The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) will introduce the Corinthian Cup at the 2027 Admiral’s Cup. The new trophy will recognise the best-scoring eligible two-boat team with limits on professional sailors.
The award celebrates Corinthian sailing, whether a team includes family members, experienced amateurs, emerging talent or a mix of sailors. It will recognise results across the same Admiral’s Cup courses and competition.
The biennial Admiral’s Cup runs from 13 to 28 July 2027. Racing will culminate in the Rolex Fastnet Race from Cowes to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin.
Corinthian Cup recognises amateur and emerging sailors
The Admiral’s Cup attracts leading professional sailors, tacticians, navigators and yacht designers. However, the event also welcomes owner-drivers, amateur sailors, family teams and younger competitors developing offshore careers.
While the Admiral’s Cup will remain the pinnacle of international offshore team racing, the RORC believes it is equally important that there is a place for passionate amateur sailors and emerging talent.”
The Corinthian Cup recognises teams that combine those qualities with the preparation, commitment and skill required to compete at this level.
The Cup will go to the eligible team with the lowest combined IRC score across the series. Under the 2027 Notice of Race, teams must meet specific limits for sailors holding World Sailing Group 3 categorisation.
An Admiral’s Cup 1 boat may carry no more than four Group 3 sailors. The Admiral’s Cup 2 boat may carry no more than three.
World Sailing’s categorisation system broadly distinguishes Group 1 sailors, who compete as a pastime, from Group 3 sailors. Group 3 covers specified professional activities linked to racing and the marine industry.
The Corinthian Cup is neither an all-amateur award nor a youth trophy. Instead, it recognises the top-performing team that meets the professional sailor limits. Individual awards with equivalent limits will also apply in both Admiral’s Cup classes.
Eligible teams will race against the same opposition, on the same courses, with the same opportunities to win the Admiral’s Cup itself.”
Admiral’s Cup marks 70 years in 2027
First contested in 1957, the Admiral’s Cup celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2027. The competition tests more than individual yacht speed: teams and yacht clubs must perform across demanding inshore and offshore races.
The 2027 edition will continue that tradition while adding the Corinthian Cup. Eligible teams will face the same demanding courses and opposition as every other campaign.
The Admiral’s Cup runs from 13 to 28 July 2027. The Rolex Fastnet Race, from Cowes to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, will bring the series to a close.
Photographs by Paul Wyeth/RORC and James Tomlinson/RORC