Admiral’s Cup | Update June 2024

The quest has begun...

The return of the 2025 Admiral’s Cup is just over a year away and official entry opens on July 1^st 2024. The allure of one of the sport’s most coveted trophies has already attracted interest from famous yacht clubs around the world. The Royal Ocean Racing Club is preparing for a breathtaking event of hi-tech racing starting on the 17^th of July 2025.

The Admiral's Cup © Matthew Dickens/RORC

Described as the Holy Grail of offshore yacht racing, the 22-year hiatus to challenge for the Admiral’s Cup has only deepened the desire to win the famous trophy.

With the Notice of Race issued in April 2024, expressions of interest in competing for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup have been received from: Australia, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States of America.

Please be aware that team updates are a snap-shot of information available for RORC publication. The Royal Ocean Racing Club is aware of several boats in build for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup, and also teams that have not given clearance to make their interest public at this time.

RP60 Wild Oats © Rick Tomlinson

Australia
Australian teams have competed in the Admiral’s Cup since 1965. The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC), winner in 2003, is the holder of the Admiral’s Cup. Last year, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club held a grand celebration commemorating 20 years since the team won the trophy, and declared their interest to defend the Admiral’s Cup in 2025. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has also confirmed their interest. The 2025 Admiral’s Cup is likely to feature two or more teams from Australia for the first time in the event’s history. Australia has won the Admiral’s Cup on three occasions: 1967, 1979 and in 2003 with the RPAYC team of Wild Oats and Aftershock winning the celebrated trophy.

Austria
For the 2025 edition, August Schram’s ClubSwan 50 Stella Maris is an expression of interest sailing under the burgee of Union Yacht Club Wolfgangsee, situated on Lake Wolfgang in Salzburg. Stella Maris’ recent success include winning the 2023 ClubSwan 50 European Championship. Teams from Austria have previously competed in the Admiral’s Cup in 1971, 1977, 1983, 1985 and 1987.

Infiniti 52 Tulikettu © Tim Wright/RORC

Finland
Finland first appeared in the Admiral’s Cup in 1967 and also competed in 1969 and 1973. For the 2025 Admiral’s Cup, Finland is back after a 52-year hiatus represented by Arto Linnervuo’s Tulikettu Racing Team. The long-term goal of the team is to be the first all-Finnish crew to win RORC’s most legendary and important offshore races. Team leader Linnervuo will skipper the Infiniti 52 Tulikettu, which is one of the world’s most advanced grand-prix racing yachts, sporting DSS side-foils and all carbon-fibre build.

MND54 Teasing Machine © Rick Tomlinson/RORC

France
Past RORC Vice-Commodore Eric De Turckheim was Chair for the RORC Programme & Race Committee when the Admiral’s Cup was announced last year. De Turckheim’s NMD 54 Teasing Machine was in sparkling form for 2023, including winning the RORC Transatlantic Race, runner-up in the RORC Caribbean 600 and placing second overall for the RORC Season’s Points Championship. After competing in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart, Teasing Machine is back racing with the RORC for the 2024 season. Gilles Caminade’s Ker 40 Chenapan 4 is an expression of interest for Admiral’s Cup IRC 2. Chenapan 4 was the 2020 UNCL IRC Mediterranean champion and skipper Caminade is a veteran of the Rolex Fastnet Race. UNCL represented France in the 2003 Admiral’s Cup, finishing fifth.

France has a long history in the Admiral’s Cup competing in 19 editions. However, it was not until the 18^th edition in 1991 that France won the Admiral’s Cup. The 1991 French team was Saphir, Rubis and Diament, beating the Italian team by less than one point.

Fast40+ X-Day (Ex-Silver Neo) © Rick Tomlinson/RORC

Germany
German teams competed in every edition of the Admiral’s Cup from 1963 to 1999. For 2025, the famous Hamburg yacht club, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) has confirmed their interest in racing. Team Ginkgo Bandits has been formed as Carl-Peter Forster’s TP52 Red Bandit and Dirk Clasen’s Humphreys 39 Ginkgo. Sailing Team Imagine from the Regatta Verein Greifswald is also confirmed as an expression of interest with the TP52 Imagine owned by the Streckenbach Family and Fast 40+ X-Day owned by Walter Watermann.

Germany is the second most successful nation in the history of the Admiral’s Cup winning on four occasions in 1973, 1983, 1985 and 1993. The last victory was by a quarter of a point from Australia. The winning German team was Pinta, Rubin XII and Container.

