Entries open on 1 July 2026 for the 2027 Admiral's Cup, with the Royal Ocean Racing Club confirming the schedule for what will be the 25th edition of one of offshore racing's most prestigious international team competitions. The event also marks 70 years since the Admiral's Cup was first contested in 1957.
Rolex continues as Official Timepiece of the Admiral's Cup, extending a relationship with the RORC that has included title sponsorship of the Rolex Fastnet Race since 2001. The Fastnet remains the climax of the series, with the 2027 race starting on 24 July and finishing in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin.
Yacht clubs worldwide are invited to enter two-boat teams competing across a format that combines inshore racing, a short offshore race, and the 700-mile Rolex Fastnet Race. Overall honours go to the best combined team performance across the full series. Individual boats can register at this stage without needing to name their team partner.
The event runs from 13 July 2027, based at the RORC Clubhouse in Cowes, Isle of Wight, with entries closing 28 February 2027.
James Neville, owner of Botin 52 Ino Veritas and former RORC Commodore, helped drive the competition's modern revival before competing in the 2025 edition for the RORC team. Fresh from winning the 2026 Sardinia Cup with Ino Veritas, he is already well into his campaign planning for 2027.
"The Admiral's Cup is one of the great challenges in international offshore racing," he said. "It combines the intensity of close quarters inshore racing with the demands of the 700 mile Rolex Fastnet Race, which remains the pre-eminent offshore race in the world. To be competitive, you have to prepare a boat and put together a team that can perform across that full range."
Neville is clear-eyed about what a competitive campaign requires, pointing to the 2025 results as proof that preparation is everything. "The teams that were best prepared in 2025 were the ones that performed, so for us this is very much a two year programme. The Sardinia Cup has been an important step along the way, but the next 12 months will be about building the crew, developing the boat and getting ready to perform at the level The Admiral's Cup demands."
The team dimension, he says, is central to what makes the event distinctive. "You are racing for your club, your crew and your partner boat. That increases the pressure, but it also raises the standard. When the best yacht clubs in the world come together, you get something very rare in offshore racing."
The 2027 edition will again encourage diversity and youth participation within team compositions, continuing an emphasis the modern revival has placed on broadening the event's reach.
