Diederik Forma’s Dutch JPK 1030 Jetpack, racing double-handed with Martijn Graafmans, secured overall victory in the 2026 North Sea Race after IRC time correction by a margin of 22 minutes and 37 seconds. Rob Craigie’s British Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, raced two-handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish, finished second, while Michel Dorsman’s Dutch MAT 1070 Checkmate took third, a further 16 minutes and 48 seconds behind. Fourth place was claimed by Jan Scholtes’ J/99 Warp 5, just two minutes and five seconds behind Checkmate.
The overall win under IRC was particularly satisfying for Forma, as it marked a reversal from the previous year when Craigie’s Bellino had claimed overall victory by just 53 seconds from Jetpack. The conditions for the 2026 race were steady, with long downwind legs that favoured Jetpack’s strategic configuration choices. Forma expressed his satisfaction not just with the win but with the high level of competition, highlighting the importance of trust and teamwork in double-handed sailing. The victory was particularly special for Forma as it occurred in Scheveningen, their home port, making it a dream come true for the team who had worked towards this goal for years.
The North Sea Race Prize Giving took place at Yacht Club Scheveningen, where Jetpack collected several trophies, including the Goeree Challenge Cup for IRC Overall and the Carter-Ruck Trophy for IRC Three. The race saw significant participation, with 200 sailors, and a notable representation of youth, highlighting RORC’s commitment to fostering new talent in the sport. The event attracted a large age group of 18-25 year-olds, including teams like Van Uden and the RORC Griffin Pathway team, which featured entirely youth crews.
The Dutch Ker 46 Van Uden secured Line Honours in the North Sea Race, completing the course in an elapsed time of 20:22:35. Skippered by van Veen & van Dongen, the young team from the Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team is focused on building experience and preparing for upcoming competitions, including the Admiral’s Cup.
In the IRC 1 category, Hugo Gommers’s Landmark 43 Olympix took the win on corrected time, with Verhoef and van der Starre’s XR 41 X-esteem in second and Menno Vercouteren’s Grand Soleil 43 Euphoria in third. The IRC 2 class saw Michel Dorsman’s MAT 1070 Checkmate win by a significant margin of over an hour, followed by Roland Claeys’ Elan 400 NRJ-Ball and van Cappelle & Witsenburg’s J/122 Moana.
The race highlighted the competitive balance across the classes, with close racing in IRC 1, and Jetpack and Bellino taking top spots in IRC Three. The next event in the 2026 RORC Season’s Points Championship is the Myth of Malham Race, scheduled to start from Cowes on 23 May, continuing the excitement of offshore racing in the region.
For more information about joining or supporting the RORC Griffin Pathway: https://www.rorc.org/griffinoffshorepathway
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