Fastnet Race Day Four 0900 - When they were approaching the Fastnet Rock yesterday, the middle cohort of this still-large fleet in the 50th Edition of the Fastnet Race found that summer was quietly enjoying itself around West Cork's legendary Rock, and for today at least, much of the course will be in lighter breezes, mainly from the northwest before brisker Atlantic weather reasserts itself from the southwest tomorrow.

The Fastnet Rock - Summer was quietly enjoying itself around West Cork's legendary Rock Photo: Kurt Arrigo

Yesterday (Monday) evening at Cherbourg, the battle for mono-hull line honours was resolved almost 24 hours after the two leading mega-multihulls had finished, with the monos seeing Charlie Dalin get the best of a local northerly freshening to come in first with his IMOCA Macif ahead of fellow-IMOCA Paprec Arkea and the 88ft American canting-keel Lucky (formerly George David's Rambler 88), which is now being raced by Bryon Erhart.

Reigning IMOCA class champion Charlie Dalin and Pascal Bidegorry on MACIF Santé Prévoyance are the RORC Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 monohull line winners Photo: Paul Wyeth

Through the night and early morning, the steadily-leading IRC Overall Leader Caro, Max Klink's Swiss-registered Botin 52, finished her superb race still in first place, but the Irish interest in Chris Sheehan's Pac 52 Warriors Won was rewarded with fourth overall when the numbers were finalised at the finish.

In a mid-fleet still very much at sea, one of the best races continues to be for IRC 1, with defending champion Sunrise III, Tom Kneen's JPK 11.80, battling it out with sister-ship Dawn Treader (Ed Bell) and the Fournier family from France with the J/133 Pintia, though in the eased conditions they will still have 40 miles of the return passage to the Isles of Scilly to sail.

Meanwhile, as our header photo fresh from the race-course reveals, private contests develop throughout the fleet - in this case from yesterday (Monday) evening, Mike O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood (Royal Irish YC) is crossing ahead of Andrew and Sam Hall of Pwllheli with the renowned Lombard 45 Pata Negra.

Fournier family from France with the J/133 Pintia round the Fastnet Rock in the 2023 Fastnet Race Photo: David Sheridan

With "very helpful" water ballast and the likes of Marshall King of Greystones and Ed Beecher of Kinsale in her crew, Darkwood has been showing well, but even she's can't conjure up wind when there isn't any, and as feared in last night's review, this morning has brought very soft conditions indeed, and Darkwood - at 9th in IRC 1 - is making only 1.3 knots Cherbourg-bound 45 miles from the Rock.

Of other Irish boats, the sad news is that gallant old sea-school war horse Desert Star of Dun Laoghaire's Irish Offshore Sailing - the best of the Irish in 2021 - has had to retire into Penzance. But of those still racing, Samatom (Robert Rendell, Howth YC) is 13th in Class 1 out of exactly a hundred starters, with Pata Negra at 16th.

In IRC2, Nieulargo (Denis Murphy Royal Cork YC) is improving again and is up to 14th in IRC 2, and Prime Suspect (Keith Millar, Kilmore Quay) is 30th in a class of 90.

IRC3 sees veteran 1977 winner Imp (George Radley, Royal Cork) at 20th out of 84, while in IRC 4, 6th overall and first in IRC4B is held by the veteran Australian gaff cutter Maluka with Gordon Maguire on board, while
Noe Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster from Royal Cork is 15th in a class of 35 starters.

Today's light airs and calms will rule all of the mid-fleet group out of any chance of overall honours, but they're scarcely aware of that as they continue their own private contests.

With the next Vendée Globe taking place next year, so the IMOCA turn-out for this year’s special 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race featured an impressive 29 boats, including much new hardware. These included reigning IMOCA class champion Charlie Dalin and Pascal Bidegorry on MACIF Santé Prévoyance. They had just five days of practice on board their new CDK-built Verdier design prior to their delivery to Cowes. But this was a lot compared to Yoann Richomme and Yann Elies on their equally new Groupe Finot design, Paprec Arkéa, which competed in a short inshore event only to uncover structural issues that forced them back into the shed. They came from relaunching straight to the Fastnet Race start line.

Sailing doublehanded with giant foils and enclosed cockpits restricting their view outside, the latest IMOCAs are not designed for short tacking in confined waters, especially not upwind in 25 knots like Fastnet Race competitors endured in the Western Solent after the start on Saturday afternoon.

