Kestrel crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron line just 45 seconds ahead of Sky Business – Game On after a 1,805-nautical-mile duel, but IRC time correction reversed the result to hand Ian Hoddle and Willow Bland victory in IRC Two and IRC Two-Handed.
The two double-handed teams had been locked in a match race since the final stages, with Hoddle admitting he "could hardly sleep" as Kestrel closed from more than 20 miles behind. "Suddenly we were fighting them boat-for-boat, sometimes only boat lengths apart. That continued day and night for two days. It was the most intense racing I have ever done," he said.
For Hoddle, the win came on his third attempt at the race, having finished runner-up twice before. "This is the third time I have done the Round Britain and Ireland Race. Twice I have been runner-up, so the ambition this time was to win it," he said. Co-skipper Bland revealed the less glamorous reality of their victory: a broken Jet-Boil meant surviving the final 24 hours on "about a pack and a half of Babybels" before Kestrel's shore team greeted them with pizza on the dock.
The rivalry carried extra significance as former teammates from the 2025 world championship, Zeb Fellows and Bland found themselves on opposite sides of the closest contest of the race so far. Fellows went up the mast in 30 knots to recover a lost jib during the final upwind battle off Beachy Head. "We got the jump on Game On on the last day and suddenly we were ahead," he said. "It became a match race to the finish."
The two boats provisionally sit third and fourth overall under IRC. Sam White and Nathan Steffenoni's Mzungu! completed the IRC Two-Handed podium.
Further finishers overnight included Frida, whose crew became the first double-handed team to complete the 2026 edition, and the young RORC Griffin crew, photographed having breakfast at the Cowes clubhouse after completing their lap. Bellino, which had led the class before boom damage ended podium hopes, finished with Rob Craigie, RORC Commodore Deb Fish and Griffin graduates aboard, provisionally third in IRC Two despite racing the final 200 miles without a mainsail.
For boats still racing, conditions remain demanding. AJ Wanderlust reported 20-28 knots and "rambunctious" three-metre seas in the North Sea, while Mojo recorded 16.5 knots shortly before a massive broach, with Richard and Emma Breese recovering to complete a controlled spinnaker drop.
The barn owl rescued by Fujitsu British Soldier after three falls into the sea is recovering at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre following collection by Caister Independent Lifeboat.
