{"id":82719,"date":"2025-11-03T12:15:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=82719"},"modified":"2025-11-03T12:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:50:55","slug":"the-untold-challenges-of-the-admirals-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/the-untold-challenges-of-the-admirals-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"The Untold Challenges of the Admiral\u2019s Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RORC_AC25_RT_3937-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Crew on Privateer during the Admiral&#039;s Cup\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RORC_AC25_RT_3937-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RORC_AC25_RT_3937-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RORC_AC25_RT_3937-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RORC_AC25_RT_3937.jpg 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Ron O&#8217;Hanley and his teammates on the Cookson 50 <i>Privateer<\/i>, racing and inshore race at the RORC&#8217;s Admiral&#8217;s Cup in 2025.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Rick Tomlinson\/RORC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>For those who have forgotten the Admiral\u2019s Cup, a quick history lesson: The Royal Ocean Racing Club created the regatta back in 1957 and it was the stuff of legends until the event was canned in 2005 after participation waned. In its heyday it was a legendary big-boat showdown with three-boat national teams battling through grueling inshore races before tackling the epic Fastnet Race. As a young reader of <em>Sailing World<\/em> in the 1980s, I remember well the stories and images of this faraway circus of custom raceboats and sponsored teams. There was nothing like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>When American sailor Ron O\u2019Hanley, who has checked off virtually every major offshore race with his 20-year-old canting-keel Cookson 50, first heard about the Admiral\u2019s Cup revival, his decision to participate seemed straightforward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt the time, it seemed like a no-brainer, which was, in retrospect, quite naive,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. \u201cIn the end, it was appropriately a heavy lift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His motivation stemmed partly from his experience chairing the strategy committee of the New York YC board. \u201cI\u2019ve always viewed the club in particular as having a special role in advancing the state of the art of sailing,\u201d he says. \u201cThe idea of this thing coming back and coming back in the form that it was being proposed was quite attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If preparing for your local overnight race is a lot of work, consider the complexity of the Admiral\u2019s Cup. Getting the boat to Europe may actually be the easiest part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stepping up to fly the burgee of the New York YC in this year\u2019s new club versus club Admiral\u2019s Cup format were members Stefan Jentzsch, with his sophisticated Botin 56 <em>Black Pearl<\/em> in the big-boat fleet, and Donald Thinschmidt\u2019s Ker 43 <em>Abracadabra<\/em> with an international crew. O\u2019Hanley initially planned to partner with another club member to fit the Admiral\u2019s Cup\u2019s two-boat scheme, but found this challenging because of what he perceives as a waning interest in distance racing in the United States. Finding a partner where everything aligned never happened. \u201cIt\u2019s a time commitment and financial commitment, not just for the boat owner, but a lot of other people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While his search for an American partner proved unsuccessful, an unexpected opportunity emerged when the Royal Irish YC approached him. As a relatively new member of the club, which he joined after enjoying his offshore sailing experiences in Ireland, O\u2019Hanley instantly appreciated their commitment to the event. \u201cThey lined up a great small boat partner,\u201d he says. That was Tom Kneen\u2019s JPK 11.80 <em>Sunrise<\/em>, overall winner of the windy 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. \u201cTo me, it was as much about supporting this thing and getting it off to a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Royal Irish YC proved invaluable in assembling a competitive team. The Admiral\u2019s Cup requires that each boat include two women and at least one member under the age of 27. \u201cWe used to have members under the age of 27 and now they all have children,\u201d O\u2019Hanley jokes, highlighting the challenge of meeting this requirement for established teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Irish club also helped secure crew members and provided financial assistance to ensure their participation. Their moral encouragement proved significant, too. \u201cI can\u2019t understate the amount of moral support,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. \u201cThem on the dock, them shooting their videos\u2026they sent me a picture of basically what was going on back in the clubhouse watching the starts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine the same impact at any club in America, members rooting for sailing friends faraway, representing on the big stage. It was a missed opportunity for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The beauty of the Admiral\u2019s Cup is that it combines two distinct disciplines: fast-paced inshore buoy racing and complex, current-riddled distance courses. \u201cThe formats couldn\u2019t be more different,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got that inshore stuff\u2026two laps around the course. And then you\u2019ve got what they call \u2018around the cans\u2019 \u2014we would call short navigator\u2019s races around navigational marks\u2014and then finally, obviously, the Fastnet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This variety places significant demands on both boats and crews. \u201cIt puts a lot on the boats and the crews to be able to do all that,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the biathlon of sailing. I think that\u2019s just a great format.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walking the docks at the event in Cowes, England, he was impressed by the evolution of custom designs, particularly the newer TP52s. \u201cThis latest evolution is just amazing,\u201d he says. \u201cThe story used to be that they weren\u2019t great offshore\u2026they\u2019re really highly refined, and they\u2019ve become just much more versatile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was equally impressed by the smaller competitors in the 40-foot range. \u201cWhat really stood out there was just very powerful boats in a small package. They look like a heck of a lot of fun,\u201d he says. \u201cAs I think about next time, I\u2019m not sure whether I\u2019d want to be the big boat guy or the little boat guy if I were to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Privateer<\/em> was notably the oldest boat in Cowes, but still plenty competitive in its conditions. \u201cThe only thing original on the boat is the hull,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. \u201cThe prod has been extended three times. There\u2019s a new rig, new keel, new rudder. We\u2019ve done a lot to the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite its age, the boat\u2014and the crew\u2014delivered when it needed to. \u201cOur two best races were one in heavy conditions and one in the lightest conditions,\u201d O\u2019Hanley says. He does, however, acknowledge that the boat isn\u2019t ideal for the demands of the Admiral\u2019s Cup. \u201cIt\u2019s really not the horse for the course. If I were doing it again, I\u2019d give real thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also heaps praise on the Royal Ocean Racing Club for its comprehensive media push, which he believes American yacht clubs could learn from. \u201cThe video and social media support from the RORC on this, and coverage was a real lesson to all of us,\u201d he says. \u201cThe real-time excitement that got built there, I think was a good lesson for all of us, because it\u2019s a little bit of an uphill climb here in the U.S. on distance sailing. Part of what we need to do is just show the excitement of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, O\u2019Hanley sees potential for increased American involvement in the Admiral\u2019s Cup. \u201cWhat makes the Admiral\u2019s Cup, this format, this location, just so interesting and so challenging is also what makes it so rewarding,\u201d he says. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s just an incredible sense of accomplishment. We certainly would have liked to have done better, and we think we know what we need to do to do better, but there\u2019s just an extraordinary sense of accomplishment when you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next edition is on the calendar for July 2027. That\u2019s plenty of notice, and the RORC reminds us Yanks that, \u201cThe Admiral\u2019s Cup is more than a trophy, it\u2019s the beating heart of international team racing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get the defibrillator, STAT, because time is of the essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re a year out, you may be too late,\u201d O\u2019Hanley advises. \u201cSo, if you\u2019re thinking about it, you ought to be thinking about it now. And I would encourage others to consider it and don\u2019t be put off by the highly professional, purpose-built boats and all that. There are a lot of others in there, and so much of this is about the adequacy of your preparation, optimizing your boat and having the right partner, because it is a team event. It\u2019s about the two of you, not just how the one of you do. Having the right boat makes sense, but it\u2019s really about the preparation you put into it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Admiral&#8217;s Cup returns, challenging sailors worldwide\u2014learn why this matters for offshore racing enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":82718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[3014,177,3053,178],"class_list":["post-82719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-admirals-cup","tag-racing","tag-ron-ohanley","tag-sailboat-racing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}