RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race – Tactical Battle to Land’s End

Twenty-four hours into the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, the fleet is stretched along the English Channel and approaching the next major strategic test to round Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly.

Johnny Vincent’s Volvo 70 Pace leads on the water, racing at around eight knots and taking a more inshore line towards Land’s End.

Behind, Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 56 Varuna 6 and Antoine Magre’s Mach 50 Palanad 4 have taken a more offshore route and appear to have made gains as the leading trio close on the south-west tip of England.

The next major decision concerns the Traffic Separation Scheme exclusion zones around the Isles of Scilly. After that, Bishop Rock must be left to starboard, and Pace appears to be positioning for the route through the separation zones, while Varuna 6 and Palanad 4 currently look more likely to head south of them.

Behind the leaders, the Class40 fleet is tightly grouped.

Penfret, Swift and Gambit are making similar speeds and are expected to round The Lizard in the coming hours. Graeme Lewis’s Maxi Venomous is also locked into the same battle, while the Volvo 60 Challenge Ocean continues to make strong progress close behind.

RORC Round Britain Leaderboard – Tuesday 11 Sept 11:00 hrs