After nearly two weeks and 600 miles, the YM Celtic Triangle race 2025 reached a successful conclusion in the early hours of Thursday 19 June.

The short, 100-mile leg from Tréguier in Brittany back across the Pendennis line in Falmouth Harbour was something of a sprint for the 28 boats still racing who had previous sailed legs of 190 and 300 miles from Falmouth to Kinsale and from Kinsale to Tréguier.

The leg began in calm conditions and heavy fog, making it difficult for the fleet to see each other and other vessels using the narrow river entrance. On the suggestion of the fleet, the race committee agreed to move the start line outside the river entrance, and changed a fixed start time to a half-hour window for yachts to cross the line next to the Basse Crublent buoy before reporting their start time to the race committee so that elapsed times could be calculated at the finish. 

Once underway the fog bank cleared rapidly, giving way to a light south easterly and bright sunshine, allowing the fleet to hoist spinnakers and head straight for Falmouth in champagne conditions.

The finish for most came in the early hours of the morning, with Il Corvo, the JPK 1030 of Roeland Franssens and Astrid de Vin the first boat across the line at 0254, followed 54 seconds later (after nearly 15 hours of racing) by Oliver Grogono and Simon Bamford aboard Sunfast 3300 Kestrel. Division two was won by Tom Dunstan sailing solo aboard his Sunfast 3200 Little Wing, crossing the line five minutes later, with another Sunfast 3200 Graciosa, sailed by Pierre Garoche in second place.

Among the cruisers, Gary Heward and Russell Hawkins were again first aboard aboard Maxi 1100 AmyLou, followed by Alistair Cooke sailing solo on Sundance, his Sigma 36, and Tim Stevenson and Bill Darley on Rustler 37 Andrillot II.

Kathy Claydon, skipper of Arcona 370 Arcsine, said:

‘It was really difficult to see the other boats in the fog at the start and I didn’t want to hang around there. The race committee have been fantastic at listening to the competitors, and when we suggested that the start line was moved at short notice out of the river, and to change to a start window, they were happy to listen and made a decision quickly. Not all race committees are so flexible, and it has helped make the event really enjoyable.’

With all three legs complete, elapsed times for each leg were compiled to give overall results, with awards given at a prizegiving lunch on Friday 20 June on the terrace of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club overlooking Falmouth harbour. Following their dominant performance, first place went to Roeland Franssens and Astrid de Vin sailing JPK 1030 Il Corvo, second to Dave Butters and Ian Braham aboard JPK 1010 Joy, and third place went father and daughter team Donal O’Halloran and Roisin O’Halloran aboard Sunfire, their Sunfast 3200 R2.

Class 1 was won by the Il Corvo crew and class two by the crew of Joy, while class three went to Gary Heward and Russell Hawkins aboar Maxi 1100 AmyLou, closely followed by Andrillot II (Rustler 37, Tim Stevenson and Bill Darley) and Dark Horse (Mustang 30, Robert McGregor).

There were also awards for:

• Lowest aggregate corrected time – Il Corvo
• First mixed crew – Il Corvo
• Ancient mariners (a crew with a combined age over 120) – Joy
• Newcomer – Donal O’Halloran and Roisin O’Halloran
• Young Sailor (under 30 years of age) – Oliver Grogono
• Personal Contribution to the Event – Kuba Szymanski (Polished Manx) for always being willing to help and encourage his fellow competitors on the water and in harbour
• Perseverance – Ossian, with Tim Greenaway and Steve Leigh for their refusal to retire before the finish in the light airs at the end of leg 2
• Commitment – Ventura and David Faucher for taking part in the slowest boat and maintaining his sang froid throughout)

The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club hosted a fantastic event, and both veteran Triangle racers, newcomers to offshore racing, and battle-hardened racers from the Solo Offshore Racing Club and the UK Double-Handed Offshore Series all agreed that the event had been thoroughly enjoyable, and that despite the differences in yachts participating, a real shared spirit had grown amongst the fleet. 

The event was generously supported by Hyde Sails, Salcombe Gin, Penrose Sailmakers, and Taylor Money Ltd as well as Yachting Monthly. 

Organisers are planning to run the event again next year, before resuming alternating years, bringing it into sync with other offshore events such as the Azores and Back (AZAB) race, for which leg two will remain a qualifying passage. The club will be looking for a headline sponsor to help maximise the potential of this unique event.

There are plans to include an additional ‘Cruiser’ class for boats that do not have an IRC rating. While they would have the same safety requirements, boats may race under the less onerous YTC cruiser racer handicap system.