By World Sailing
Lorient Grand Large, Yacht Club de France and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) will host the 2024 Double Handed World Offshore Championship as a fleet of Sun Fast 30 One Design takes to the water off the coast of Brittany in September 2024.
The 2024 Double Handed World Offshore Championship will be a mixed event run jointly between three organisations, each bringing their expertise to deliver the event. Lorient Grand Large will assume the leadership role for the organising group, while RORC will deliver the race management and Yacht Club de France will bring their network of volunteers and control of the one-design rules.
The agreement with World Sailing covers three World Championships, with the event moving to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight in 2025, and then to a venue to be confirmed in 2026.
David Graham, World Sailing CEO, said, “Offshore racing is a priority in World Sailing’s ambitions to grow the sport globally. The explosive growth in Double Handed Offshore racing in recent years has been very exciting for the sport overall. The Sun Fast 30 One Design has the potential to be the ideal class to fulfil our goal of making the event accessible to amateurs, professionals, and a new generation of offshore racers from all over the world.
“This is a really exciting event concept and, in time, it will make this part of the sport more accessible, sustainable and environmentally-friendly. My thanks go to the event partners, and the Oceanic and Offshore Committee under the leadership of Matt Allen for making this happen.”
A collaboration between Jeanneau and Multiplast, the fleet of Sun Fast 30 One Design will be supplied by Cap Regatta. It is one of the first production model sailboats built from a recyclable resin, which highlights the latest developments in sustainable boat building. The Sun Fast 30 One Design is an affordable one design boat with confirmed worldwide orders of over 40 boats to be produced in 2024. It is comparable with the majority of double-handed boats around the globe, meaning it will be accessible to sailors already accustomed to double handed offshore racing. The selection of the boat and the event organisers was the result of a World Sailing tender process endorsed by the Oceanic and Offshore Committee as the expert World Sailing Committee.
Lorient Grand Large has been a centre of excellence for competitive sailing since 1997. It is home to elite level teams in the Ultim, IMOCA and Ocean 50 classes, as well as the Mini 6.50, Figaro, Class40. The venue has hosted several major events in recent years, including The Ocean Race, Solitaire du Figaro, and the Retour à La Base.
About Lorient Grand Large
Lorient Grand Large was created by Lorient Agglomération – the regional authority in Lorient – in 2010 to support offshore sailors and stage offshore events. It brings together multiple stakeholders in the region and has successfully hosted events including the Ocean Race, La Solitaire du Figaro, the Globe 40, the Retour à La Base and the Plastimo Lorient Mini 6.50.
About Yacht Club de France
Born from the 2022 merger of the UNCL and the Yacht Club de France, the Yacht Club de France is open to all those who are concerned with the development of offshore racing. The first club affiliated to the French Sailing Federation, the Yacht Club de France has more than 650 members. Together with the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the UNCL created the Channel Handicap System, a forerunner of today’s International Rating Certificate.
About the Royal Ocean Racing Club
Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is best known for the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral’s Cup. RORC organises the largest annual series of offshore races in the world from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas in the Solent.
RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. With the first race in 2009, the RORC Caribbean 600, based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success. RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014. The Roschier Baltic Sea Race was established in 2022, starting and finishing in Helsinki, Finland.
RORC has 4,000 members and a clubhouse based in St James’ Place, London. After a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes it now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour.