MACIF Santé Prévoyance was first to exit the Solent alongside Jeremie Beyou and Franck Cammas on Charal and rather than diving straight across to the French coast as they did in 2021, instead they played the shifts and current close to the English coast. Paprec Arkéa was first of the group heading south after the Needles to tack west, crossed ahead of the group that had exited the Solent via the North Channel. She was first past Start Point, slowly extended her lead until heading up the east side of the Land’s End TSS where she performed a horizon job on the trio chasing her – MACIF, Charal and Britain’s Sam Goodchild and Antoine Koch on For The Planet. Out into the Celtic Sea she was 18 miles ahead.

Charlie Dalin (right) and Pascal Bidegorry on MACIF Santé Prévoyance Photo: Arthur Daniel/RORC

This was not to last as those astern closed in. Thus Paprec Arkéa rounded the Fastnet Rock at 21:14 on Sunday night with MACIF 19 minutes 40 seconds behind her and with For the Planet a further 27 minutes 50 seconds behind. Then on the run back to Bishop Rock MACIF ate into all of Paprec Arkéa’s lead. From the Scilly Isles, which they passed at 0500 this morning, and for the remainder of the race, the lead duo were locked in an intense match race. This was complicated as the wind continually died and leaving them to claw their way through the final miles against a powerful foul tide in little wind to reach the finish line.

MACIF Santé Prévoyance crossed the finish line at 20:31:26 BST a mere four minutes six seconds ahead of her rival with compression in the fleet causing the first six to arrive within 45 minutes.

Significantly both the lead IMOCAs beat Bryon Ehrhart’s 88ft Lucky, even with the additional 30 minutes due to IRC Super Zero having started later. Thus MACIF Santé Prévoyance won monohull line honours, the first time an IMOCA has ever done so. Her elapsed time of 2 days 7 hours 16 minutes 26 seconds also established a new race record to Cherbourg, beating the ClubSwan 125 Skorpios’ 2021 time of 2 days 8 hours 33 minutes and 55 seconds, an improvement of 1 hour 17 minutes 29 seconds.

Spectators welcome the arrival of MACIF Santé Prévoyance after the finish Photo: Arthur Daniel/RORC

“It was a very intense race from the first second, going upwind in 30+ knots in the Solent,” said Dalin. “It was incredible with the big waves and winds getting out of the Channel. Then there was the leg from the Fastnet to the Scillies when we reached almost 40 knots several times - crazy speeds – the boat just flying. Then the crazy battle at the end with Yoann and Yann. We caught them, they took off again, we caught them again and managed to overtake and then when we’d got a two-mile lead, we got some seaweed on the keel! Finally we got rid of that and extended again to the finish.”

Dalin paid tribute to his team and his co-skipper: “It’s quite hard to describe how talented and skilled they are. I thought I would be using a toolbox most of the way but we saw we had boat speed and didn’t have to – it’s just incredible. I’m really happy. Pascal and I formed a really good team - he is exceptionally talented.” He added that he had not been worried about the first night’s big conditions because the IMOCAs are designed for it and they hadn’t been leaping off waves.

Paprec Arkéa’s crew was also pleased with how their race had gone, even if they had lost the final match race. “Our boat behaved really well. We had some reinforcements put in before the race which was a good choice as we had no major technical issues which was great,” said Richomme. IMOCA veteran Yann Elies added that he was impressed with how fast the new generation of IMOCAs are upwind. “We are as fast as a multihull, doing nearly 18-20 knots in 3m waves.” On the run back from the Fastnet Rock they had seen 37 knots of boat speed. Richomme noted that their rival’s take off speed when foiling was perhaps in 13 knots compared to 17-18 knots for themselves. “The step from the last generation to this is big. They are a lot more seaworthy than the first generation.”

Yoann Richomme (right) and Yann Eliès on Paprec Arkéa Photo: Theo Dolivet-David

Third in one of his first major IMOCA races came as a welcome surprise for Sam Goodchild. “It’s not really what we expected, so it was good! We started sailing this boat in April. In our first race there were 12 boats and we finished third. Our second race, with 29 boats we didn’t expect to also finish third, but we’ll take that.”

He continued: “To get out of the Solent we did about 20 tacks because the tide was against us at the start but it went well and everyone was respectful and well behaved. Out into the Channel it was a bit rougher, but the boats are designed for that, so it’s less worrying and its good for me to reassure myself that the boats are capable of that. Then it was about trying to find a rhythm; what works, what doesn’t work, because there are a lot of things to play with on these boats between water ballast, keels, foils, sail shapes and sizes, etc.”

