Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this sailing update. Ed
The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s blue riband event, the biennial 608-nautical mile Fastnet Race, will now be supported by Swiss watchmaker Rolex for a further five editions, until 2021.
This highly successful partnership stretches back to 2001 for an event which has been a sporting institution since it was first held in 1925.
“We are delighted with the continuation of our association with Rolex,” said RORC Commodore Mike Greville. “Our relationship with Rolex is a true partnership and in the past 11 years, we have seen the Rolex Fastnet Race grow in international stature, strength and popularity. Together with Rolex, we look forward to further developing one of the toughest challenges in offshore yacht-racing for the benefit of the participants and spectators alike.”
2013 race date set
Next year’s Rolex Fastnet Race will start on Sunday, 11 August 2013 from the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Entries for the race open in January 2013. RORC has introduced a fully automated online entry and crew management system to simplify and speed up the formal registration procedure.
Classes such as the IMOCA 60s, VO 70’s and multihulls are treated separately from the main fleet to maximise room within the 300-place entry limit. In the previous two editions, this limit of 300 boats was reached within a few weeks of the entry process opening.
