Fastnet Yacht Race. News from the RORC Offshore Race Event

The new JPK 10.30 Leon rounds the Fastnet Rock at 5.0pm yesterday. Sailed by her builder Jean-Pierre Kelbert and Alex Loisson, she currently leads the Fastnet Race Two-Handed Division and is first in IRC3 and IRC3B

Stronger Winds in Fastnet Race Give Smaller Boats a Tough Time But Faster Speeds to the Finish

6th August 2019 Fastnet

Strong southwest winds last night – with Met Eireann issuing a Small Craft Warning at 2100 hrs – gave the more determinedly sailed smaller craft a fighting chance of significantly improving their overall standing in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2019,…

IMOCA 60 line honours for Jérémie Beyou and Christopher Pratt and their shore crew after arriving in Plymouth

Charal Claims IMOCA 60 Fastnet Race Honours

5th August 2019 Fastnet

While IMOCA 60s are renowned for racing non-stop around the world in the Vendée Globe, the doublehanded crews of these extraordinary space-age craft appreciate the Rolex Fastnet Race as it offers most conditions of a round the world race within…

Rambler 88 rounds the Fastnet on her way to monohull line honours victory

Fastnet Race Line Honours Winner George David Salutes 2011 Irish Rescuers Again

5th August 2019 Fastnet

American Owner George David, skipper of Rambler 88 the monohull line Fastnet Race winner has again paid tribute to the RNLI Lifeboat crew in Baltimore West Cork who rescued him after he capsized at the rock eight years ago. "We know…

The Maxi Edmund De Rothschild, has won multihull line honours in the 48th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race

The Ultime Trimarans Live Up to their Name as Leading Pair Finish Fastnet Race in Record Time

4th August 2019 Fastnet

The new breed of Ultime 32 trimarans have lived up to their name and reputation with the leading pair of Gitana XVII and Macif slashing more than four and a half hours off the record time for the 608-mile Rolex…

Conor Doyle’s handsome Xp 50 Freya from Kinsale (her crew including Olympic campaigner James Espey) was in the limelight as overall leader at one stage

Conor Doyle’s Freya from Kinsale Flies the Flag for Ireland in Fastnet Race

4th August 2019 Fastnet

With the leading Fastnet Race multihulls well round the Fastnet Rock this morning (fleet leader Gitana 17, the Ultime 32 aka Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, was first at the turn at 0633 BST) the bulk of the fleet are still…

The 100ft Ultime 32 Maxi Edmond de Rothschild seems to have emerged unscathed from a close encounter with the Shingles Bank in the early stages of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2019, despite all those vulnerable appendages

Fastnet Race 2019: Race to the Rock Shows Fair Wind Doesn’t Always Mean Fair Play

3rd August 2019 Fastnet

For most sailors a fair wind from well aft of the beam is welcome. But if you happen to be a 100ft trimaran which three hours ago was registering 38 knots on a beam reach, the fact that the wind…

The 48ft American sloop Carina (Rives Potts) rounding the Fastnet Rock in 2011, when she won her class. A successful veteran of the 1979 Fastnet Race, Carina made her debut in the 1969 race, and today she starts in her Golden Jubilee Fastnet Race

Fastnet Race 2019 Starts Today in the Solent & Line Honours Leaders Should Be at The Rock Tomorrow Morning

3rd August 2019 W M Nixon

The maritime pageantry which is the sequenced start of the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race gets underway in time-honoured fashion at 12.30 hrs off Cowes today. And in the almost ludicrously varied 390-plus fleet, there are some sailing machines which are…

Scroll down for the official Fastnet Race Tracker

2019 Fastnet Yacht Race Tracker Here!

2nd August 2019 Fastnet

Track the progress of the 390-boat 2019 Rolex Fastnet Yacht Race fleet below here on the live tracker when the race starts at 12.30 pm off Cowes on the Isle of Wight on Saturday (August 3) Forecasts show light winds for…

A veteran of the Fastnet Storm rescue of 1979, the Watson 47 Class lifeboat The Robert has been restored by Jeff Houlgrave, and is currently in Crosshaven before heading for her 1979 home port of Baltimore on Friday

Baltimore’s Restored Vintage Lifeboat Will Return to the Scene of the 1979 Fastnet Storm Rescues

30th July 2019 Fastnet

It was when the Baltimore Lifeboat was called on the evening of Monday, August 13th 1979 to the assistance of the yacht Regardless that the outside world began to realize that something exceptional was happening to the record 303-boat Fastnet…

Remembering the Fastnet Tragedy 40 Years on is Integral to the 2019 Sailing Season

27th July 2019 W M Nixon

This weekend forty years ago, I was the chirpy co-skipper of the smallest boat in the Cruise-in-Company fleet as we closed in on Glengarriff in far West Cork for the Golden Jubilee party of the Irish Cruising Club in the…

Fastnet Race: Passion & Power In IRC Three & Four

26th July 2019 Fastnet

For the previous four editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race, the elation of overall victory has been enjoyed by a team racing a yacht of less than 40ft. In the 2013 and 2015 editions of the 605-nautical-mile offshore race, the…

The Rolex Fastnet Race's largest monohull yachts at the start of the 2017 race

Fastnet Race: Big Boat Prospects

22nd July 2019 Fastnet

The weather will play a significant outcome in determining the overall results of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Winning your division is more within each team's control, and here we'll look at the top three IRC handicap categories in terms of…

Fastnet ’79: A Personal Recollection Of A Terrible Night From Skipper & Crew Of ‘Flicka’

16th July 2019 Fastnet

Unseasonable gales in August have little meaning for those who experienced a terrible night that month in 1979, on the third day of that year’s Fastnet Race, as the skipper and crew of Flicka recall. The morning after the hurricane…

Cian McCarthy's Eos from Kinsale Yacht Club will compete in August's Fastnet Race

Eight Irish Boats for August's Fastnet Race from Cowes

2nd July 2019 Fastnet

August 3rd's Rolex Fastnet Race from Cowes is shaping up to have more Irish interest than the landmark turning point with eight Irish-flagged boats in the 26-nation race and Irish sailors also registered as competing on boats across the record fleet.…

Keith Miller's Andante a Yamaha 36c from Wexford is competing in the Fastnet Race for the first time

First Fastnet Yacht Race for Irish Farmer

1st July 2019 Fastnet

County Wexford suckler and tillage farmer Keith Miller is as at home on the water as he is in the fields. Hailing from the Kilmore Quay Boat Club and with 30 years' service with the Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat, this will…

The Fastnet Race memorial service notice issued by the RORC

The Fastnet Race Losses of 1979 to be Remembered in Cowes Forty Years On

26th June 2019 Fastnet

The atmosphere in Cowes in the days leading up to the start of the Fastnet Race inevitably provides a heightening sense of anticipation and tension writes W M Nixon. And for 2019’s race on Saturday, August 3rd, there is an added…

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RORC Fastnet Race

This race is both a blue riband international yachting fixture and a biennial offshore pilgrimage that attracts crews from all walks of life:- from aspiring sailors to professional crews; all ages and all professions. Some are racing for charity, others for a personal challenge.

For the world's top professional sailors, it is a 'must-do' race. For some, it will be their first-ever race, and for others, something they have competed in for over 50 years! The race attracts the most diverse fleet of yachts, from beautiful classic yachts to some of the fastest racing machines on the planet – and everything in between.

The testing course passes eight famous landmarks along the route: The Needles, Portland Bill, Start Point, the Lizard, Land’s End, the Fastnet Rock, Bishop’s Rock off the Scillies and Plymouth breakwater (now Cherbourg for 2021 and 2023). After the start in Cowes, the fleet heads westward down The Solent, before exiting into the English Channel at Hurst Castle. The finish for 2021 is in Cherbourg via the Fastnet Rock, off the southern tip of Ireland.

The leg across the Celtic Sea to (and from) the Fastnet Rock is known to be unpredictable and challenging. The competitors are exposed to fast-moving Atlantic weather systems and the fleet often encounter tough conditions

Flawless decision-making, determination and total commitment are the essential requirements. Crews have to manage and anticipate the changing tidal and meteorological conditions imposed by the complex course

The symbol of the race is the Fastnet Rock, located off the southern coast of Ireland. Also known as the Teardrop of Ireland, the Rock marks an evocative turning point in the challenging race

Once sailors reach the Fastnet Rock, they are well over halfway to the finish in Cherbourg.

Fastnet Race - FAQs

When is the next Fastnet Race?

The 49th edition of the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, UK on Sunday 8th August 2021.

What's new about the 2021 Fastnet Race?

The next two editions of the race in 2021 and 2023 will finish in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin at the head of the Normandy peninsula, France

What will the fleet size be for the 2021 Fastnet Race?

Over 300. A record fleet is once again anticipated for the world's largest offshore yacht race.

Who races in the Fastnet Race?

The international fleet attracts both enthusiastic amateur, the seasoned offshore racer, as well as out-and-out professionals from all corners of the world.

What types of boats compete in the Fastnet Race?

Boats of all shapes, sizes and age take part in this historic race, from 9m-34m (30-110ft) – and everything in between.

What is the multihull Fastnet Race record?

The Fastnet Race multihull course record is: 1 day 4 hours 2 minutes and 26 seconds (2019, Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, Franck Cammas / Charles Caudrelier)

What is the monohull Fastnet Race record?

The Fastnet Race monohull course record is: 1 day, 18 hours, 39 minutes (2011, Volvo 70, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing).

Who won the 2019 Fastnet Race?

David and Peter Askew's American VO70 Wizard won the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race, claiming the Fastnet Challenge Cup for 1st in IRC Overall.

How long has Rolex sponsored the Fastnet Race?

Rolex SA has been a longstanding sponsor of the race since 2001.

When was the first Fastnet Race held?

The first race was in 1925 with 7 boats. The Royal Ocean Racing Club was set up as a result.

What boat was the winner of the first Fastnet Race?

The winner of the first Fastnet Race was the former pilot cutter Jolie Brise, a boat that is still sailing today.

Was there an Irish entry in the first Fastnet Race?

Cork sailor Henry P F Donegan (1870-1940), who gave his total support for the Fastnet Race from its inception in 1925 and competed in the inaugural race in his 43ft cutter Gull from Cork.

Has Ireland every won the Fastnet Race?

Ireland has won the Fastnet Race twice. In 1987 the Dubois 40 Irish Independent won the Fastnet Race overall for the first time and then in 2007 – all of twenty years after Irish Independent’s win – Ireland secured the overall win again this time thanks to Ger O’Rourke’s Cookson 50 Chieftain from the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland in Kilrush.

©Afloat 2020

At A Glance – Fastnet Race