Sam Goodchild and Antoine Koch finished third on For The Planet Photo: Paul Wyeth

According to Goodchild, the blast back from the Fastnet Rock proved to be in 35 knots when the forecast had indicated 25. “So we had the wrong sails up and had to deal with that. We hit 37 knots at one stage, I think we were averaging well over 25/26 knots. Then coming back up the Channel, none of the forecasts were clear. We headed into light winds and then everyone else behind us caught up so there was a bit of compression which was frustrating, but we managed to hold onto it and sail a tidy race.”

Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky at the Fastnet Rock Photo: ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo

Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky finished at 21:16:26 and so missed out on claiming line honours by just 15 minutes. The crew, led by America’s Cup legend Brad Butterworth had thrown everything at it including gybing their way east to the north of the Channel Islands as the IMOCAs hugged the south side of the Casquets TSS. “It was really impressive to see the IMOCAs up close and watch what they’re capable of. It’s a great race course with a lot of challenges. The new course [to Cherbourg] is fantastic. What a great place and I hope to bring my wife over from the USA for the prizegiving later this week. This race has been an incredible experience. The conditions soon after the start were heinous and this boat has never raced with a J6 headsail and three reefs in the mainsail before. It took every ounce of seamanship we had to keep the boat in one piece but eventually we got out of the survival phase and into true racing. And I have to say the racing was really, really good. Rounding the Fastnet Rock again was very special and some of the conditions after that were so exhilarating.”

Fastnet Race Day Three, 5pm:  After the first 30 hours or so with rather more wind - and headwinds at that - than most entrants sought, it looks as though the turbines may be slowed down or even turned off completely tomorrow (Tuesday) for a while in this 50th Edition of the 695-mile Fastnet Race, which might - in due course - make civic events planned for the prize-giving in Cherbourg on Friday a touch-and-go sort of affair timewise.

SAILING'S BOUNDLESS CAPACITY TO MESS UP CAREFULLY-PLANNED SHORESIDE EVENTS

Sailing, of all sports, is notorious for its boundless capacity to mess up carefully-planned and precisely-timed shoreside arrangements. And the bigger the sailing event, the more monumental the foul-up can be. In Cherbourg, that's an interesting proposition, as the principal monument in the waterfront area until now has been the spectacular equestrian statue of Napoleon, with the Emperor unmistakably Imperial atop his famous Irish steed Marengo, and pointing across the Channnel toward England in a way that does not at all accord with the Entente Cordial approach which the RORC and the local authorities have brought to this challenging international sports event.

At least the horse is Irish.....Marengo and friend in Cherbourg

But we live in hope that it will be all right on the night. Meanwhile, at 17:00 hrs today (Monday) the battle to be first mono-hull to finish gets slower and slower, as Bryon Ehrhart's 88ft Lucky found herself down towards the Channel Islands at a lowly 6 to 7 knots with 40 mils still to sail. But at least her crew have the consolation that the cheeky IMOCA 60s, where Charlie Dalin leads with Macif leads, don't have the wind pressure to get their foils piling on the knots, so it could end up very close indeed, even if Macif is currently shown as being 7 miles nearer that majestic Napoleonic aide memoire dominating Cherbourg's enormous artificial harbour.

ARE SUMMER BREEZES TAKING OVER IN WEST CORK?

Meanwhile, back at the Fastnet Rock, summer breezes are taking over in West Cork, which is not at all good for people in a hurry to get around the legendary rock. It had looked as though the best race of all was in IRC1, where overall 2021 win defender Tom Kneen with his JPK 11.80 Sunrise III was continually inter-changing the first place with sister-ship Dawn Treader and the Fournier family with the J/133 Pintia, with the latter rounding the rock in the trio's lead at 17:00 hrs.

But Irish hopes and interests lie elsewhere, and that most wonderful of entries, Sean Langman's 30ft 1932-vintage gaff cutter Maluka from Sydney, and with Gordon Maguire on the strength, may need time and then
some to get to Cherbourg, as she's back at the Isle of Scilly still outward bound, still leading IRC4B but sometimes looking at speeds as low as 3.5 knots on the dial.

THE TIP FROM THE STREET COULD BE A WINNER

Not very far away and heading completely the other way is Chris Sheehan's Pac 52 Warrior Won, finish-bound from the Rock and carrying the hopes of Glandore with her, as Don Street's grandson Dylan Vogel is in the crew. Currently at fourth overall in IRC, and making 12.5 knots, Warrior Won could well be where the smart money is already.

