Chris Power–Smith's J122 Aurelia ('The Golden One') from Dublin Bay is the latest entry for next weekend's inaugural Fastnet 450 Race from Dublin to Cork.
The skipper of the potent ISORA performer says the decision to enter the race first announced a fortnight ago was a very easy one to make given 'the allure of any race around yacht racing’s iconic Fastnet rock is always hard to resist'.
Power-Smith believes the race is a "nice length" and with the home port start attraction of Dun Laoghaire Harbour where most of the fleet is based, he says he could see it having "a regular place in what normally would be a very crowded calendar".
The Royal St. George Yacht Club helmsman, who finished third overall in the 2018 Round Ireland Race and second in the 2019 Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race, says he is delighted that in addition to the ISORA series another premier offshore event has been added to the otherwise very scant 2020 sailing calendar.
'the allure of any race around yacht racing’s iconic Fastnet rock is always hard to resist'
With a distance of 260 miles and an expected duration of around 36 hours in normal conditions, Power Smith says it has been relatively easy to organise from a logistics and crew point of view. "This is helped by the start in Dun Laoghaire which makes it like a home game for us".
While some of his more experienced crew had made alternative holiday plans after the cancellation of Round Ireland, Power-Smith says he is using the opportunity to test new crew and roles on a longer offshore race.
"I am at the point where I have nearly assembled a full crew. I have a couple of technical issues to sort out with a fault on my navigation PC and a new prop to be fitted next week, I am hoping to have the boat in reasonable racing condition, if not up to full Round Ireland level of preparedness".
The J122 skipper says it is usually a struggle to organise delivery crew for the trip back to Dublin but with "more people hanging around than usual, I have had a good response". The proximity of Crosshaven to Cork and it’s good transport links are a good help, he says.
The race starts off Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 12.55 on Saturday, August 22nd. More Fastnet 450 Race news here.