With its new format and course recently announced, the RB&I entry list is to open on Good Friday.
Commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club, Chris Arscott, said, “The new format now allows for either double-Handed or 4-handed crews.
"As the RWYC was the first club to introduce shorthanded offshore racing in the world, it is in our DNA to continue to develop and support this discipline.
"We are introducing a 4-handed class to offer a step change from fully crewed to perhaps tempt others to join the ever-growing double handed and solo racing world.
"Partial crew changes are also allowed in each stopover, allowing for more crews to enjoy this amazing race, if not in its entirety but to be part of a Round Britain and Ireland team.”
The course has also been revised to 3 stop overs which will offer a more balanced, accessible race both to the sailors and supporters alike. From starting in Plymouth, the venues have been announced as Galway, Lerwick and Blyth.
The compulsory stopovers will remain at a minimum of 48 hours allowing crews to rest, repair, replace (whether that be kit or crew), refuel and finally return in top shape to take on their next leg.
Lastly, the race will do away with IRC certified handicaps and will instead revert to class splits on Length overall.
Race Director, Adrian Gray said, “Besides crew work, navigation is key to success in these races, so we are moving away from the IRC mentality and returning to our original format of classes based on Length over all as well as multihull and of course Monohull.
"It is a format that we feel will attract real interest. We are also balancing the course to make the race more accessible, more comfortable and less of a time draw to the teams generally.
"We have also received some interest from the 2 handed Olympic offshore hopefuls to join us. After all, this is a race of 4 stages, all of similar leg lengths to that which will be on offer in FRANCE2024.”
The race starts on the 29th May, 2022. Spaces are limited so do not hesitate in getting in touch with the RWYC team and express your interest to enter on [email protected]