Fastnet Race Day 3 - 5 pm. Yesterday’s trickle of yachts arriving at the Fastnet Rock in this special 50th Rolex Fastnet Race last night turned into a torrent. Bryon Ehrhart’s monohull line honours favourite led the single-hulled fleet around the Fastnet Rock shortly before 21:00 BST but the 88ft long canting keel weapon was only seven miles ahead of the first IMOCA, Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkea, with 2021 winner, Charlie Dalin's MACIF a further nine miles astern.

This morning the boats reaching southwest to Bishop Rock have been sailing into building breeze on the west side of a dying depression currently centred over the west English Channel. This has created some compression in the fleet with Lucky reeling in the two Ocean Fifty trimarans ahead of her, while in turn, she was overtaken by the foil-borne IMOCAs Paprec Arkea and MACIF by the time this trio reached Bishop Rock at around 05:00. Since then they have turned their bows back into the Channel and been sailing towards the centre of the depression, awaiting a favourable shift before gybing out.

Yoann Richomme's IMOCA Paprec Arkea has overtaken Lucky en route to Cherbourg Photo: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi

The MOCRA class defending champion, Adrian Keller’s Irens 84 catamaran Allegra, rounded the Fastnet Rock at 22:35 BST, followed three hours and 50 minutes later by Ken Howery’s Gunboat 68 Tosca and the rest of the doublehanded IMOCA fleet. Notably three female IMOCA skippers were holding fifth to seventh positions, led by Sam Davies (with Nicolas Lunven) on Initatives Coeurs; Davies’ former Team SCA crew Justine Mettraux (with Julien Villion) on Teamwork; then Clarisse Cremer (with Alan Roberts) on L’Occitaine – all doing very well among the 27 IMOCAs still racing.

Wet and wild conditions on board Sam Davies' IMOCA Initiatives Coeur in the 2023 Fastnet Race

Powering through the waves on board VO65 Wind Whisper in the 2023 Fastnet Race

Just before midnight the Polish VO65 Wind Whisper, freshly returned from the Ocean Race, was second in IRC Super Zero to round the Fastnet Rock but leads the class overall under IRC ahead of American Clarke Murphy on his chartered VO65 Team Jajo. This group could enjoy a possibly race-winning run/broad reach to Cherbourg.

This morning at 10:11:52 Pip Hare and Nick Bubb onboard Medallia, rounded the Rock. They are still trying to recover ground after an episode at Hurst when Medallia’s headsail furler went awol, destroying their J3 headsail and forcing them to turn downwind to effect a repair, losing them vital miles. “I am massively disappointed, but you have to take what you’re dealt,” said Hare. “We have worked pretty hard. You get challenged by left field stuff like that and you learn new things all the time that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise.”

Out in the mid-Channel that opening night they saw 35 knots, gusting 40. “The waves were absolutely massive, but this boat is made for stuff like that. We just rode through them – it was quite comfy, I found myself smiling at point. I thought ‘oh, you’re strange!’”

Medallia lost out last night in the second transition, not helped by having to use their storm jib instead of the J3. “We should have been doing 23-24 knots but we were doing 16-17 knots and there was nothing we could do.” Then, naturally, approaching the Rock, the wind died to nothing.

Of the Fastnet Rock, Hare added: “We were very pleased to see it. It was grey, drizzly, gusty and then as we got the Rock we got headed – basically like every single time I’ve been there! It’s great to be pointing south again. We are a bit fed up with our orange sail….”

Medallia approaches the Fastnet Rock in more sedate conditions Photo: Medallia/James TomlinsonRORC Commodore James Neville's Ino Noir is enjoying a strong run IRC Zero of the 2023 Fastnet Race Photo: RORC/Kurt Arrigo

In IRC Zero, a powerful trio continues to dominate with Max Klink's Botin 52 Caro leading around the Rock at 05:11 BST ahead of Warrior Won at 06:01, Teasing Machine at 06:24 and RORC Commodore James Neville's Ino Noir at 07:15. But under IRC corrected time it is much closer with Caro just 8 minutes 19 seconds ahead of second placed Ino Noir, and Teasing Machine a further 23 minutes 10 seconds back.

Still leading the Class40, is Italian Ambrogio Beccari on Alla Grande Pirelli who rounded the Rock at 09:35:37. A worthy second 18 minutes and 41 seconds later was La Boulangere Bio with the top-placed female skipper across all the classes - Amelie Grassi, recently returned from the Ocean Race. Among the 18 boats still racing from 22 starters, Alberto Bona, recent winner of the class’ Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables race on IBSA was holding sixth place at the Rock, in a group tightly compressed, chasing Beccari.

