Royal Hong Kong & Royal Irish Yacht Clubs Set Sail for the Admiral's Cup
by Louay Habib / RORC 20 Mar 18:51 NZDT
17 July - 1 August 2025
Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer - Royal Irish Yacht Club © Pepe Korteniemi / RORC
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce that 15 teams from around the world have entered the 2025 Admiral's Cup prior to the 28th February deadline.
The Royal Irish & Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club entries add to the impressive line-up. Late entries are still available, if approved by the RORC, to join the 30 international boats that will be competing for the Admiral's Cup.
2025 Admiral's Cup Entry List
Among the latest competitors to officially enter the 2025 Admiral's Cup are the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) which has assembled a team of proven winners from blue riband races. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) has an equally impressive line-up, including a brand new boat built for the 2025 Admiral's Cup.
Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC)
Irish teams have a rich history competing in the Admiral's Cup dating back 13 editions since 1965. Although an Irish team has never won the golden trophy, Ireland came very close in 1979. Leading the regatta going into the tragic Fastnet Race, two of the Irish boats broke their rudders, ending their challenge for victory.
The Royal Irish YC has committed to the 2025 Admiral's Cup, fielding two distinguished yachts. Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer will race in the big boat class. Privateer won the 2013 RORC Caribbean 600 overall under IRC and was second overall in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. Privateer is currently the only boat in the Admiral's Cup that has a canting keel; the last was Bob Oatley's Wild Oats, scoring an emphatic win in the big boat class, to win the 2003 Admiral's Cup for Australia.
Royal Irish team Chef D'Equipe Michael Boyd commented: "Royal Irish Commodore Tim Carpenter has a vision that this Admiral's Cup should help to lead an increase in interest for offshore racing in the club. It's a longer term plan and this is a key part of this campaign. A number of the Admiral's Cup sailors are joining the club; people like Ian Walker who has offered to come and talk to our younger sailors."
Ian Walker hails from Great Britain but his passion for Irish sailing was ignited when he was skipper of Green Dragon, the Irish flagged entry in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race. Walker has raced in several editions of the Admiral's Cup.
"I come from a generation that had the chance to sail in the Admiral's Cup and it was always the stepping stone into big projects," commented Walker. "I think it's especially important for the younger guys and girls to get the same opportunity that we had. The RORC have obviously come up with a formula that's attractive and it's going to be great to have so many teams wanting to be part of it."
Tom Kneen's new JPK 1180 is Sunrise IV. Kneen and his crew have been one of the most successful combinations in offshore racing over the past five years, taking Sunrise III to overall victory in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, a controversial second overall in the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race, and more recently overall winner for the 2024 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race. The new Sunrise IV will be racing in class against another two JPK 1180s; Per Roman's Garm (RORC Red) and Giovanni Stronati's JPK Django (YCCS).
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC)
Hong Kong has raced five times in the Admiral's Cup, consecutively from 1975 to 1981. Their last appearance was in 1995 in which Karl Kwok's ICL 40 Beau Geste was part of the team. Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste is the big boat for Hong Kong for the 2025 regatta and is now based in Cowes. Kwok's teams have won three offshore world championships and the RORC Caribbean 600.
Notable victories around the world for Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste include IRC Zero in the 2024 IRC European Championships, IRC Zero in the 2021 52 Super Series in Puerto Portals, Spain and IRC A for the 2015 Hamilton Island Race Week, Australia.
Hong Kong YC member Karl Kwok has commissioned a new boat for Admiral's Cup IRC Class Two. Beau Ideal is a Botin 40 which is undergoing final construction at Carrington Boats in Hythe, Hampshire.
Royal Hong Kong YC team Programme Manager is Gavin Brady who has been a seasoned campaigner for Karl Kwok for 30 years, including the 1995 Admiral's Cup. Brady has competed in six America's Cup campaigns, the Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Races. His involvement with the Beau Geste team and their preparations for the upcoming competition underscore the Admiral's Cup's active role in the evolving offshore yacht racing.
"The vision for the Botin 40 Beau Ideal was to build a PAC40, so to speak, but there is no such thing as a free lunch," commented Brady. "If you are building a boat that can race inshore and offshore, there has to be compromises, but the overall philosophy was to keep things as simple as possible. In many ways, Beau Ideal is more normal than some of the other designs racing. You are not going to walk down the dock and say 'wow' but it will be a boat that is capable of racing all the 600-milers, transatlantic, and also be just as competitive inshore."
Brady commented that there are no penetrations in the cockpit and proper water-sealed hatches, all with the goal of keeping Beau Ideal dry down below, but the simplicity of the boat goes further than just water-proofing.
"Beau Ideal will have only one instrument display on the mast and we will have just a single rudder. The water-ballast is a simple three button system - in, transfer and out. The mast will not be a fancy design, the sails will be simple and we will not have any complex take-down lines or sheet rollers. So, it's good old-fashioned sailing - how many years has it been since we've done that?"
The Royal Hong Kong squad will be a mixture of the regular Beau Geste team, blended with younger sailors, many of which Brady has got to know through the World Match Racing Tour.
"We are investing in younger sailors and the Royal Hong Kong YC is very supportive and excited that we will be competing. Well done to the RORC for scheduling the Admiral's Cup well in advance - it makes logistics far more economic and manageable, especially when you are building a new boat. We plan to be training and racing both Beau Geste and Beau Ideal in May," concluded Brady.
The 2025 Admiral's Cup is set to be a landmark event, marking the centenary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and it will also be held biennially. The 2025 regatta has attracted 15 teams from prominent yacht clubs around the world. After a break of 22 years the Admiral's Cup returns to Cowes this summer and promises to be a breathtaking display of hi-tech racing.
For more information about the 2025 Admiral's Cup visit admiralscup.rorc.org