Cowes Dinard St Malo Race 2024: a challenging race across the Channel

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s St Malo Race, otherwise known as the The Cowes – Dinard – St Malo Race, is a classic 150nm course which owes its popularity to both its legacy and the varied, challenging conditions it offers up.

This year’s edition, which started on Friday 5 July 2024 from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight, saw over 100 boats enter and over 500 sailors take part. It certainly lived up to its reputation with some heavy weather and conditions to challenge even the most seasoned sailors.

Three of the entries were Clipper Events yachts led by professional skippers and mates, and crewed by adventurers with a range of sailing experience.

Sarah Puntan Galea was new to sailing and decided to take part in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race with Clipper Events as a precursor to taking on the Clipper Race. She says: “I decided to do this before my Clipper Race Level 1 training to experience what a race entails and to go in with eyes wide open.

“Being a beginner, I was quite apprehensive but the skipper was amazing and so calm and our first mate was really good at instructing too. There was always someone watching what I was doing, so I felt I could have a go. If I was too slow or I wasn’t quite getting it, someone would come over and help me. Nobody ever said ‘you got it wrong’ or ‘don’t do it that way’ or shouted, I was constantly guided to learn by doing which I think is the best way. I felt safe all the time, we were constantly told to clip on. In addition to the Skipper and Mates, the more experienced crew were also great and so willing to help.”

When asked if her experience has affirmed her decision to take part in the Clipper Race, she said: “If you asked me yesterday, it was so rough and I was a bit seasick, I would have said ‘no, I’m never sailing again!’ but today, I’m smiling and excited to get on with my Level 1. It’s probably the unusual way around but I have found it really helpful to have some insight into what a race is like. It was just a wonderful experience and I’m really glad I did it.”

The Clipper Events teams, CV3 Adventurous , CV7 Curious and CV2 Ambitious, were also formed of crew with previous sailing experience and the heavy weather certainly put their skills to the test.

Leonie Mann explained: “The race has been really adventurous. I have done a lot of cruising around the med but that’s very different to anything like this. Firstly, we were hit with some quite tough conditions which made it all the more exciting but very challenging. It was really nice to be on board the boat with the crew, everyone chipped in together and we pulled together as a team.”

Kathy Sheehan previously took part in the Clipper 2017-18 Race as part of the HotelPlanner.com team. A familiar face to Clipper Ventures, it was brilliant to welcome her back to take part. Despite ocean racing experience under her belt, the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race was no easy ride. She commented: “It was adventurous to say the least! Some of us had sailed together in the Clipper Race and some of us did the RORC Rolex Fastnet together last year, too. We also had a few new people who hadn’t sailed before and they slotted right in. It was a really great weekend.”

Despite best efforts all round, CV2 Ambitious was forced to retire due to steerage issues. The skipper on board, Guy Waites, fitted an emergency steering and the team returned safely to Gosport.

Cowes Dinard St Malo is one of the Clipper Events Iconic Races series which opens up the world of yacht racing to allow those with an adventurous streak the chance to compete in world-renowned races, lining up against some of the leading names in sailing, on board purpose-built offshore racing fleets of 68 and 70-foot yachts.

The next race in the series is the Knox-Johnston Cup, a highly tactical circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight with all the favourite extra features used in the Clipper Race – sprints, scoring gates and joker cards at the ready! This year, it takes place on 28-29 September. Find out more via the Knox-Johnston Cup page.