Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

RORC North Sea Race - Extra Djinn triumph

by Louay Habib / RORC 12 May 2024 16:23 UTC 10-11 May 2024
Start of the 2024 RORC North Sea Race © RHYC Vice Commodore Mark Dean

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's North Sea Race is hosted by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club in association with the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association, the Yacht Club Scheveningen and the North Sea Regatta.

The RORC North Sea Race dates back almost 80 years, the 2024 edition had 53 boats racing from Harwich to Scheveningen. The overall winner under IRC was Michel Dorsman's X-362 Extra Djinn, second was J/122 Ajeto! raced double handed by Robin Verhoef & John van der Starre. Third overall was Willem Ellemeet's Dufour 40 Flying Dolphin.

Congratulations to all of the Class Winners including Frederic de Visser's VO65 NextGen, Ker 46 ROST Van Uden, skippered by Gerd-jan Poortman, Otto Waterlander's Swan 45 Emotions, and Will & Jenny Taylor-Jones S&S 40 Sunstone.

The RORC Race Team set a course of approximately 148 nautical miles for the North Sea Race via Smith's Knoll Buoy. The start was delayed by one hour waiting for the wind to stabilize. The vast majority of the race was held in a cold easterly gradient breeze, upwind in foggy conditions across the North Sea. Thankfully the sun shone for the prize-giving at the Yacht Club Scheveningen!

The overall winner under IRC, Michel Dorsman's Extra Djinn, says victory came as a very pleasant surprise.

"It's a young team and most of us have been sailing together for just a few years now, so winning the North Sea Race is fantastic!" commented Michel. "We started well, but after we rounded Smith Knoll the fog was pretty thick. We didn't know how we were doing against the other boats and steering was difficult in low visibility. The team did very well to keep us on course. This has been a great start to our season, as last month, some of the team won class at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta. We will definitely be celebrating with a cold beer after the prize-giving in Scheveningen!"

Last year's overall winner was runner-up this year. J/122 Ajeto! raced by Robin Verhoef & John van der Starre also won IRC Two and IRC Two-handed.

"We got to the start early to check the current and found a big gain in shallow water, that worked out perfectly," said John van der Starre. "We had a good lead at the first mark and that makes it easier because we were free to make our own decisions. The forecast was not always correct, but we could see the faster boats on AIS, so we could adjust our own course to stay on the right side of shifts. Across the North Sea we had up to 15 knots of wind and Ajeto! goes very well in that. Well done to Extra Djinn, they sailed really well and made some very good decisions."

The Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team (ROST) are young sailors racing Ker 46 ROST Van Uden, skippered by Volvo Ocean Race veteran Gerd-jan Poortman, they have an exciting race programme over the next two years. For the North Sea Race, ROST Van Uden won IRC Zero and was second across the line to VO65 NextGen, which took Line Honours.

"We pretty much won the start and we are happy with the performance, we had a good race," commented Poortman. "About 95% of the track was upwind and our boat's IRC rating takes in how fast we are downwind, so it was difficult to sail to our rating. We didn't have many options but we sailed well, the boat was up to speed and sail changes were fine. This is the first big event of the year, next will be the inshore North Sea Regatta. After that, ROST Van Uden will sail to Cowes for the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week and the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup. We have a nice season for 2024, which is all part of our build up to the 2025 Admiral's Cup." Concluded Poortman.

The RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the De Guingand Bowl Race starting from Cowes on May 18th. The flexi-course of about 110 nautical miles will start and finish in The Solent. The De Guingand Bowl Race is also the first race of the 2024 IRC Two-Handed National Championship.

2024 North Sea Race Results

For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: www.rorc.org

Related Articles

The call of the mighty
See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action, braving the elements, and glory for the victorious. As an Australian, you have King Louie (the late Lou Abrahams), and the late Sir Jim Hardy as the poster boys. Posted on 1 Jun
2025 North Sea Race
Wind farms, whiskers, winning moves After time correction, Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing double-handed with co-skipper RORC Commodore Deb Fish, was the winner by just 53 seconds after 22 hours of racing. Posted on 1 Jun
2025 Offshore Double Handed Worlds preview
Global competition and an iconic venue The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in collaboration with Cap-Regatta and supported by Lorient Grand Large, The Yacht Club de France and Jeanneau, is proud to host the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championship. Posted on 29 May
Admiral's Cup: La Dolce Vita meets the Haka
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches assault for the Admiral's Cup Giovanni Lombardi Stronati has entered two boats for the 2025 Admiral's Cup that will be competing under the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS). Posted on 29 May
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 - NoR published
Charting a new course west to a spectacular finish in Antigua, West Indies The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France, is delighted to announce the publication of the Notice of Race and the opening of online entry for the 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race. Posted on 29 May
CYCA team to take best shot at the Admiral's Cup
The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black during the Admiral's Cup to be held in Cowes from the Isle of Wight from 17 July - 1 August. Posted on 28 May
RORC Myth of Malham concludes
French mastery and family firepower light up the podium First held in 1958, the Myth of Malham Race has built a rich legacy for more than six decades of offshore racing. The 2025 edition proudly joins the ranks of its most memorable chapters. Posted on 27 May
RORC Myth of Malham preview
Part of IRC Two-Handed National Championship and Cowes Offshore Racing Series The 2025 RORC Myth of Malham Race is set to be a thrilling chapter in offshore sailing, marking the sixth event in the RORC Season's Points Championship—the world's largest offshore racing series. Posted on 20 May
Amp-lifi leads the charge in RORC De Guingand Bowl
Round 1 of the IRC Two-Handed National Championship The RORC De Guingand Bowl Race marked the fifth race of the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship—the world's largest offshore racing series. It also served as Round One of the IRC Two-Handed National Championship. Posted on 19 May
The appeal of offshore
Is there still appeal? Have we made it too onerous? Why would someone take it up now? I had been pondering. Yes. Marquee events have no issue attracting entrants. Middle Sea, Transpac, Cape to Rio, Fastnet, and Hobart all spring to mind instantly, but what of the ‘lesser' races? Lots of boats in pens (slips) a lot of the time Posted on 18 May
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER