Suzanne and Alan share this latest sailing news. Ed
What have you been doing between Saturday lunchtime and late afternoon Sunday? If like the crew on board Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and some other yachts, you will have sailed the Rolex Fastnet Race – 605 miles from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock off Ireland, then back to Plymouth in a record time for the winner of Line Honours of one day four hours two minutes and 26 seconds. Not a bad way to spend part of the weekend!
40th anniversary of 1979 tragedy
Prior to the start a special church service was held at Holy Trinity Church, Cowes on Friday.
This race marked the 40th anniversary of the 1979 tragedy when eighteen people lost their lives whilst sailing to the Fastnet Rock. There is a memorial, made of some of that rock, in the grounds of Holly Trinity Church to honour those lost at sea.
388 yachts at start line
A record fleet of 388 lined up off Cowes at Saturday lunchtime to contest the race. There were seven separate starts, for the various yacht classes, every 15 minutes between 12.30 and 2pm.
First away were the multihulls, all aiming to beat the 2011 record for the 605nm course of one day eight hours and 48 minutes. The 100 foot trimarans in the Ultim non-IRC class travelled 400 miles up from France and stayed overnight offshore because their size rules out normal berthing.
First to leave
Sedebo, Macif and Edmund de Rothschild were the first boats out of the Solent and Actual Leader which took Line Honours in this year’s Round the Island Race was also a front runner.
Class 40 and IMOCA 60 yachts were next away, followed by IRC 4, 3, 2 and one, with IRC Zero setting off at 2pm.
This group included SHK Scallywag and Wizard, the two protagonists in the recent Transatlantic Race (TR19) and George David’s Rambler 88. In 2005 SHK Scallywag, then called Maximus took Line Honours in the Fastnet whilst Rambler 88 took Line Honours in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race.
Records tumbled
Studying the weather forecast there was the chance of records being broken for some boats and sure enough when the first two boats reached the Fastnet Rock records tumbled.
Maxi Edmond De Rothschild’s elapsed time from the start of just 18 hours three minutes and 38 seconds (and 18 hours five minutes and 31 seconds for MACIF) is a new race record time to the Fastnet Rock.
In the long haul to Plymouth, Macif went ahead of Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. According to the crew on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild with five minutes to the finish line, although they hoped for a win Macif stayed in first position. As Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’s skipper Franck Cammas explained: “Just after they gybed onto the layline for the finish we crossed them and decided to overlay. It was our last chance to see if there was something still possible”, and there was.
Record breaking
At the finish line at 16.32 BST Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’s elapsed time of one day four hours two minutes and 26 seconds, bettered the outright multihull race record, set by Loick Peyron and the crew of Maxi Banque Populaire in the 2011 race by four hours 45 minutes and 34 seconds. Macif finished just one minute later at 16.33BST.
Not without incidents
For Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, their race had incidents. They went aground on the Shingles Bank at 25 knots while leading the Ultims out of the Solent destroying the tip of their daggerboard.
Then a large fish got caught around their daggerboard just after passing the Fastnet Rock, requiring them to back down to extract themselves, allowing Macif to pass.
Thomas Coville’s Sodebo Ultim finished one hour 24 minutes after the leader and in fourth place for Line Honours was Actual Leader but this boat saw a win in the MOCRA class.
Overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Cup will be decided in the next few days when handicaps are calculated, and the remaining yachts have completed their 605nm race.
Sailors shared their experiences
Prior to the start of the 2019 edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race (the 48th edition) there was a gathering of competitors in the Fastnet Village on Cowes Parade. Some competitors, both old hands and newcomers, were on stage to share their experiences, hopes and ideas as to how the race could be undertaken-and won.
Experience certainly counts in this classic race. Cowes resident Brian Thompson has undertaken four round the World trips, setting records along the way. He spoke of his experiences in past races and this year will be on board Volvo 65 Sailing Poland.
Offshore racer Steve Hayles won back to back Fastnet races as navigator on board Ran 2 in 2009 and 2011. This boat has changed its name and is now back as Peter Harrison’s Sorcha. Steve said that in addition to himself and former skipper Tim Powell, around one third of the crew are the same as on Ran 2 when she won. Ran 2 is the only boat to win twice in the recent history of the race, although during the 1920s and 1930s, Jolie Brise (first home in the inaugural race in 1925) was the race’s only three time winner, while Captain John Illingworth’s Myth of Malham won in 1947-1949 and Carina was the last back to back winner in 1955-1957.
Steve added, commenting on the weather,
“We would ideally like a different forecast. The years we won it, it was a beat from here to the Fastnet Rock… The VO70s may be the same size, but this year’s reaching race will be on their terms… I would be looking at a VO70 to win right now.”
Richard Matthews’ first Fastnet was 50 years ago and he has now clocked up 22 – this time he is on board Oystercatcher 33 whilst Aussie David Witt skipper of SHK Scallywag has logged up 20 Rolex Sydney-Hobart races as well as being a regular competitor in the Fastnet.
Frenchman Alexis Loison won the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race as the event’s sole doublehanded winner in the JPK 10.10 Night and Day. This year he is competing again doublehanded but with Mr JPK himself, Jean Pierre Kelbert on board the builder’s latest model, the 10.30 Leon. Alexis said,
“The boat is specially designed for reaching and downwind – I think the weather is good for us, but we will see.”
He also explained the attractive aspect of racing doublehanded.
“You have to do everything, so it is very interesting and there is no down time.”
In 2013 he raced Night and Day with his father.
At the skipper’s briefing there was a detailed weather forecast and crews were warned to be aware of Lobster pots in the vicinity of Land’s End and the Longship.
Image: © Paul Wyeth
