wonderful, and the second time. I am very pleased for the guys. It would have been nice to have won it in style, but we'd got the points in the bag previously and we'd all worked very hard all week and we knew that as the middle boat we just had to support the other two. So we feel we have done what we set out to do."

Retirements, revelry and results

Despite leaving the windiest wind race until last, the 30 knot near gale-force conditions proved too much for many of the competitors, with five boats in Class One along having to retire. Worst hit was the Netherlands White small boat Slainte which was dismasted. But most boats retired with boom or sail damage, sustained during the large number of wipe-outs today. Even defending champion Gery Trentesaux fell victim to gear failure when the end of Lady Courrier's boom broke on the first run.

"Congratulations to the English," said Trentesaux. "They sailed very well and were a level ahead. I think we were perhaps too late. We are 13 on board but we should have been 13 big guys to be faster! I am sorry for the French team. I don't like to break my boat, but I know that it is life, it is part of the game. We are very lucky but we weren't lucky today. "The French were happy to be here and there was a good atmosphere. The RORC perfectly organised the championship and it gets better and better every time. The relations were good between teams."

Within the three Classes the top scoring boats were Anthony O'Leary's Antix Eile on a very impressive 24 points to second placed Fair Do's VII on 45 in Class One, while in Class Two, Kees Kaan's ROARK/Claus en Kaan Architecten held a similar lead over Eamonn Rohan's Blondie IV. But it was in Class Three that there was the closest finished, Quokka 7 squeezing ahead of Jamie McWilliam's well-sailed Hong Kong boat Yeoman of Wight by just half a point.

The prize giving was held this evening at the Royal Yacht Squadron where the winning GBR Red team were presented with the Rolex Commodores' Cup trophy and three steel and gold Rolex Submariner chronometers.

The next Rolex Commodores' Cup will be held in 2010.

Top Six Teams - Provisional Overall Positions:

Team / Points / Place
GBR Red / 122 / 1
Ireland White/ 144 / 2
Ireland Green / 161 / 3
France Blue / 166.5/4
Hong Kong / 180.5/ 5
Netherlands Red/ 206 / 6

Please click here to view the results in full on the official Rolex Commodores' Cup website.

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