Sussex Yacht Club announces entries open for historic Brighton race

Entries to the Royal Escape Race are now open

The Sussex Yacht Club has announced the opening of entries to the historic Royal Escape Race, which takes place from Brighton to the Normandy port of Fécamp in May.

The Sussex Yacht club has announced the opening of entries to the historic Royal Escape Race, which takes place from Brighton to the Normandy port of Fécamp in May.

Launched in 1977 to mark the Queen’s silver jubilee, the annual yacht race is now amongst the oldest offshore sailing races in the country. Celebrating the escape of King Charles II from England in 1651 after the Battle of Worcester, the race follows the route that he took aboard a coal barge from Shoreham-by-Sea to reach safety at Fécamp.

This year’s race will start from Brighton’s Palace Pier on Friday May 26, 2023 and will end at Fécamp in France, where racers will receive a warm welcome at the Société des Régates de Fécamp (SRF), located on the quayside. For the first time in the race’s history, the 2023 race will feature live tracking of competitors, allowing increased visibility of the race and each yacht’s position to be tracked online.

Mr Derek Copeman, Commodore of Sussex Yacht Club, said: “We are really excited to have opened the entries for this year’s race. This is a much-loved and historic race that is suitable for enthusiasts with many levels of experience. It follows a relatively simple course for less experienced racers who want to try their hand at cross channel racing, with ‘old hands’ sharing advice and offering support. But it also offers plenty of challenges for the more enthusiastic offshore racers.

“There is always a great friendly atmosphere and events planned on both sides of the channel, so it will no doubt be a fantastic weekend.”

The Sussex Yacht Club and SRF have planned an exciting programme of events for the race weekend, including an “on the water” prize giving which will be hosted at Fécamp. The official prize giving will then take place at Sussex Yacht Club on June 24, 2023.

Race entry is now open at sussexyachtclub.org.uk/royal-escape-race/ Early bird entry tickets are available at £105 for all yachts. The tickets include race entry, moorings in Fécamp, a race tracker and prize-giving at the Société des Régates de Fécamp.