“It has been okay,” Bona said of the race so far. “The first night was a bit rough, but we were taking care of the boat. Then we had a very nice second night and were making over 22-23 knots. The boat is okay (touch wood). At the moment the wind is back and we have 15 knots.” However rounding the west side of the TSS off the Fastnet Rock, the Class40 leaders encountered a transition and here Bona found the right side of the course to catch up and wriggle through and, although it is tighter than ever between the chasing pack, technically he is now up to second with the much anticipated Italia Class40 1-2 in this race looking more likely.

It remains deliciously tight still in IRC One, where Tom Kneen's team of overall 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race victors on his JPK 1180 Sunrise are struggling to shake off the chasing pack as they managed so magnificently two years ago. With 50 miles to go to the Fastnet Rock at 09:30 this morning she was just 10 minutes 25 seconds ahead of German Dirk Clasen's Humphreys 39 Ginkgo, and a further 29 seconds ahead of their friends and rivals on Ed Bell's 1180 sistership Dawn Treader.

However there remains some serious competition in their rear-view mirror, including early leader the Fournier family’s J/133 Pintia and past winner Jacques Pelletier's Milon 41 L'Ange de Milon. With the breeze in the north this group has been virtually laying the northeast side of the Fastnet TSS, however, thanks to the ridge over southern Ireland, the wind is expected to drop off to five knots prior to an enjoyable run to Bishop Rock with the wind back up to 20 knots.

Sam Goodchild finds time for a selfie on board his IMOCA For the Planet in the  2023 Fastnet Race

The IRC Two leaders are half way outbound across the Celtic Sea. On the water, Philippe Garardin's J/120 Hey Jude was 100 miles from the Fastnet Rock at 10:06, some 39 minutes ahead of the Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier led by Major Henry Foster. However under corrected time it is a different story with Hey Jude some 27 minutes ahead of Maxime Mesnil’s Cherbourg-based J/99 Axe Sail, followed by Sam White’s JPK 1080 Mzungu! And then the British soldiers. Since yesterday afternoon IRC Two yachts have prised the lead of IRC Two-Handed from IRC Three entries, with Axe Sail and Mzungu! leading at present from Jean-Francois Hamon's Sun Fast 3300 Festa 2.

Lying in 43rd after she sought shelter on Saturday night and ripped her No4 jib in Hurst Narrows, Cougar of Cowes, the Reflex 38 campaigned by London School of Sailing was passing Land’s End this morning. Skipper Ruaraidh Plummer explained: “We’ve just had a couple of hours of peace and quiet, but we’re coming into the rough stuff again. All’s well. Since we ripped our No4 we had to stick our storm jib up, so we ended up sailing with full storm sails…still overpowered. We went and hid in Studland Bay for a few hours to wait for the worst to blow through, because we figured it is a marathon not a sprint.” At sea their anemometer had been showing 37 knots, gusting more for a while. When they set sail again yesterday morning it was calmer and they caught the tide at Portland Bill and Start Point, then taking the inner passage at the Lizard.

They were planning to follow the majority up the west side of the Land’s End TSS, as opposed to the 25 knots and wind against tide going up its east side. “The forecast is looking unusual - windy until 21:00 and then backing from north to northwest so we will be tacking on that shift. Then there is a big hole of who knows what coming on. We may have our spinnaker up heading north to the Rock at some point,” concluded Plummer.

32 miles behind Hey Jude is IRC Three’s on the water leader Gautier Normand's Archambault 35 Locmalo, which since yesterday has overhauled Tim Goodhew and Kelvin Matthews on their Sun Fast 3200 Cora. In this class there has been a split around the TSS off Land's End: the lead group went east of it while this morning at 07:45 Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 Jangada, the 2022 RORC Season's Points Champion, led Connie Stevens’ J/105 Jacana and Henri Laurent's Sun Fast 3200 Coeur de Chauffe around its southwest corner.

IRC Three, like the two classes ahead of them, have been laying as they cross the Celtic Sea, but they are expecting to be headed later today as the trough to their north edges out into the Celtic Sea to their northeast, leaving them on the breeze (again) to get to the Irish coast. Everyone will be keen to arrive and be out of there as soon as possible before a large anticyclonic area of light/no wind develops over the western Celtic Sea between the Fastnet and Bishop Rock tomorrow morning, meaning that they may also find themselves upwind (albeit briefly) coming back from the Rock. Perhaps to avoid this Chris Williams on the HOD35 Saltheart has taken an extreme easterly path and is leaving Bishop Rock to starboard on his outbound trip.

