Volvo 70 Pace put on a raw display of offshore speed in a short clip that captures exactly why the Round Britain and Ireland Race remains one of the toughest tests in the RORC calendar. Owner Johnny Vincent is on the helm as the big grand prix design surges north at 25 knots, the hull flattening out and the wake peeling away in a way that only a former Volvo Ocean Race boat can manage. It’s a brief but visceral reminder of the loads these machines are built to handle, and the skill required to keep them pointed straight while carrying that kind of pace.
Filmed by Anthony Haines, the footage is more mood piece than race analysis, but for anyone who has followed a Volvo 70 offshore, the sight of Pace burying her bow and accelerating is instantly recognisable. You can watch the clip in full via RORC’s onboard footage of Pace heading north, and it’s worth a look purely for the sound and spray of a 70-footer at full tilt.
Volvo 70 Pace and the Round Britain and Ireland Challenge
The Round Britain and Ireland Race is built for boats exactly like this. Long legs, unpredictable weather across multiple sea areas, and stretches where a well-sailed Volvo 70 can simply put the hammer down and eat miles. Vincent’s campaign with Pace has long been a fixture in RORC’s bigger offshore events, and short clips like this one offer a rare glimpse into what the crew actually experiences when conditions align and the boat starts to fly.
Why Speed Clips Like This Matter
There’s no scoreboard context here, no tactical breakdown, just a boat doing what it was designed to do. But for sailors who appreciate the physicality of ocean racing, that’s often enough. Readers who want more detail on how RORC’s offshore fleet performs across a full course might enjoy our recent look at the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600, another event where boats like Pace show what sustained speed really looks like.
Video courtesy of RORC — watch the full video on YouTube.
