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29 July 2011
Royal Ocean Racing Club
ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2011
FACTS & STATS
RECORD FLEET RACE TO THE ROCK
• A record fleet of 350 yachts have entered the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race
(Previous record ’79 - 303 boats)
• This is the 44th edition of the Fastnet Race
• The ‘professional’ and Non-IRC classes: Volvo Open 70s, IMOCA 60s, Class 40s and Multihulls
have been counted above the initial cut-off mark of 300
• The race started in 1925 with just 7 boats!
• 608 nautical mile non-stop race
• 19 nations represented
• 1 day, 20 hours, 18 minutes is the current monohull course record to beat set by ICAP Leopard
(GBR) in 2007
• The largest boat is the 140ft trimaran - Maxi Banque Populaire (FRA)
• 2 giant 100ft yachts go head to head - Rambler 100 (USA), ICAP Leopard (GBR)
• Smallest boat in the fleet just 30ft – Bernie Bingham’s Rogers 30, Brightwork (GBR)
• 34 boats sailing with only 2 crew
• Yacht range from 30ft to 140ft
• 10 classes in total
• First start 1100, RYS line, Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK
• Follow the fleet: http://fastnet.rorc.org/
• Listen on the day of the start: Fastnet Radio 87.7FM
• Facebook.com/royaloceanracingclub + Twitter
• The index trophy for overall victory is the Fastnet Challenge Cup. In addition, there are more
than 30 additional trophies
• Next Edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race: 11th August, 2013
• The Rolex Fastnet Race is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in association
with the Royal Western Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron and has been sponsored by
Rolex SA of Geneva since 2001.
19 NATIONS
The allure of Rolex Fastnet continues to attract competitors from around the globe. 19 different
nations will be represented in this year’s race with entries from the following countries: Austria;
Belgium; China; Finland; France; Great Britain; Germany; Hong Kong; Ireland; Italy; Lithuania;
Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Russia; Switzerland; Sweden; United Arab Emirates and USA.
The British and French make up the bulk of the fleet, but the entries prove the lure of the Rolex
Fastnet still crosses the oceans as it did in its earliest days.
SMALLEST YACHT: 30ft (9.53m) - Brightwork (GBR), Rogers 30, Bernie Bingham
LARGEST YACHT: 140ft (xm) - Maxi Banque Populaire V (FRA), skippered by the legendary
Loïck Peyron, the 140-foot trimaran is hot favourite to take line honours and the course record for the
Rolex Fastnet Race in the multihull division. Brian Thompson (GBR) will also be on board.
BATTLE OF THE 100 FOOTERS: Mike Slade’s Farr 100 ICAP Leopard (GBR) (Line Honours:
2009 + 2007 with an elapsed time of 1 day 20 hours 18 minutes) & Rambler 100 – George David
(USA)
RECORD HOLDERS:
2007:
ICAP Leopard (GBR), Mike Slade - 1 day 20 hours 18 minutes - fastest monohull with canting keel
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13.72 knots
Rambler (USA), George David - Fastest monohull with water ballast (2007) - 13.50 knots
PRB - Fastest IMOCA Open 60 - 12.09 knots
1999:
RF Yachting (NZL), Ross Field - 2 days 5 hours 8 minutes
Boomerang - Fastest monohull without movable/variable ballast - 11.13 knots
Fujicolor - Fastest 60ft multihull - 15.03 knots
Illbruck 2 (Volvo 60) - Fastest Volvo Ocean Race Yacht - 11.36 knots
1997:
Spirit of England - Fastest multihull under 50ft - 8.38 knots
ENTRIES IN 2009 (last race)
300 boats from 16 countries
RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES PRIOR TO 2011
303 boats in 1979, 105 finished, 15 sailors lost their lives
FIRST WINNER
1925 Jolie Brise (GBR), owned by Commander Evelyn George Martin, Gaff-rigged pilot cutter 56
footer, finished in 6 days, 14 hours and 45 minutes - August 22, 1925
ROLEX FASTNET RACE WINNERS 2001-2009
Line Honours Winner
(Monohull)
Fastnet Challenge Cup
(Overall Monohull Winner)
2001 (fleet size: 233)
Stealth (ITA), Frers 93, Giovanni Agnelli (not on board)
Tonnerre de Breskens (NED), Lutra 52 , Piet de
Vroon
2003 (fleet size: 245)
Alfa Romeo (NZL), R/P 90, Neville Crichton
Nokia Enigma (GBR), R/P 76, Charles Dunstone
2005 (fleet size: 283)
Maximus (NZL), Elliott 98, Charles St Clair Brown/Bill
Buckley
Iromiguy (FRA), Nicholson 33 , Jean-Yves
Château
2007 (fleet size: 300)
ICAP Leopard (GBR), Farr 100, Mike Slade
Chieftain (IRL), Cookson 50, Ger O’Rourke
2009 (fleet size 300)
ICAP Leopard (GBR), Farr 100, Mike Slade
JV72 Rán (GBR), Niklas Zennstrom
2009 CLASS WINNERS
IRC Overall: JV72 Rán (GBR) - Niklas Zennstrom, 2 days, 15 hours, 01 minute, 33 seconds
IRC 0: Swan 52 La Floresta del Mar (ESP) - Amanda Hartley and Jaime Olazabal
IRC 1: Grand Soleil 43 Codiam (FRA) - N Loday & J C Nicoleau
IRC 2: A 35 Prime Time (FRA) Jerome Huillard, Jerome & Marc Alperovitch
IRC 3: High Tension 36 Hephzibah (GBR) - David Lees
Multihulls: Tri Paradox (GBR) - William Claxton
2 Handed: X 34 Exile/Mirabaud (FRA) Nicolas de la Fourniere
IMOCA 60: Artemis Ocean Racing (GBR)
Class 40: Initiatives Saveurs – Novedia Group (GBR) - Tanguy de Lamotte
IRC SZ Canting Keel: ICAP Leopard (GBR) - Mike Slade
IRC SZ: Rán (GBR) - Niklas Zennstrom
IRC 0A: Swan 52 La Floresta del Mar (ESP) - Amanda Hartley and Jaime Olazabal
IRC 0B: J 133 Jivaro (FRA) - Yves Grosjean
IRC 1A: Grand Soleil 43 Codiam (FRA) - N Loday & J C Nicoleau
IRC 1B: Corby 36 Quokka (GBR) - Andrew McIrvine
IRC 2A: J 39 Jackdaw (GBR) - David Walters
IRC 2B: A 35 Prime Time (FRA) - Jerome Huillard, Jerome & Marc Alperovitch
IRC 3A: X 332 Bateaux Mouches du Pont de l’Alma (FRA), Fabrice Amedeo
IRC 3B: High Tension 36 Hephzibah (GBR) - David Lees
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YACHT WITH THE MOST FASTNET VICTORIES
Jolie Brise (GBR), owned by Commander Evelyn George Martin, three victories (1925, 1929, 1930)
OLDEST YACHT COMPETING THIS YEAR
1937, Maybird, Shepherd 43 Classic, Darryl Hughes (GBR)
CLASSIC REPLICAS:
Edith Gray, Pilot Cutter, John Raymond-Barker (GBR)
Morwenna, Burnett 45 Pilot Cutter, Stuart Jenkins (GBR)
MOST FASTNETS RACED
27 times - Ken Newman (GBR), Marinero, Swan 46
25+ times - Piet Vroon (NED), Tonnerre de Breskens, Ker 46
TROPHIES: The index trophy for overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet is the Fastnet Challenge Cup.
In addition, there are more than 30 additional trophies that will be awarded at the prizegiving on
Friday, 19 August at the historic Royal Citadel, home of the 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery,
overlooking Plymouth Harbour. Trophies are for corrected time results except where stated. A Rolex
Chronometer may be awarded to the Fastnet Challenge Cup winner and the line honours monohull
winner. In the event of one boat winning both trophies only one chronometer will be presented.
THE HISTORY OF FASTNET RACE
First sailed in 1925 and run biennially since the early 1930s, the 608-mile Rolex Fastnet Race has
captured the imagination of sailors the world over. It was one of the first true tests of offshore sailing
skill and to win this race is an ambition of every racing sailor.
Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) the course starts from the Royal Yacht
Squadron at Cowes, races out of the Solent down the English Channel to Land’s End and across the
often tempestuous Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock, before returning on a reciprocal course to the
finish off Plymouth.
It is a difficult race testing inshore and offshore skills, preparation and speed potential. It has been a
prime mover in the growth of offshore racing over the past 85 years, and is still intricately linked to
advances in yacht design, sailing techniques, safety equipment.
2011 marks the 44th edition of the race. The entry list is capped at 300 boats, but this year the
RORC has made provision for fully-professional yachts such as the maxi multihulls, the VO70s, the
IMOCA 60s and the Class 40s to race in addition to the more Corinthian index fleet. This could swell
the numbers by another 50, shattering the current record entry of 303 set in 1979.
The start is scheduled for Sunday, 14 August, with the first warning at 10.50BST. The monohull
course record stands at 1 day, 20 hours and 18 minutes, set by ICAP Leopard (GBR) in 2007. With
Leopard entered this year alongside the 100-ft Rambler 100 (USA), expect an assault on the
benchmark time if conditions permit.
Given the history and popularity of the race, it is little surprise that the Rolex Fastnet means different
things to the near 3,000 different people on board the entered yachts. For some it is a once-in-a-lifetime
personal challenge, for others it is part of a much bigger picture, part of a lifetime of sailing. It is
never just another race. It is not undertaken lightly by anyone and each boat and crew must fulfill a
strict qualification regime before their entry is accepted.
The Rolex Fastnet is never a simple race and taking place in August it is often provided with
Westerlies that are strong to gale force in strength. The progressive succession of low pressure
systems which advance on the British Isles from across the North Atlantic Ocean also provide a
constantly moving weather pattern. These depressions are mostly centered north of the English
Channel. Knowledge of where any meteorological disturbance is likely to occur, and how best to use
it, is the keynote to success. It is even more important now that the boats have faster reactions and
are more responsive to changes in wind pressure and direction.
Famous landmarks passed along the route include: The Needles, Portland Bill, Start Point, The
ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2011
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Lizard, Land’s End, the Fastnet Rock, Bishop’s Rock off the Scillies and Plymouth breakwater. Even
the foreign boats are familiar with these headlands and rocky outcrops by the end of the race.
The Rolex Fastnet Race is organised by the RORC in association with the Royal Western Yacht
Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron and has been sponsored by Rolex SA of Geneva since 2001.
TIME LINE – KEY DATES
1925 • 15 August • 7 starters – 4 finishers • Start from Ryde, Isle of Wight
Jolie Brise, a 56-foot pilot cutter completed the course in 6 days 14 hours and 45 minutes, beating
the second boat Gull by 20 hours. The Jolie Brise is still sailing today (see www.joliebrise.com).
Formation of the Ocean Racing Club (now the RORC) at the finish of the race. Established in 1925,
at a dinner following the finish of the first Fastnet Race as the Ocean Racing Club (ORC). The club’s
founding members were all adamant about what the club’s stated goals should be: “To encourage
long distance yacht racing and the design, building and navigation in which speed and
seaworthiness are combined.”
1926 • 14 August • 9 starters – 7 finishers • Start from Cowes, Isle of Wight
First foreign entry, the American yacht Primrose IV. Course time, set by 50-foot Fife design
Hallowe’en, 3 days 19 hours and 5 minutes, was not bettered until 1967.
1931 • 11 August • 17 starters – 15 finishers
Six American boats sailed in the race and the Olin Stephens-designed and skippered Dorade won.
The first four boats finished within minutes of each other. Dorade would win again two years later
and Stephens again in 1937 with Stormy Weather. First race tragedy with the loss of Colonel
Hudson washed overboard from his yacht Maitenes II.
1947 • 8 August • 29 starters – 9 finishers • Start off Southsea, near Portsmouth
First post war race and victory for the first custom built yacht for offshore racing, John Illingworth’s
Laurent Giles-designed Myth of Malham. Illingworth’s boat won again in 1949.
1959 • 8 August • 59 starters - 43 finishers
The RORC’s Admiral’s Cup was opened up to all foreign countries this year bringing a new focus of
attention to the Fastnet, the last race of the event. Over most of the next 38 years the Fastnet winner
was a boat from the fiercely competitive Admiral’s Cup fleet.
1979 • 11 August • 303 starters - 105 finishers
The worst event in the Fastnet’s history. Terrible storms and violent waves forced the abandonment
of 23 boats, which was accompanied by the loss of 15 souls. A radical rethink of minimum safety
requirements and experience levels was instigated following the post disaster report. 2009 marks the
thirtieth anniversary of this occasion.
1999 • 7 August • 216 starters - 177 finishers
Larger and faster boats including multihulls reduced the course time. Ross Field’s 80-footer RF
Yachting set a new monohull record of 2 days 5 hours and 8 minutes, Loick Peyron took his 60-foot
trimaran Fujicolor around the course in 1 day 16 hours and 27 minutes at an average speed of 15.08
knots.
2001 • 12 August • 222 starters - 190 finishers
Rolex signs as the title sponsor of the Fastnet Race. Many boats on their way to the America’s Cup
Jubilee Regatta in Cowes are attracted to sail the Fastnet. Amongst them was the Line Honours
winner, the late Gianni Agnelli’s futuristic Frers-designed Stealth.
2007 • 9 August • 271 starters - 60 finishers
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For the first time, RORC set an entry limit of 300 boats. Due to a severe weather warning from
the UK Met Office, the start was delayed for a day – the first time in the race’s history. When
the fleet started the next day, 271 yachts were on the line. The strong winds persisted during
the race forcing numerous retirements, most doing so before leaving the English Channel. Of
the starting fleet, less than a quarter finished the race. For those that stayed the course, there
was fast sailing indeed: Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard set a new monohull record of 1 day, 20
hours, and 18 mins at an average speed of 13.52 knots. George David’s Rambler also broke
the previous record by some 8 hours. The Irish Cookson 50, Chieftain, won overall.
2009 • 9 August • 300 starters – 279 finishers
DISTANCES: Total = 608 nautical miles (1,126 km)
The start of the Rolex Fastnet Race is from the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line in Cowes. Yachts
will race on a course of approx 608 miles via the Fastnet Rock to the finish line at the western end of
the breakwater in Plymouth Harbour.
Cowes – Needles 16m, Needles – Portland Bill 34m, Portland – Start Point 54m, Start Point – Lizard
60m, Lizard – Lands End 22m, Land's End – Fastnet 170m, Fastnet Rock – Scillies 154m, Scillies –
Lizard 51m, Lizard – Finish 46
THE FASTNET ROCK
The Fastnet Lighthouse positioned at 51°23.3’ North 9°36.1’West is known as ‘The Teardrop of
Ireland’, the last sight of Ireland for emigrants sailing to America. The Fastnet Rock is 4.5 miles
South West of Cape Clear and Mizen head. There are two pinnacles of hard clay shale with veins of
quartz rising to a height of 30 metres above the low water mark, all surrounded by deep water. The
height of the tower is 54 metres. The Corporation of Trinity House sanctioned the first lighthouse, a
cast iron tower, in 1848 to replace the Cape Clear Lighthouse, which was too far inside the dangers,
too high and too often obscured by fog. This first Fastnet light first shone on New Year’s Day 1854.
There were originally six keepers associated with the Fastnet Rock - four on the rock at a time with
the other two on leave. Relief were twice a month when two men were taken off; each man did four
weeks on, two weeks off. One man had to stay on watch during daytime to look out for fog and to
signal passing ships. As soon as fog was seen, another man was called up to work the fog signal.
