The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of 608 nautical miles. The race starts off Cowes 50°45′34″N 1°18′1″W / 50.75944°N 1.30028°W / 50.75944; -1.30028 on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock 51°23′3″N 9°36′1″W / 51.38417°N 9.60028°W / 51.38417; -9.60028 off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at Plymouth 50°22′17″N 4°8′33″W / 50.37139°N 4.1425°W / 50.37139; -4.1425 in the South of England after passing south of the Isles of Scilly. The Fastnet Race has been sponsored by Rolex since 2001.

The prize is known as the Fastnet Challenge Cup.

History

Weston Martyr, a British yachtsman, came up with the idea after having competed in Bermudan yacht races. The first Fastnet race, with seven entries, was won by Jolie Brise in 1925.

The International Offshore Rule (IOR) was introduced in 1973, and the yachts and crews began taking sponsorships.

1979 Fastnet Race

A severe storm during the 1979 race resulted in the deaths of 15 competitors. This led to a major overhaul of the rules and the equipment required for the competition. Several books have been written about the 1979 race, which is notorious in the yachting world.

Capsize of Drum (1985)

The race drew further attention from outside the sport in 1985 when the maxi yacht Drum capsized after her experimental keel sheared off. Pop star Simon Le Bon, co-owner and crew member of Drum, was trapped under the hull with five other crew members for twenty minutes, until being rescued by the Royal Navy. The Search and Rescue Diver was Petty Officer Air Crewman (POACMN) Larry "Scouse" Slater of 771 Naval Air Squadron who appeared on This Is Your Life on 9 April 1986.

Race record

The race record is currently held by Mike Slade's Icap Leopard 3 with an elapsed time of 44hrs 18min, set in 2007.

Fastnet since 2005

The 2005 race was sponsored by Rolex and organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club with the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Western Yacht Club, Plymouth.

The start of the 2007 race was postponed by 25 hours, due to a severe weather warning. This was the first time this had been done in the race's 83 year history. Overnight gale force winds and, in particular, extreme seas forced many boats to retire, sheltering in ports along the south coast of England, including Torbay, Plymouth and Weymouth

By 10:00hrs on 16 August, 207 boats of the 271-strong field had retired with at least three suffering rig problems. [1] [2]

Despite the conditions, Mike Slade's Icap Leopard 3, launched in June 2007, set a new record of 44 hours 18 min, taking almost 9 hours off the previous record set in 1999. Ger O'Rourke's Chieftain was the overall winner on corrected time.

Corrected Time Winners

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Line Honours Winners

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External links

• Royal Ocean Racing Club
• Royal Engineers Museum History of Royal Engineers Sports
• BBC World Service programme A sailor in the race talks to BBC Witness about his experiences