Rolex Fastnet Race 2009

Rolex Fastnet Race 2009
Website - www.regattanews.com - Übersicht

Wednesday 12 August 2009
ICAP Leopard takes line honours in Rolex Fastnet Race
100ft super-maxi first home in prestigious offshore race

On Wednesday 12th August at 01:09:36 BST ICAP Leopard crossed the finish line to take line honours in the prestigious Rolex Fastnet race for the second consecutive time. The 100ft super-maxi racing yacht, owned by Helical Bar PLC Chief Executive Mike Slade, completed the 608 mile course in an elapsed time of 2 days, 11 hours, 9 minutes and 36 seconds.

Foto: www.leopard3.com/

The first start gun for the 300-strong fleet was fired at 12:00 BST on Sunday 9th August and ICAP Leopard, which had a later start time of 14:00 BST, quickly powered her way to the head of the pack. Faced with fickle breezes and complex tidal currents, tactician Ray Davies and the star-studded crew of ICAP Leopard pushed hard to ensure that she reindexed ahead of her lighter rivals.

Despite the weather, preventing ICAP Leopard from challenging the 44 hour record she set two years ago, she was the first boat to round the iconic Fastnet rock at 01:26 BST on Tuesday 11th August. In freshening breeze the 100ft canting-keel super-maxi then took off downwind, slowly grinding out a lead that she held over her lightweight rivals all the way to the finish.

Owner, Mike Slade, commented: "This race may not have seen the thrills and spills of two years ago but it has been just as challenging, albeit in a completely different way. The Fastnet is a hugely technical race and we needed to sail faultlessly to stay ahead of our competitors. The boat performed well in all conditions and we are delighted to have taken line hours for the second Fastnet Race in a row. We shall enjoy the celebrations here in Plymouth before switching our focus to the Rolex Middle Sea Race and Rolex Sydney-Hobart, where we will aim to repeat this success all over again!"

Having secured line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race, ICAP Leopard will now look to make history, by becoming the first British boat to take line honours in all three major Rolex sponsored events in the same year: Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race (17th October) and Rolex Sydney Hobart Race (26th December).
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ICAP Leopard Crew List: Rolex Fastnet 2009
BOW 1 ZANE GILLS BOW 2 JUSTIN SLATTERY BOW 3 MARK BARTLETT BOW / TRIM CO -ORDINATOR NIPPER SALTER MAST DYLAN CLARKE MAST LOUIS SINCLAIR MAST JOSH CLARKE PIT JIM TURNER PIT KELVIN RAWLINGS PIT TIM SELLARS TRIMMER JEZ ELLIOT TRIMMER / CREW COORD JASON CARRINGTON TRIMMER BOB WYLIE TRIMMER TIM BURNELL WATCH CAPTAIN / indexSHEET MARK THOMAS RACE CAPTAIN / HELM / TACTICS RAY DAVIES SKIPPER / HELM MIKE SLADE WATCH CAPTAIN / RUNNER BRAD JACKSON indexSHEET / RUNNER RICHARD FAULKNER RUNNER JOHN CALCUTT BUTTONS / HELM CHRIS SHERLOCK NAV HUGH AGNEW WATCH CAPTAIN / CREW COORD PAUL STANDBRIDGE ICAP MARK YALLOP ICAP VOLKAN DIKMAN ICAP MICHAEL DAVIE

Leopard:
Leopard follows in the footsteps of super-maxi yachts Ocean Leopard (1988-1999) and Leopard of London (2000-2006). Like her predecessors she is aimed towards top-level race sponsorship, day charters in the Solent and, longer term, charters in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Farr Yacht Design provided Leopard's basic naval architecture and construction engineering, whilst styling and interior was designed by Ken Freivokh. The boat was built by McConaghy Boats in Sydney, Australia, with Chris Sherlock acting as owner's representative.

For more information regarding Leopard, please visit: www.leopard3.com

ICAP:
ICAP is the world's premier interdealer broker and provider of post trade services. The Group matches buyers and sellers in the wholesale markets in interest rates, credit, commodities, foreign exchange, equities and equity derivatives through voice and electronic networks. ICAP has an average daily transaction volume in excess of $2.3 trillion, more than 40% of which is electronic. ICAP is also the source of global market information and research for professionals in the international financial markets. ICAP plc was added to the FTSE 100 Index on 30 June 2006. For more information go to www.icap.com

About the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009:
The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the world's classic yacht races, sailed biennially over a 608- mile course. The course is a fearsome test of seamanship and offshore racing tactics, with its ever changing weather and tricky tides. The 300 strong fleet will start from Cowes on the Isle of Wight at 12:00 BST on Sunday 9th August, sailing along the south coast of England before sailing north to the Fastnet Rock off the south coast of Ireland. The boats will round the historic lighthouse before returning to Plymouth via Bishop's Rock on the southern tip of the Isles of Scilly. Previous competitors include former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and 80's pop star Simon Le Bon.

For more information and to follow the progress of ICAP Leopard please visit http://fastnet.rorc.org/