THE PANTAENIUS BUOY
51° 17’.020N 009° 41’.040W
The Pantaenius Buoy is a Special Buoy which is laid by Irish Lights on behalf of the Royal Ocean
Racing Club, as a spreader mark after the Fastnet Rock. Sponsors Pantaenius have been providing
yacht insurance to yacht owners all over the world and with over 65,000 clients, is the number one
insurance provider in Europe. RORC Racing Manager Ian Loffhagen explains its purpose as a
spreader mark and safety measure on the Rolex Fastnet Race: “The Pantaenius Buoy stops boats
rounding the Fastnet Rock and heading back on the reciprocal track directly towards boats
approaching the Rock. With the speed of modern yachts reaching fast in both directions there could
be a collision speed of 50 knots or more so the laying of the Pantaenius Buoy avoids this.” A Notice
to Mariners is issued by Irish Lights for the duration of the Race.
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ROLEX FASTNET RACE PROGRAME
Wednesday 10 August
Trish Jenkins, Rolex Fastnet Race Event Press Officer and Katie Steiness, on site in the Media
Centre, Cowes Yacht Haven (Rigger’s Loft)
Thursday 11 August
15.00 Rolex Fastnet Race Press Conference, Max Aitkin Museum, Cowes High Street, Cowes
(Accredited Media Only)
Saturday 13 August
16.00 Skippers’ Briefing – Events Centre, Cowes Yacht Haven, Cowes
Sunday 14 August
08.00 Rolex Fastnet Race Press Office opens in Cowes Yacht Haven Media Centre
08.30 Rolex Fastnet Race Press Office opens in Sutton Harbour, The Barbican, Plymouth
09.30 Press Boats Depart (check in Media Centre, Cowes Yacht Haven prior to this)
10.50 First Warning Signal – Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes
11.00 First start Start 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race (see below for full list of start times from 1100 -
1300)
20.00 Rolex Fastnet Race Press Office closes in Cowes Yacht Haven
Monday 15 August
Press office open in Plymouth
1400 Plymouth Rolex Fastnet Race Village opens
PM Live music at the regatta centre
Tuesday 16 August
AM First multihulls expected to arrive in Plymouth, early morning
1200 Prizegiving for the winning multihull at the regatta centre
PM Live music at the regatta centre
2130 British Firework Championships, viewable from Sutton Harbour
Wednesday 17 August
0718 Current race record for the monohull class - will it be beaten this year?
1200 Prizegiving for the first monohull at the regatta centre
PM Live music at the regatta centre
2130 British Firework Championships, viewable from Sutton Harbour
Thursday 18 August
All day Fleet continues to finish in Plymouth
1200 Prizegiving at the regatta centre
PM Majority of the fleet begin to arrive in Sutton Harbour
Live music at the regatta centre
Friday 19 August
All day Fleet continues to finish in Plymouth
AM Fleet continues to arrive in Sutton Harbour
1700 Race prizegiving at the Royal Citadel (race crew and guests only)
PM Live music at the regatta centre
Saturday 20 August
Fleet berthed in Sutton Harbour Marina
1700 Press Office closes, Sutton Harbour, The Barbican, Plymouth
ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2011
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THE START
COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT, UK
Starts from 1100 BST, The Royal Yacht Squadron start line on Sunday 14th August
2011
The 44th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race starts on Sunday 14th August 2011 from the Royal Yacht
Squadron line in Cowes. Racing begins at 1100 for the multihull fleet, followed at 1110 by the
IMOCA 60 round the world yachts, and at 1120 by the Class 40s. The IRC classes set off at
staggered intervals from 1130, with the largest yachts IRC Zero and Canting Keel starting at 1240
and 1300 respectively.
The best vantage points of the start will be along Cowes Green and Egypt Esplanade on the Isle of
Wight. As the fleet funnels out of the Solent there will be a good chance to see the yachts from
Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, and Hurst Castle on the indexland. Further along the coast Anvil
Point, St Alban’s head, and Portland Bill should also give a good view of the race on its outbound
leg.
