Fastnet Yacht Race. News from the RORC Offshore Race Event

The international flotilla has been slowly leaving Cherbourg and other ports on the continent ready to arrive off Cowes prior to the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race

Fastnet Race Start Will Be a Blustery One at Cowes (Skipper's Briefing Vid Here!)

8th August 2021 Fastnet

The Solent has been in a blustery mood with an overcast sky, rain and perpetual gusty winds in anticipation of today's start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. The forecast for the start of the 49th edition of the world’s largest…

Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee are the only Irish team competing double-handed and in the Beneteau Figaro 3 Class in the 2021 Fastnet Race

Ireland's Double-Handed Fastnet Race Team Prepare for Rough Ride at Lands End

8th August 2021 Fastnet

Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee, the mixed double-handed offshore team from Dun Laoghaire and Greystones, will be on today's Rolex Fastnet Race 2021 start line as the only Irish team competing double-handed and in the Beneteau Figaro 3 Class. One of…

The Sun Fast 3200 Cora was top British boat in IRC Four in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race

Will Fastnet Race 2021 Be a Big or Small Boat Yacht Race?

7th August 2021 Fastnet

The start of the Rolex Fastnet Race will take place from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes on Sunday, with a first warning signal for the multihull classes at 1100, followed at 15-minute intervals by the IMOCAs/Class40s, and then…

Fifty years ago to the day, Jack MacKeown's S&S 34 Korsar (RStGYC, sailed by John Bourke) is seen from Ronnie Wayte's Hustler 35 Setanta of Skerries as they duel their way westward into the Needles Channel in the early stages of the 1971 Fastnet Race, with the great Ted Turner's 12 Metre American Eagle thundering through with a performance which will take line honours and set a new course record

Fastnet Race Memories of 50 Years Ago as Irish Interest Focuses on 11 Yachts in Sunday's 2021 Edition

7th August 2021 W M Nixon

Time was when doing the Fastnet Race seemed a natural part of sailing life. The world was young, yet we'd sufficient maturity (no sniggering at the back, please) to appreciate the full meaning of the experience as a uniquely significant…

Watch the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race

Changes to British Travel Restrictions Mean Relaxed Rules for Fastnet Race Competitors

6th August 2021 Fastnet

Organisers of the Rolex Fastnet Race have welcomed the British Government’s easing of travel restrictions between the UK and France which come into affect hours before the race start in Cowes this Sunday 8 August. For the crews of the…

American George David’s Rambler 88 has won monohull line honours in the last two editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race and will be on the start line in Cowes again this year for the 695nm race to the Fastnet Rock and on to Cherbourg

Fastnet Race 2021: World’s Biggest Offshore Yacht Race Heads for Ireland's Famous Rock

5th August 2021 Fastnet

While the UK's Cowes Week is taking centre stage on the Solent at present, final preparations are being made for Sunday’s start (8th August) of the world’s biggest offshore yacht race, the Rolex Fastnet Race. This year, for the first…

After the Fastnet Race start, crews will head west through the Solent, before a long passage along the English Channel to Land’s End

Fastnet Race 2021: 300 Yachts From 31 Countries Get Ready to Race

4th August 2021 Fastnet

A substantial fleet of more than 300 yachts is set to compete in the 49th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. The entry list is evidence once again of the illustrious status and widespread appeal of the event, which starts…

Rumball and Lee competed in the gruelling Tour De Bretagne a La Voile

Rumball & Lee Review 'Gruelling' Tour De Bretagne a La Voile & Prepare for Fastnet Race

27th July 2021 Fastnet

The Irish Offshore Sailing team RL Sailing, sponsored by Hanley Energy, recently completed the gruelling Tour De Bretagne a La Voile. The famous race was spread across several stages over nine days, with a combination of inshore and offshore racing…

Predominantly corinthian sailors will battle it out in the 70-strong IRC Four fleet on some of the smallest boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race

70 Strong 'Corinthian' IRC Four Fleet are Ready for the Fastnet Race

21st July 2021 Fastnet

More than 70 boats are expected to be on the start line racing in IRC Four for the Rolex Fastnet Race. Nearly all of the 500 plus sailors racing in the class are amateurs, and all bar a few boats…

The largest class to compete in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race will be the 80+ boats in IRC Three

Royal Cork's Nieulargo is One to Watch in Diverse IRC Three Fastnet Race Fleet

20th July 2021 Fastnet

With less than a month before the start of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, IRC Three boasts the largest class competing with 88 teams entered from at least 10 different countries. IRC Three has a cornucopia of boat designs, mainly…

Ed Bell's JPK 11.80 Dawn Treader will be one of several highly competitive teams in the Rolex Fastnet Race in IRC Two

Fastnet Race IRC Two Has Highly Competitive Teams for August's New Course

16th July 2021 Fastnet

Among many hot boats in IRC Two will be the JPK 1180, big brother to the JPK 10.10 Night and Day and 10.80 Courrier Du Leon, which won the Rolex Fastnet Races in 2013 and 2015 respectively. This year five…

Jacques Pelletier’s Milon 41 L'Ange De Milon winner of IRC One in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race

French Yachts are Pace Setters in IRC One of the Fastnet Race

14th July 2021 Fastnet

IRC One will be one of the toughest battlegrounds within the Rolex Fastnet Race, and the French will be a hard act to beat. Among the leading contenders are Jacques Pelletier’s Milon 41 L'Ange De Milon which won IRC One…

IRC Zero is historically the class which produces the most IRC overall winners - including David & Peter Askew's Wizard in 2019. Sadly they won't be returning to defend their title

Big Boats Ready to Roll in IRC Zero of the RORC Fastnet Race

8th July 2021 Fastnet

IRC Zero represents the glamour end of the keelboat fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race. It’s likely that we’ll see line honours go to one of the maxis in the class, perhaps George David’s 88ft defending line honour champion Rambler…

The new ClubSwan 125 Skorpios will be the largest monohull ever to have entered the Rolex Fastnet Race

Fastnet Race’s Historic Battle for Line Honours

6th July 2021 Fastnet

A major clash of the titans will take place between two of the world’s fastest maxi-monohulls at August’s Rolex Fastnet Race. While the most sought-after victory is, of course, the overall win under IRC, for the monohull that is first…

Competing in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race are many of the world’s accomplished as well as highly competitive female sailors - such as Britain's Dee Caffari racing Two-Handed with James Harayda on Sunfast 3300 Gentoo

Fastnet Race Sees Female Participation Up to 10%

30th June 2021 Fastnet

In August a record fleet of 450 boats is expected to be on the start line of the world’s largest offshore yacht race, the Rolex Fastnet Race. Among the crews of this traditionally male-dominated sport, just over 10% will be…

Jérémie Beyou and Chris Pratt on board Charal

Fastnet Race Set to Welcome Vendée Globe Heroes

10th June 2021 Fastnet

Almost six months after they competed in the world’s most brutal race — the singlehanded non-stop lap of the planet that is the Vendée Globe — many of the IMOCA fleet will be returning to the race course for the…

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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