Welcome to the Royal Escape Race
The Royal Escape is the largest offshore race on the South Coast outside of the Solent. The race is held annually with a mixed fleet of monohull yachts starting just off Brighton's Palace Pier trimming sails out across the channel to Fécamp on the Normandy coast. It's a distance of 67 nautical miles and we pride ourselves on welcoming everybody from the fastest carbon-rich teams right through to classic yachts and those wanting to adventure across the channel, perhaps for the first time, in supportive company.
The Royal Escape celebrates the escape across the channel of Charles II and being a man who held a party in high regard, we think he'd enjoy the spirit of camaraderie and laughter enjoyed by all on this historic event.
The Royal Escape Race is organised each year by the Sussex Yacht Club from which a large team of volunteers contribute energy, ideas and a huge amount of time to deliver you the best possible cross-channel event. The fees detailed in the entry documents are calculated to cover the many race costs and to provide seed money for the 2011 event. If after all the bills have been paid we find there is a surplus, this goes to Charity in the form of Sussex Sailability, but we would emphasise that this is primarily a yacht race and we won't be rattling buckets fund raising!
NEW! SRF Meal on SatFollowing on from the huge success last year our good friends at our host French Yacht Club SRF are again arranging an informal meal on Saturday evening before the disco party. From 6pm they will be serving a full dinner with various cold plates comprising vegetables, pork meat, cheese, dessert etc prices at a reasonable 15 Euros. Close to 60 diners enjoyed this meal last year and we understand everybody enjoyed it. Adele Boysons Memorial
This large sculpture of a yacht under sail was hand crafted in stainless steel to special order in Cornwall and will join the huge range of treasured trophies that travel to and from France each year with the race. Red Diesel
Additionally I have been sent this PDF statement by Magali Hamon, Development Manager, Port Chantereyne, Cherbourg who would like to reassure us all that the use of red diesel carried by British vessels is still very much accepted in France. Race Date 2012
IRC Classes
'Escape Class' for the classics
The 'Escape Class' is open to those boats sporting an SCCH PY (Sussex Combined Clubs Handicap) that suggests they are not the quickest boats to windward. If you have a classic gaff rigged yacht and have fancied doing the Royal Escape but know you would struggle to beat upwind to the turning mark before heading to France, this is the class for you as there will be a straightforward starting procedure aimed at helping you on your way to France. We were asked about this kind of development by 'Escape' and suspect that 'Speedwell' will also appreciate it. Please indicate that you wish to be considered for this class on your entry form or online entry. Bienvenue à la Royal Escape!
Cette course est ouverte à tous types de bateaux monocoques que ce soit des bateaux rapides à la pointe de la technologie ou des bateaux en bois classiques et surtout à ceux qui veulent tenter l’aventure de la traversée en flotte. Cette course commémore l’évasion du roi Charles II vers la France en 1651, un roi qui savait organiser des manifestations. .il aurait certainement apprécié l’esprit de camaraderie et l’ambiance qui caractérise cet évènement. La royal escape est organisée chaque année par un groupe de bénévoles du Sussex Yacht Club qui ne ménage pas ses efforts et son temps pour en faire un évènement nautique majeur. Les frais d’inscriptions servent à couvrir les frais engagés et la préparation de la course pour l’année suivante. S’il reste un solde positif, cet argent va à une association caritative qui encourage la pratique de la voile pour les handicapés. |
NEW! Coach for the briefing....We are again running a coach from Brighton Maraina to the briefing at SYC and back again. The coach filled up last year so if you want a place you'd better sign on early (if demand is high we can always lay on two coaches but we need some notice). To book seats email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it including your skippers name, the boat name and the number of crew that wish to ride. Premier Marina Offer
Online Entries
You can now enter and pay your entry fee for the Royal Escape Race online. Choose from Standard, Shorthanded or Corporate entry and you can send us all your details and pay using the simple PayPal service (which you can still use even if you don't have a PayPal account). Racing under PY
Single & Short Handed
