4 sources · updated 3 Nov 2026
The Morgan Cup is named after a silver trophy owned by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, donated to the club by the JP Morgan family in 1929. The race joined the programme of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), which organises it, in 1958.
The current course runs from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Dartmouth in Devon, about 112 nm. The fleet starts in the Solent from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line and sails overnight to the finish; tidal gates and transition zones make it a tactical race. It counts towards the RORC Season's Points Championship and, in 2026, towards the RORC Cowes Offshore Series, raced as the Salcombe Gin Morgan Cup Race.
Among recent editions, William McGough's J/109 Just So won overall in 2019, and the First 40 Rogan Josh, skippered by Royal Thames Yacht Club Commodore Richard Powell, won the edition that started on 12 June 2026 under IRC.