IRM's first international event, or just another Solent regatta?

Ed Gorman takes a slightly sceptical look at the Rolex Commodore's Cup

The biennial Rolex Commodores' Cup gets underway on the Solent this week, bravely setting out its store as the very first regatta on the world circuit to use the Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) new grand prix rating rule, IRM.

This year the event is compressed into one week and two weekends and amateur crews will be bolstered with up to 50% professionals. This should increase the attractiveness of a complex regatta which features three-boat teams all racing under handicap and with the extra confusion of two England teams, one "Blue" (the better of the two on paper) and one "Red".

Partly because of its IRM basis, this year's Cup can barely lay claim to be a "corinthian regatta of international standing." Although there are seven teams racing, all but one of them are basically British. The exception being the "French" team which also includes a British component in the form of the Rob Humphries-designed Prefix 30, Bespoke, in the small boat slot.

The dedicated IRM boats in the field are the Jason Ker-designed sister-ships, Shakermaker II and Quokka V, occupying the small boat slots for England Red and England Blue and the IRM 10.7, Roaring Meg II, which dismasted on its way home from Cork and is also a new design from Ker's board, which will sail for the "European" team. Another boat adapted to the new rule is David Aisher's Judel/Vrolik IRM 44, Yeoman of Hamble, a not entirely successful revamped IMS design with a new rig and a new keel, which sails as the big boat for England Blue.

Elsewhere in the field are six Farr 40s in both big boat and middle boat slots with the "Channel Islands" team already looking like favourites because they have selected two of these one-designs which perform better than any other under the new rule. There are also three Sydney 40s and a couple of Mumm 30s in the field.

After being poorly promoted last year in the run-up to its launch in January, IRM has made a modest start with 54 yachts now measured under a handicap which sets out to promote light, fast and stiff boats and aims to fulfil the need for a new grand prix rule after the decline of IMS in Britain and elsewhere.

However IRM, which cost the RORC £100,000 to develop, has already been rejected by the Germans who organised the Nation's Cup in the Baltic to clash with the Commodores' Cup, and it is struggling to gain acceptance in other European sailing nations where IMS has been strong, notably Holland, Italy and Spain. The French are more receptive with a number of boats already rated under the rule. But the RORC faces a tough task making converts among owners worldwide, who understandably feel nervous about investing in a new code without being certain how well it will fare.
One consequence of this is the current vogue for one-design racing with the Farr 40 class, for example, taking off spectacularly in Britain. Even the Admiral's Cup, the slightly faded jewel in the RORC's crown, will be an entirely one-design affair next year with the three-boat teams made up of Corel 45s, Farr 40s and Sydney 40s. This is expected to prove a successful combination which will encourage nations who have found costs prohibitive in past years, when a development class was included, to return to the event. (The dilemma for RORC in 2003 will be whether or not to introduce an IRM class into the Admiral's Cup with the danger that that could deter some of the new blood from taking part).

Despite the relatively slow take-up of IRM so far, RORC officials are not worried and argue that many owners will wait until the Autumn to commission new designs. Mike Urwin, chief measurer at RORC says: "Certainly in this country I would hesitate to say there is scepticism among owners, though we haven't seen very many new boats built yet, but we wouldn't expect to at this stage." Urwin is hoping the Commodores' Cup will prove an effective shop-window for a new code which aims to promote boats which are both exciting to watch and to sail. "It would be unreasonable to expect the world to adopt a new rating rule overnight - we never expected that." he said. "What is reasonable is for owners around the world to have a look at it and see what happens." he added.

Peter Rutter, the new commodore of the RORC and owner of Quokka V, is also event committee chairman for the Commodores' Cup. He is confident the Commodores' Cup and the rule will prove a success. "Considering this is a new rule, this is a good turn-out," he said. "The boats are fast and modern, plus the standard of sailing looks set to be much higher than before, with the simplification of the limitations on professional sailors
improving the mix of talents."