The Rolex Fastnet Race always starts the weekend that Cowes Week finishes from the famous Royal
Yacht Squadron start line in front of West Cowes. The start coincides with the top of the tide so that
the fleet can benefit from the West going ebb tide down the Solent and through the Needles Channel
for as long as possible. Maximising the use of the tide is one of the most important factors for all
sailing in the Solent, that narrow strip of sea between the Isle of Wight and the Hampshire Coast,
which can at times see streams of up to five knots in places. There are 9 different starts from 1100 to
1300.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE RACE
THE START: COWES
WATCH from on shore – Cowes Green, The Parade and along Egypt Point
Because of the size of the fleet, the start is broken into classes with the Multihulls and IMOCA 60
round the world yachts setting off first, followed by the slowest yachts racing under IRC handicap
with the fastest monohulls racing under IRC starting last. Those that go first quite often have to deal
with half an hour of foul tide in the restricted waters in front of Cowes and handling the complex
patterns of the turn of the tide correctly can give an immediate advantage over the opposition. From
the spectators’ point of view this works doubly well because it usually means plenty of action just in
front of Cowes Green, the strip of land running along the foreshore immediately past the start line, as
far as Egypt Point.
In optimising the start time to give the slowest and smallest boats the best chances of making an
expedient exit from the Solent no matter what the wind, the RORC will start the 2011 Rolex Fastnet
Race at 11.00 BST on Sunday, 14 August.
LISTEN to FASTNET RADIO 87.7 FM
Follow the Rolex Fastnet Race with full coverage on Fastnet Radio. Beginning with live commentary
from the Cowes startline on 87.7FM on Sunday 14th August, Fastnet Radio will be broadcast 24
hours a day in Plymouth on 87.9FM from the start day and online (see http://fastnet.rorc.org/ and
www.fastnetradio.co.uk ) live from the docks with all the breaking race news, features, and link-ups
with race teams out on the course. More info: studio@fastnetradio.co.uk
LOOK - at the Race website
The easiest way to follow the fleet is via the RORC’s mini site - http://fastnet.rorc.org. The latest
news updates, press release and positions as well as information from the race course can be found
on the site. Images from the fleet and texts from the boats themselves are all part of an initiative to
make the race more interactive for family and friends and those following the fleet.
Rolex have their own sailing events site and all press releases issued by them as well as a gallery of
great images to download for media who accredit, can be found here. To receive daily reports and to
download high-resolution images, Folkeboot -
interWEB -
HDSLR -
Dortmunder -
Casual Dating -
Singlebörsen free for editorial purposes, register online
at www.regattanews.com. Video round-ups of the news and action from the course will be available
during the race.
FOLLOW - the Fleet
Watch the Rolex Fastnet Race online with the fleet tracker. Trackers are fitted to every yacht so you
can see each boat’s position along the course. View by class or select your favourites to follow
friends and family, check out their boatspeed and weather conditions in real time, read the social
media feed and see how the live leaderboard is developing at http://fastnet.rorc.org
PLAY THE GAME
Armchair enthusiasts can negotiate the 608-mile course from the safety of their living room by
playing the Virtual Fastnet Game. Choose your yacht name, plan your strategy and see how you fare
against a huge fleet. The last edition of the race attracted an incredible 27,000 virtual entries, with
the winner completing the course in an impressive three days and 18 hours. Course weather
forecasts will be updated twice daily at 0700 and 1900 so be warned: this game is very addictive! To
start the game, visit: http://fastnet.rorc.org/.
