Taking On the Ultimate Marathon: The 2026 Round Britain & Ireland Race on Palanad 4
Date: August 9, 2026
Event: RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race (50th Anniversary Edition)
Distance: 1,805 Nautical Miles (Non-stop)
The countdown is officially on. On August 9th, I’ll be lining up in the Solent for what is widely considered the absolute pinnacle of offshore seamanship: the RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race.
At 1,805 nautical miles, it’s roughly three times the distance of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Marking its 50th anniversary edition this year, this race is notorious for a reason, it’s a brutal, relentless ocean marathon.
The Course & The Intensity
Starting and finishing in Cowes, the course sends us clockwise around the entirety of the British Isles and Ireland:
West across the Irish Sea and past Land's End.
Up the exposed, swell-pounded Atlantic Coast of Ireland.
Far north to 59°N past St. Kilda and rounding Muckle Flugga in the Shetland Islands. The northernmost tip of the course where wild Atlantic weather can hit hard.
Down through the treacherous, shallow shoals and tidal gates of the North Sea, navigating around windfarms and dense shipping lanes through the Straits of Dover before the final sprint back to the Solent.
Unlike single ocean crossings where you can set a course and settle into a groove, this race is a continuous tactical battle. We’ll be managing endless tidal gates, violent weather shifts, complex coastline hazards, and potentially cold conditions in the far north. It’s up to 10 days of pure endurance.
The Weapon: Palanad 4
I couldn't be more excited about the ride for this edition. I’m racing on Palanad 4, a custom 50-foot scow-bow (Mach 50) designed by the legend Sam Manuard and built by JPS Production.
If you’ve been following offshore racing news lately, you know Palanad 4 has been turning heads worldwide. She’s a total game changer on the IRC circuit, combining a radical, wide scow bow, canting keel, and asymmetric daggerboards.
Because of her ultra-wide, low-slung nose, she planes insanely early and stays remarkably dry and flat even while tearing down waves at 20+ knots. She’s already proven her speed by claiming overall IRC victory in the RORC Transatlantic Race, and recently her Agean 600 win. Bringing a boat with this level of raw power and innovation to a track as demanding as Round Britain & Ireland is going to be incredible.
How I’m Feeling Heading Into It
Honestly? A mix of total focus, respect for the track, and pure adrenaline.
You don't take a race like this lightly. The northern latitudes don't care how fast or futuristic your boat is, the North Atlantic and North Sea will test every piece of gear and every ounce of mental resilience we have. Sleep will be minimal, physical loads will be huge, and the margin for error is thin.
At the same time, line-honours potential on a machine like Palanad 4 is what every offshore sailor dreams of. The boat thrives when pushed hard in breeze, and if the weather gives us the right downwind angles, we are in for one wild, high-speed ride around the UK.
How to follow the race:
I’ll post a link to the live yellowbrick tracker right here on the blog as we get closer to August 9th. Thanks as always for the support, time to go line up!