Behind them IRC Four competitors are just setting out on their overdue Celtic Sea crossing and have been erring towards the western option at the Land’s End TSS. However the class' big time leader, François Charles' Dehler 33CR Sun Hill III did manage to take the eastern route this morning, chasing the JPK 960 Elma of Marc Willame, which now leads on the water, with Sun Hill III ahead on corrected time. Leading out to the west is Chris Choules’ well-sailed Sigma 38 With Alacrity, with Samuel Dumenil and Antoine Runet on the JPK 960 Casamyas on their hip. Again, in this class a handful of boats are attempting an extreme west option in an attempt to side step the light conditions ahead of them.

The next arrival into Cherbourg is expected to be Erik Maris’ MOD70 trimaran Zoulou early this evening.

Four lifeboats from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) were called out to a string of incidents in terrible conditions at the weekend as the 50th Fastnet Race got underway in boat-breaking conditions.

The famous 695-mile yacht race started at Cowes in the Solent on Saturday with a record-breaking 430 racing around the Fastnet Rock, off the West Cork coast, before finishing in Cherbourg, France.

But with winds gusting up to 46mph, heavy rain and challenging seas of 4m, RNLI crews from Yarmouth, Poole, Swanage and Weymouth responded to multiple taskings by HM Coastguard throughout the opening few hours of the race with more than a quarter of entrants retiring by the end of Sunday.

As the racing fleet departed the Solent facing the full force of the weather, RNLI lifeboats were tasked with a multitude of incidents.

A yacht with two people onboard issued a distress call after it had begun taking on water.

The Yarmouth all-weather lifeboat arrived on the scene locating a liferaft with two people in it after their yacht had sunk. They were taken onboard the Yarmouth lifeboat, where they were generally well but shaken.

Fastnet Race Day 3 0800 - Northerly winds are now set in on the Fastnet race area between Cornwall and southwest Ireland, while the underlying breeze still has a westerly emphasis in the English Channel between Lands End and the finish to the east at Cherbourg. Thus the 50th staging of what is now the 695-mile new-look Fastnet Race is beginning to have a more normal feel to it, even if - like each of its 49 predecessors - it has its own distinctive characteristics.

In effect, the fleet has three or even four distinctive groupings. The inclusion of multihulls - giant multihulls at that - has resulted in a leading section in which the first two finishers - the Ultim mega-trimarans Lezartigue and Banque Populaire - were already into Cherbourg yesterday (Sunday) evening before the night had fully set in.

Armel Le Cleac'h's, Ultim Banque Populaire at the Fastnet Rock Photo: Kurt Arrigo

COMPETITIVE IMOCA 60s

The presence of a serious fleet of the latest regularly-foiling IMOCA 60s changed perspectives at the head of the numerous mono-hull division. Yet though they dominated the on-water lead in the early stages, the sheer slug-on power of Bryon Erhart's canting-keel Lucky (formerly Rambler 88) battered through to the mono-hull lead ahead of the IMOCA Paprek Virbac, with Lucky leading round the Fastnet last (Sunday) night at 2300 hrs, a clear hour after Lazartigue had taken the overall finish line honours at Cherbourg.

While the greater offwind emphasis of the stages from the Fastnet to the finish might have been expected to see the IMOCAs getting back into the hunt, only the great Charlie Dalin with Macif has been able to break
through Lucky's lead, and at 07:00 hrs this morning, he was well out in the English Channel due south of Start Point, with 17.2 knots on the clock and 141 miles still to go to the finish, but now with Lucky eleven clear miles astern, although showing a speed burst of 21 knots.

SUNRISE III EMERGES

In what might be called the bulk of the "real fleet", yesterday's (Sunday's) conditions left little sensible option other than taking the eastern TSS-avoidance route directly north, close past Land's End, before being able to think of heading Fastnet-wards. This now looks to have been no bad thing, as it leaves the boats well placed for faster sailing with eased sheets, particularly if today's expected north-easterly element in the volatile wind pattern makes itself felt.

It was noted yesterday that defending overall champion Sunrise III, Tom Kneen's JPK 11.80, was beginning to emerge "almost without trace" from the bulk of the fleet in accustomed style, and that process has been continued through the night with Sunrise III now holding the key IRC1 overall lead from longtime incumbent, France's J/133 Pintia.