FACEBOOK & TWITTER:
Regular updates for media regarding the Rolex Fastnet will be available on the Race Website:
http://fastnet.rorc.org/
Fans can also follow the race via Facebook and Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub
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FOLLOW THE RACE AT THE FINISH
PLYMOUTH, DEVON
SUTTON HARBOUR MARINA
Sutton Harbour Marina will play host to the fleet on arrival in Plymouth. To cater for the increased
number of entrants this year, the marina has made the complete berthing area adjacent to West Pier
and the city's historic Barbican area, available to the Rolex Fastnet Fleet. The Marina is owned by
the Sutton Harbour Group which is the official berth provider for the race and is an Official Supporter:
http://www.sutton-harbour.co.uk/
Arriving into Plymouth Sound will be a memorable moment for every competitor in the 2011 Rolex
Fastnet Race, as it signifies the end of 608-nautical miles of non-stop racing. The city has been a
sanctuary for sailors ever since Sir Francis Drake famously played a relaxed game of bowls on
Plymouth Hoe before setting out from the River Plym to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. The
Royal Navy continue to call Plymouth home at nearby Devonport, the largest naval base in Western
Europe.
The Rolex Fastnet Race celebrates this maritime heritage with a glittering prizegiving held in the
Royal Citadel, a historic fort built in the 1660s, while visiting crews will also enjoy the modern shops
and restaurants in Plymouth’s Barbican district.
WHERE TO WATCH
A truly spectacular fleet of yachts and their sea-weary crews will gather in Plymouth as they
complete the Rolex Fastnet Race. After crossing the Irish Sea, the yachts will reach their finish line
from the west as they arrive in Plymouth Sound so watch out for the winners from Plymouth Hoe.
The majority of the fleet will moor up in a special competitors’ village at Sutton Harbour Marina, The
Barbican. Visitors can see the huge variety of racing boats which have completed the course on
additional pontoons created to accommodate the giant fleet. The earliest arrivals could reach
Plymouth by the morning of Tuesday 16th August, with the rest of the fleet pouring in over the week.
LISTEN TO FASTNET RADIO 87.9FM
This year there will be full coverage on Fastnet Radio for a flavour of the race and an update on the
progress of arrivals listen to Fastnet Radio (87.9FM) for interviews with winners and competitors as
they arrive in Plymouth. Beginning with live commentary from the Cowes startline on Sunday, 14
August, Fastnet Radio will be broadcast 24 hours a day in Plymouth and online (see
http://fastnet.rorc.org/ and www.fastnetradio.co.uk). Live from the docks with all the breaking race
news, features, and link-ups with race teams out on the course. More info: studio@fastnetradio.co.uk
LOOK: PRIZEGIVINGS AT RACE VILLAGE
At midday from when the first boats arrive, presentations and interviews with crews will take place on
the index stage in the Race Village by Sutton Harbour Marina. Along with video footage and regular
updates, everyone is welcome to come along, meet the crews and get involved.
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RACE ORGANISERS
ROYAL OCEAN RACING CLUB:
Commodore: Andrew McIrvine (Racing in the 2011 RFR with his yacht, La Réponse)
Chief Executive Officer: Eddie Warden Owen
Ian Loffhagen, Racing Manager
The Rolex Fastnet Race is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in association with
the Royal Western Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron and has been sponsored by Rolex SA
of Geneva since 2001.
Established in 1925, at a dinner following the finish of the first Fastnet Race as the Ocean Racing
Club (ORC), the club’s founding members were all adamant about what the club’s stated goals
should be, “to encourage long distance yacht racing and the design, building and navigation in which
speed and seaworthiness are combined,” something which it has done with alacrity ever since.
The RORC has been a world leader in the sport in not only organising and promoting offshore racing
activities but in developing standards in excellence, particularly with safety issues, but also in race
management and in the development and administration of handicap systems for the worlds’ fleet of
racing yachts.
In 1957, the Admirals of the RORC decided to present a trophy to encourage foreign teams to
compete at Cowes Week, Britain’s premier race week, as well as two of the offshore races organised
by the club. The international team with the best score at the end of the series – that included as its
final race the Fastnet – was awarded the Admiral’s Cup. This event quickly developed into the
premier offshore racing regatta in the world, polarising racing yacht development, rating systems,
techniques and generally popularising the sport at the highest level. Many other clubs around the
world mimicked the format with their own series. In recent years, with changing requirements and
racing formats, other RORC-organised regatta formats have developed, including the Rolex
Commodores’ Cup.