However recognising that many of the local short handed sailors do not hold IRC ratings, we are retaining the premier SCCH short handed trophy donated by Frank Kay exclusively for single and double handed yachts racing under SCCH - the only difference is that if you are on your own then you can use autopilot, but if you are double handed you may not. SORC IRC racers may elect to also compete for the wonderful short handed trophy won in 2011 by Simon Mitchell with his Sunfast 3200 'Roxanne', but they will have to apply for an SCCH rating. There will of course be an IRC single handed trophy as well and we'll be giving the single and double handed yachts their own start. Multihulls For 2012, as a trial, we are allowing multi hulls to apply for entry into the Royal Escape Race. There are concerns over mooring restrictions so we are asking multi hull yachts to make enquiries before submitting an entry - space in both Brighton and Fécamp is limited. We are obviously looking to some of the Sussex multi hull sailors who are regular competitors in local events to come forward to compete under SCCH or IRC (with separate line honours from the monohulls). If you are interested then please email
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with details of your yacht.Photos from 2011Photos From Warwick
Photos From Mike Mike Stevens has kindly released the many photos he took of the 2011 Royal Escape Race briefing, race, prize giving and celebrations in Fécamp to us and they have been loaded onto Flickr here >> Photos from Monique Monique Levaray, wife of Serge who's the SRF president was out on the pier head on race day and captured many of the lead boats coming across the line. You can also see the thrilling tussle for 2011 line honours. See the pics here >> |
It was very sad to lose Adele Boysons this year - she with Linda Morgan and her Husband Tony Boysons were the founders of the Royal Escape Race, so it seemed fitting for us to remember her with a new trophy.
There is some disquiet at the moment over recent news regarding the use of red diesel by yachts venturing accross the channel. To try and make some sense of the situation I contacted the RYA to ask for some sense on the current regulations affecting the use of red diesel by leisure craft heading for France and received the following email which should hopefully explain the situation and set minds at rest.
The spring bank holiday in 2012 has been altered to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday has been moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012, so consequently the next Royal Escape Race will run on Friday 1 June 2012.
The IRC class is where you'll find most of the faster race boats competing and we will always try and split the class into fleets (we are expecting to run IRC1 and 2) to make sure all the boats are evenly matched. Each IRC fleet will get prizes to third place and there's an overall prize for the fastest boat along with the hotly contested IRC line honours trophy which in 2011 went to Phillip Gower and Headstart
La Royal Escape est la plus grande course du Sussex (67 Miles nautiques) et se déroule chaque année avec un départ près du Pier de Brighton pour arriver à Fécamp.
Premier Marinas are an enthusiastic supporter of the Royal Escape Race and are offering a fabulous discounted flat-rate £18 per night pre-race berthing deal at Brighton Marina, but this needs to be done by filling in a downloadable form and sending it into the office. 
Any yacht that doesn't hold an IRC certificate is welcome to take part in the Royal Escape using a rating based on the PY system but issued by the Sussex Combined Clubs Handicap Committee. If you don't already hold one of these SCCH ratings then amongst our entry documents is a form for you to complete which we will submit to the committee on your behalf. With the SCCH class usually representing a wide range of sizes and designs it is always split into fleets to make sure everybody, big or small gets a chance to collect a prize and just as in IRC there is an overall and a line honours trophies that are much coveted.
Following up on the introduction of a short handed class racing under SCCH in 2011, we are also introducing an IRC solo single handed class for 2012. We are really excited that SORC (Solo Offshore Racing Club) has included the Royal Escape Race as part of their Fécamp Triangle series that includes a feeder race from the Solent on Thurs 31st and a return leg from Fecamp to the Solent on Sunday 3rd June. We look forward to welcoming some of the UK's leading single handed racers.
Long term Royal Escape supporter and SYC member Warwick Baker was out on his RIB at the start of the 2011 Royal Escape race and you can see his image galleries and download an order form by 