The start of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 on Saturday that saw a quarter of the fleet retire in strong winds that battered the 450-boat fleet. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

IRISH BOATS

Amongst boats in this largest size cohort, Ireland's hopes have taken a bit of a battering, but at least Mike O'Donnell's J/130 Darkwood (Royal Irish YC) at 23rd in IRC overall, Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (Howth YC) at 33rd, and Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo (Royal Cork) at 63rd, are still very much in the race.

Other Irish contenders still in the hunt despite Saturday's Demolition Derby include Keith Millar's Mills 36 Prime Suspect from Kilmore Quay, currently weathering the northeast corner of the Lans End TSS and set to
free sheets for the Rock, while nearby is the 1977 overall winner, the Holland 39 Imp (George Radley, RCYC), both boats respectably placed at mid-class.

Belfast's Ewan Finlay is on board Phosphorus II competing in the Fastnet Race Photo: Kurt Arrigo

DECIDING ON WHICH LAND'S END TSS GAP TO TAKE

With the north to northeast winds set in for the time being, the boats now passing Lands End are increasingly going through the Middle Gap in the "nasty but necessary" TSS setup close east of the Isles of Scilly, and this may prove a quicker option, but for many smaller craft, it's a decision that won't have to be made for quite some time yet.

Irish Offshore Sailing of Dun Laoghare's veteran Sunfast 37 Desert Start - best Irish performer overall in 2021 - is still in the race, a credit to skipper Ronan O Siochru and his tyro crew, and they're currently (08:00 hrs Monday) past the Lizard making 5.6 knots for that middle gap.

MALUKI AT THE LIZARD

The most unusual entry of all, Australian sailing polymath Sean Langan's 1932-vintage 30ft gaff cutter Maluki with the legendary Gordon Maguire on the strength, is currently in the process of passing the Lizard and
still lie a consistent first in IRC4B.

But with finishers pouring into Cherbourg at an increasing pace all day, it will seem a very long race to Maluki as she continues to punch her way across the seas towards the Fastnet in the opposite direction, but not surprisingly, they have proven themselves a very tough and determined crew.

Fastnet Race Day Two: Having been so dramatically pipped at the post by Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild in the last breath of the 2019 race, François Gabart and his team, this time racing the giant 32m long flying trimaran SVR Lazartigue, rectified this wrong by being first home in the 50th anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, winning the Ultim class.

Crossing the line at 21:38:27 BST on Sunday, 23 July, SVR Lazartigue also set a new record of 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds, breaking the time set by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild two years ago by 36 minutes 27 seconds.

The 32m long by 23m wide, foil-borne, flying Ultim trimarans are by far the biggest, fastest offshore race boats on the planet. Many believe that their covering 1000 miles in a day is a case of ‘not if, but when.’ Inevitably they are sailed by the best of the best offshore sailors: Gabart and Le Cléac’h, for example, are both Vendée Globe winners (2012 and 2016), respectively.

A key moment in their race came earlier on when heading south across the Channel; SVR Lazartigue tacked to the north of the Casquets TSS, while Banque Populaire held on starboard only tacking once they were off the Cotentin peninsula – just three hours after starting! According to Gabart they were waiting for a right shift coming with the front, but Le Cléac’h’s reasoning was similar. In fact the northern route was shorter, but going south was a little windier. In the event, north of the TSS, SVR Lazartigue did see fractionally less wind (typically around 30 knots) and they sailed with one reef and J4, compared with Banque Populaire XI’s two reefs.

SVR Lazartigue on her way to setting a new Multihull Race Record at the Fastnet Rock off the County Cork coast Photo: ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo

However, as Banque Populaire was approaching the Cotentin Peninsula, the glass windscreen protecting the helm position on the port side was shattered by a big wave, the shards cutting the top of Le Cléac’h’s head.

“There was a lot of blood so we slowed down the boat for 20 or 30 minute because we didn’t know how serious it was,” recounted Le Cléac’h. “I had a big bandage [around my head] – like an egg! After that the bleeding stopped and we decided to continue the race, but it was difficult to steer the boat because we had no protection on the port side. We used the pilot but it wasn’t as good in the big waves.” Two of the crew were also seasick in the conditions.

The end result was that when the two boats converged at the southern tip of the Land’s End TSS just after midnight, SVR Lazartigue was 15 miles ahead. Both made good speed across the Celtic Sea, and in the lighter winds and flatter sea they were able to foil upwind at 30 knots.

