08.08.2017 Dongfeng first to ease sheets at the Fastnet Rock “It’s good, rounding the Fastnet is always fantastic…it was not easy to be the first here.“ Charles Caudrelier After a night of close-quarters tacking in the Celtic Sea into a 15-knot northwesterly breeze Dongfeng Race Team, which had been in second place in the seven-strong…
07.08.2017 Heavy traffic off Cornwall as Concise rounds the Rock At 15:49:37 BST Tony Lawson’s MOD70 trimaran Concise 10 became the first boat to round the Fastnet rock off southwest Ireland. At the time the next boat in the race, George David’s Rambler 88 was 111 miles astern. However thanks to their upwind passage their…
07.08.2017 Concise approaches the Rock as Portland Bill pays Overnight the fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race has been made solid progress upwind, tacking on shifts and dipping in and out of the land according to whether or not the tide is favourable. At 0900 Tony Lawson’s MOD 70 trimaran Concise 10 was off the…
06.08.2017 Startvideo Classic upwind start for record breaking Rolex Fastnet Race The Solent laid on ‚classic‘ conditions for the start of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 47th Rolex Fastnet Race. In brilliant sunshine and with brisk westerly winds gusting up to 20 knots, the giant fleet tacked up the western Solent before compressing through the…
05.08.2017 2,700 Fastnet sailors face their personal Everest The eve of the Rolex Fastnet Race is a nervous time for the 2,700 sailors about to embark on this 605-mile offshore classic. For the competitors gathered in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a few are out to win one of the most coveted trophies in…
04.08.2017 How to follow the Rolex Fastnet Race #rolexfastnetrace Less than 48 hours to go! The 47th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race starts on Sunday 6 August. A record fleet of around 375 boats representing 29 different countries will take the start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in the race organised by the…
04.08.2017 Upwind slog forecast as Volvo Ocean Race fleet tackles Rolex Fastnet Race The second stage of Leg Zero qualifying is the Rolex Fastnet Race, starting on Sunday, and it will present a very different challenge to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet The second stage of Leg Zero qualifying is the Rolex Fastnet Race, starting…
04.08.2017 Dongfeng crew all set to rock and roll in the Fastnet classic “We are not expecting much time in the bunk at all and when you are in the bunk you have to be ready to get up and manoeuvre,” said Daryl Wislang watch captain on board Dongfeng who won the last edition of…
03.08.2017 Doublehanded demons Thanks to our modern day lifestyles, a frequent problem facing race boats owners is finding willing and available crew. One solution is to sail with less people, an ultimate expression of this being two handed racing. Therefore it is no surprise that the IRC Two Handed class in this Sunday’s Rolex Fastnet…