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 remained 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).
