After a two-decade absence, this historic event is being revived in 2025 by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), promising to reestablish its status as one of the sport’s most prestigious and challenging competitions.
First contested in 1957 off Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the Admiral’s Cup quickly became the pinnacle of international team competition in offshore racing. Teams representing different countries, each made up of three yachts, would battle it out over a series of tough inshore and offshore races culminating in the brutal Fastnet Race.
Victories were hard-won and celebrated as national achievements. Legends of the sport, from British prime minister Sir Edward Heath, British Olympic medallist and around the world racer Lawrie Smith, American America's Cup racers Dennis Conner and Ted Turner, as well as New Zealand America's Cup and ocean racing legend Sir Peter Blake, all made their mark amongst the intense rivalries of the Admiral’s Cup. For decades, it was a true test of seamanship, boat design, and teamwork at the highest level.
Over 23 editions, British teams have won the competition on nine occasions – the last being in 1987 with a team made up of Peter de Savary's Victory of Burnham, Brian Saffery Cooper's Dragon, and Robin Aisher's Yeoman XXIII. German teams have been victorious four times, American teams have won three times, as have Australian teams, with teams from the Netherlands, New Zealand, France, and Ireland each winning once.
I first attended the Admiral's Cup in 1991 – the year the French dominated with a three-boat team corporately sponsored by Corum Watches. It was my real first introduction to the professional racing scene and I was immediately captivated by the atmosphere.
I can still remember getting chills down my back as I stood under the Royal Yacht Squadron starting deck watching agog as the fleet lined up bow to bow for the start of a windy inshore race around the myriad navigation buoys dotted across the Solent.
The Cup's importance began to wane in the early 2000s. Shifting priorities in the sport, the rise of grand prix one-design racing, and organisational challenges saw the Admiral’s Cup disappear from the calendar after 2003.
The return of the Admiral's Cup in 2025 marks a significant moment for offshore racing. Not only is it a nod to tradition, but it’s also a reinvention that reflects modern sailing trends.
Under the stewardship of the RORC, the format has been refreshed:
- Teams of two yachts (rather than three) will represent countries or yacht clubs.
- The race format will blend inshore races (windward/leeward and round the cans) off Cowes with an offshore race around the English Channel, and the event culminating with the Fastnet Race.
- Boats will race under IRC handicap, potentially opening the door to a diverse range of high-performance designs.
The goal is to maintain the Cup’s traditional spirit while making it more accessible to modern teams and owners. The plan looks to be working with 15 top-flight entries confirmed from: Australia, France, Germany (3), Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, RORC (2), USA, Sweden/Estonia.
At a time when much of the public spotlight is on foiling boats and short-course stadium racing, the return of the Admiral’s Cup reaffirms the importance—and the allure—of big-boat offshore competition.
"The Admiral’s Cup was always about national pride, offshore toughness, and tactical brilliance," says RORC Commodore Deb Fish. "We’re incredibly excited to bring that back for a new generation."
For owners and sailors who relish the challenge of campaign planning, logistics, and strategy over multi-race series, the Admiral’s Cup offers something that few other events today can match: a test of all-round excellence.
Moreover, it revitalizes Cowes' standing as a global hub of yacht racing. Cowes Week and the Fastnet have long been fixtures, but the Admiral’s Cup adds an international dimension that had been missing for two decades. According to Yacht Racing Life contributor Magnus Wheatley (a local resident) the island town is already thrumming with anticipation of the Admiral's Cup's return.
"...the re-introduction of the Admiral’s Cup has got the town of Cowes buzzing," he wrote on his Rule 69 Blog. "Everywhere you look there are interesting pieces of IRC machinery nestling amongst the marinas and in the yards. Pro crews are stalking the High Street replete with team gear and I can’t help but think that I’ve been in some way transported back to the mid-to-late 1980’s such is the vibe around the town."
With the possibility of entries continuing to build, anticipation is mounting for what could be a defining moment in offshore sailing’s modern era. Expect to see a mix of cutting-edge grand prix yachts, carefully optimized IRC racers, and perhaps even some dark horses challenging the favourites.
The Admiral’s Cup 2025 won’t just be a regatta—it will be a statement that offshore yacht racing’s grand traditions still have a vital place in the sport's future.
After all, in a sport that constantly evolves, some legends are simply too good to leave behind.
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