Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest sailing update. Ed
As we reported on Monday, entry was opened at 12 noon for this year’s RORC Rolex Fastnet Race to be sailed out of Cowes on the 16th August.
There was so much interest for the 90th anniversary of this event that within 24 minutes of entries opening all places had been grabbed. By the end of the afternoon the frenetic trend had continued and 375 boats had signed up for the biennial 608-nautical miler, which has been an established fixture on the ocean racing circuit since 1925.
All is not lost
However, all is not lost for those who still wish to enter. Following the popularity of the 2013 race, when the entry limit was increased to 340 boats, the RORC Committee decided that RORC members would get priority for the first week of registration.
Boats have to meet the strict entry qualification and training criteria of the race and after Sunday 18th January, all registered boats will be sorted and places offered on a first come, first served basis, with RORC members receiving priority over non-members. Boats registering after this date will be allocated places in the order in which they apply, regardless of membership.
Stormy Weather, hopefully just in name
Among the first boats to register their entry for the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race was one of the best-known and loved classic yachts sailing today, Stormy Weather.
This 1934 Sparkman & Stephens 52ft yawl which was named after the song, has an illustrious racing pedigree, winning the King’s Cup in the Newport-Bergen Transatlantic Race a year after she was launched, before arriving to see Uffa Fox in Cowes in 1935 and going on to win the Fastnet Race the same year.
Round the Island Race
Another iconic yacht race, although sailed nearer to Island shores – the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race – also opened its entry list recently. Organisers The Island Sailing Club is running a Draw for THREE FREE ENTRIES into this year’s Race.
On 9th January the first draw took place but there is still plenty of time to get your entry in for February (drawn 6th Feb) and March (drawn 6th March) draws with one entry per month securing a free place.
Competitors support for charity
After a successful official partnership since 2011, The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is delighted that it will remain the official charity of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race for a further two years.
Recently the Trust took this opportunity to thank the Island Sailing Club and the competitors in the Round the Island Race who have helped them raise over £189,000 over the last three years. This money has given 378 young people in recovery from cancer the chance to rebuild their confidence through sailing on the Trust’s four-day yacht adventures around the Solent and in Largs, Scotland.
Dame Ellen was pleased to receive the cheque from ISC Commodore Mark Wynter for the total funds raised to date for the Trust through its partnership with the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.
As ever The Island Sailing Club is grateful for the continued support of the Race Title Sponsor, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and the Race Partners: Dream Yacht Charter, Haven Knox-Johnston, Henri Lloyd, Old Pulteney, Raymarine, Volvo Car UK.
Article edit: Headline and excerpt changed
Image: © Mark Lamble