One of the most important activities of the RORC today is the development and management of a
myriad of different yacht measurement and handicap systems, something at which the RORC’s
Lymington-based Rating Office staff are the recognised world leaders. The Club has a central London
clubhouse, with restaurant and rooms for the use of its 3500 memberships and their guests. It is also
the founding publisher of one the worlds’ leading yacht racing publications, Seahorse Magazine – the
white, stylised seahorse on a dark blue background being the club’s logo.
Royal Ocean Racing Club: 20 St James’ Place, London SW1A 1NN, United Kingdom, Tel: +44
(0)20 7493 2248, Email: info@rorc.org.uk, Web: www.rorc.org - Rolex Fastnet Race minisite:
www.fastnet.rorc.org
Royal Ocean Racing Club
20 St James’ Place
London SW1A 1NN
United Kingdom
E: racing@rorc.org.uk
T: +44 (0)20 7493 2248
F: +44 (0)20 7493 5252
www.rorc.org
ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2011
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RACE SPONSOR: ROLEX SA OF GENEVA
The Rolex Fastnet Race has been sponsored by Rolex SA of Geneva since 2001.
Rolex has always enjoyed a privileged relationship with the sea and the sailing world. Among the
sports that Rolex has supported for many years, sailing undoubtedly holds a special place. Its spirit
and philosophy are in perfect harmony with values that Rolex holds dear: excellence, precision and
team spirit.
The partnership between Rolex and sailing dates back to the late 1950s. The close ties that bind the
company to the world of sailing have grown stronger ever since. Today, Rolex is the title Sponsor of
some twenty major international yachting events in four distinct categories:
The Maxi class of yachts: Rolex is the partner of the International Maxi Association, enabling the
delivery of a range of yacht-racing events show-casing the largest, most impressive vessels afloat.
Events include the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Giraglia Rolex Cup and the Rolex Volcano Race.
Ocean racing traditions: Rolex has long supported the notion of endurance within sailing. Its
involvement in some of the highest calibre, offshore distance races is testament to the commitment.
Events include Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Championship yachting: over many years Rolex has created long-standing relationships with yacht
clubs and organisations that host competitive regattas, where the intensity of the sport on the water
is matched by the level of camaraderie ashore. Events include the Rolex Farr 40 World
Championship, the Rolex Swan Cup and the New York Yacht Club Invitational.
Classic sailing: Rolex closely identifies itself with the spirit, tradition and elegance exemplified by
vintage yachts, and has partnered with the event which salutes these virtues: Les Voiles de Saint-
Tropez.
Additionally, through its support of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the world reference in
sailing, Rolex participates in the overall development of this spectacular sport. Since 2001, the
company has been partner with ISAF at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, honorary
prizes that celebrate men and women sailors who have particularly distinguished themselves.
Over the years, Rolex has also cultivated close associations with the best-known yacht clubs and the
organisers of major events in the world of sailing, including: The New York Yacht Club, The Yacht
Club Costa Smeralda, The Royal Yacht Squadron, The Yacht Club Italiano and the Royal Hong
Kong Yacht Club
PARTNERS/SUPPLIERS:
SUTTON HARBOUR MARINA, BARBICAN, PLYMOUTH, UK
Sutton Harbour Marina in Plymouth have been the host finish port for the Rolex Fastnet Race since
2009. The Marina is owned by the Sutton Harbour Group, which is the official berth provider for the
race and is an Official Supporter: http://www.sutton-harbour.co.uk/
Mark Brimacombe, Sutton Harbour Marina Manager said: “We’re delighted that The Royal Ocean
Racing Club has selected Sutton Harbour Marina to host the finish of the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race
and we’re looking forward to offering competitors a very warm welcome with our first class facilities
and excellent access to local restaurants, bars and shops to help them relax and unwind after the
event.
“Events like the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race will no doubt play and important role in attracting visitors
to Plymouth and provide a valuable boost to local businesses during these tough economic times.”
PANTAENIUS YACHT INSURANCE
Pantaenius sponsor the Pantaenius Buoy and the Crew Bar in Plymouth
http://www.pantaenius.co.uk
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