Carkeek 45 Ino Noir © Tim Wright/RORC

Great Britain
British interest in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup is substantial with multiple teams expected. Past RORC Commodore James Neville was one of the leading protagonists for the return of the Admiral’s Cup and his Carkeek 45 Ino Noir fits into Admiral’s Cup IRC 1. Team Lion is an expression of interest from a group of world-class grand-prix sailors, including Matt Cornwell who is a four-time America’s Cup sailor and winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Sydney Hobart. “The aim is helping to win back this iconic trophy for Great Britain for the first time in over 35 years,” commented Cornwell.

With nine Admiral’s Cup victories, Great Britain is the most successful nation in the history of the competition. Great Britain last won the Admiral’s Cup in 1989 with Jamarella, Juno IV and Indulgence VII.

Hong Kong
Karl Kwok’s TP52 Beau Geste is now based in Cowes and is currently looking at options for a sistership to race in Admiral’s Cup IRC 2. Team Manager is Gavin Brady who has competed in six America’s Cups, the Whitbread, the Volvo Ocean Race, the 2000 Olympics, the Grand Prix Circuit and a host of world championship races. Beau Geste competed in the 2024 GBR IRC Nationals and will be competing in the IRC European Championship later this month. Hong Kong’s Admiral’s Cup debut was in 1975, followed by 1977, 1979, and 1981.

Ireland
The Royal Irish Yacht Club have indicated that they intend to enter a team for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup. According to past Admiral’s Cup skipper Mark Mansfield in Afloat.ie: “An RIYC member has recently bought a Ker 46 which would fit the upper rating band,” Mark Mansfield continues; “and a modern Fast 40+ or better still a Performance 40 to challenge for the lower size band. The Admiral’s Cup is not your average sailing silverware – it’s pure gold in every sense.”

Ireland has a rich history competing in the Admiral's Cup; 13 editions dating back to 1965. Although an Irish team has never won the glittering golden trophy, Ireland came very close in 1979. Leading the regatta going into the tragic Fastnet Race, two of the Irish teams broke their rudders ending their challenge for victory. In 1981 and 1987, Irish boats were top scorers in the Admiral’s Cup for the Fastnet Race, but the trophy has eluded them.

Ker 43 Baraka GP © Paul Wyeth/RORC

Netherlands
The Dutch Offshore Sailing Team was one of the first teams to form for the Admiral’s Cup. Composed of Ker 43 Baraka GP and Ker 46 ROST Van Uden, they will compete under the flag of the Royal Maas Yacht Club. Baraka GP, sailed by the De Graaf family, has competed in seven editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race and has already competed in two RORC Offshore Races this season. ROST Van Uden is a youth team (Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team) skippered by Gerd-jan Poortman, who was part of the Dutch Admiral’s Cup winning team in 1999. ROST Van Uden competed in last month’s North Sea Race, winning the big boat IRC Zero Class. Both Baraka GP and ROST Van Uden will be based in Cowes this season to rack up racing miles in 2024. A Dutch team first raced in the Admiral’s Cup in 1959 and in consecutive editions until 1993. The victorious 1999 winning Dutch team, after 40 decades of attempts, was Mean Machine, Trust Computer Products and Innovision 7.

New Zealand
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron have formally expressed their interest in “Joining the Admiral’s Cup fleet for a fabulous event in 2025”. Teams from New Zealand have competed in seven editions of the Admiral’s Cup since 1971. However, it was not until 1987 that New Zealand recorded their one and only win with Propaganda, Goldcorp and Kiwi taking victory.

United States of America
A significant number of teams from the USA are expected to race for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup. The New York Yacht Club has declared that they intend to enter multiple teams. NYYC member Jon Desmond is currently campaigning a Mills 41Final Final, but is in negotiations to buy a PAC 52, and his interest in competing in the Admirals Cup remains strong. TP52 Fox, owned by Victor Wild, is intent on competing but as yet has not confirmed under which club burgee, including the New York Yacht Club, San Diego Yacht Club and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The USA has won the Admiral’s Cup three times: 1961, 1969 and most recently in 1997 when Flash Gordon 3, MK Café and Jameson triumphed.

Expressions of Interest
RORC member Stefan Jentzsch is expected to be at the helm of Botin 56 Black Pearl, which would be the largest and highest rated boat in Admiral’s Cup IRC 1. Jentzsch hails from Germany and also a member of the NYYC and is open to all options.

Spanish/British based RORC member Per Roman is originally from Sweden and has entered his JPK 1180 Garm as an expression of interest for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup.

Jock Wishart commented that the Celtic Team (holders of the last Commodores' Cup) have expressed an interest in competing in the 2025 Admiral's Cup and are currently in discussions with different owners.

Entry for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup opens on July 1^st 2024. For on-line registration and more information:

Official 2025 Admiral’s Cup Notice Board.