The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has decided to cancel this year’s Admiral’s Cup which was due to take place at Cowes from 9-17 July.

In order to prevent any further expenditure by teams on anything from shipping costs to new sails, a cut off date of early April had to be made and a decision taken now, rather than waiting for the final entry date of 3 May.

Despite initial expressions of interest from no less than 13 countries and realistic hopes for at least 10 teams from 7 different countries, by early April only 2 countries had confirmed their entries, with another 2 or 3 teams struggling to put together competitive entries.

The RORC’s Admiral’s Cup Management Committee considered that the uncertainty surrounding potential teams was such that the chances of staging a strong international event worthy of the Admiral’s Cup were sufficiently in doubt and therefore reluctantly decided that they must cancel the 2005 event.

Initially there was good support for the new format of the event and the boats chosen for the 2005 Admiral’s Cup (a Mumm 30, a Swan 45 and a big IRC boat).

This decision on boats was made after considerable discussion and represented a modern, professional approach to the type of boats that should compete for the Admiral’s Cup. However, this support has ebbed away for a number of reasons, ranging from some teams having trouble in securing sponsorship, to persuading the owners of eligible boats to take the plunge and finally enter the competition.

The RORC would like to express its thanks to Admiral’s Cup sponsors Henri Lloyd, Corum and Champagne Mumm for their continued support and also the Cowes business and yachting communities, whose considerable help and understanding are so valuable to the Club.

So what is the RORC doing about the future? As one of the stakeholder partners in the Rule Working Party (RWP) to develop the new Grand Prix Rule for international yachting events, the RORC sees the development of the new Rule as fundamental to the staging of a successful Admiral’s Cup series and other similar style events internationally.

Commenting on the decision to cancel the 2005 Admiral’s Cup, Chris Little, Commodore of the RORC, said:

“It is a great disappointment to us to have to take this decision. The RORC is extremely grateful for the support from countries eager to mount a challenge for the Admiral’s Cup, and I am very conscious of the significant effort put in by teams to pull together a competitive challenge. Realistically we needed a minimum of 5 competitive international teams to guarantee a meaningful series for all concerned. Sadly, we have not been able to attract enough teams.

“There was certainly no lack of enthusiasm or effort at the RORC and we shall continue to discuss the new Grand Prix Rule vigorously with the ORC and others to ensure there is a clearer and more competitive rule for the Admiral’s Cup in years to come. I am sure that a revitalised Admiral’s Cup will be possible under a new Rule and I look forward to seeing our many international friends back racing in the Solent for this famous trophy.”