At the Fastnet Rock, their separation had changed little, Gabart’s team roughly 45 minutes ahead as they reached off towards Bishop Rock, hitting speeds into the mid-30s. Here Le Cléac’h attempted to head low to leave the more northerly of the TSS’s to the west of the Scillies to starboard as Gabart was lining up to leave it to port. However, SVR Lazartigue’s crew responded and bore off to cover, passing Bishop Rock at 1330. This was the fastest part of the race where they touched 40 knots. Downwind back into the Channel and the wind was shifting significantly between the clouds. Here Le Cléac’h again attempted to mix it up by heading north of the Casquets TSS as Gabart went south (swapping sides compared to their outbound passage only a few hours earlier). However, the gamble didn’t pay, and victory went to SVR Lazartigue, first by 58 minutes 16 seconds.

The gale force winds seemed to have made little impression on the two ocean-racing giants. In both skippers felt that the most scary but uplifting part of the race was the start. As Gabart put it:

“It is never easy to leave the Solent. Doing it in an Ultim is even more difficult. Doing it with 400 boats around you is harder still. And if you do it upwind…in 25 knots…! It is not easy! We were happy to make it out of the Solent. I think if there had been more than 30 knots at Hurst, we wouldn’t have done it. After that the waves were strong, but we could still race, and in the end we broke nothing.”

Despite losing, Le Cléac’h felt they had been competitive. “It was a very good race with very difficult weather conditions at the start – a lot of wind, upwind in the Solent. For our boats, it is not a simple thing!”

After the incident with the screen breakage, Le Cléac’h observed that the speed of the two boats was very similar, but there hadn’t been many passing lanes.

“Without my head injury we might have been ahead because I think in those conditions we are a little faster. But for five or six hours, we weren’t concentrating properly because I was hurt.”

(Above and below) SVR Lazartigue speeds towards the Cherbourg finish line accompanied by spectators Photo: Paul Wyeth

While SVR Lazartigue docked in Cherbourg’s Marina Chantereyne, upon finishing Le Cléac’h came ashore to congratulate his rival.

Sailing on SVR Lazartigue along with Gabart was his Transat Jacques Vabre co-skipper Tom Laperche, the team Technical Director Antoine Gautier, Émilien Lavigne, the boat’s R&D manager, Sébastien Col and Swiss two time Volvo Ocean Race sailor Élodie-Jane Mettraux.

Thus Mettraux was the first woman to finish the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race. While known for her round-the-world sailing, Mettraux has raced multihulls a lot on Lake Geneva…only never this big.

“I feel really lucky to be here – it was amazing to discover this kind of boat with these amazing sailors. I’m really happy. I learned a lot of things, and I think it’s great women are offered this kind of opportunity because it’s the only way we can gain confidence and more knowledge and skills so we can race on other boats in the future.”

Mettraux, of the famous Swiss pro sailing family (her sister Justine is currently holding sixth place in the IMOCA class as skipper of Teamwork) has now joined The Famous Project, an all-female campaign for the Jules Verne Trophy (fully crewed non-stop around the world record) which will also take place on an Ultim. So this was good training. “I’ve learned that the manoeuvres take time – you really have to think before you do anything because, in the end, it is a big boat. It was good to see how they were managing during the rough sea state last night and running everything. That was good learning that I’ll have for the future.”

The next boat due into Cherbourg-en-Cotentin will be Erik Maris’ modified MOD70 Zoulou at lunchtime on Monday.

Fastnet Race Day Two 8 pm: After a tough first 24 hours in this 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, conditions have abated in the English Channel and Celtic Sea. This afternoon the Seven Stones light vessel between Land's End and the Scilly Isles was reporting 17 knots from 250°. This had dropped to 15 this evening, with the wind in the western English Channel typically 10-15 knots.

In fact, the current arrivals at the Fastnet Rock are already encountering the light winds of the much-forecast trough, currently centred over the south coast of Ireland. For this group, last night’s gale must seem long ago, with just 7 knots at the Rock. Here the next arrival, Erik Maris’ modified MOD70 trimaran Zoulou, was making just 10 knots when she rounded at 16:32:52 BST. Going from survival to sailable enabled her crew, including offshore race legend Loick Peyron, to put their pedal to the metal. Their margin over the lead Ocean Fifty trimaran Pierre Quiroga's Viabilis Oceans was as much as 27 miles but had dropped to 20 at the Rock. The Ocean Fifty field has been diminished from five to three over the last 24 hours, but the battle for the lead remains tight, with class newbie Luke Berry on Le Rire Medecin-Lamotte just five miles behind.

While these three had all rounded the west side of the Land’s End TSS, the next group preferred staying east. Leading up here, passing Land’s End at 0700 this morning, was the first IMOCA, Paprec Arkea, skippered by Yoann Richomme. The double Solitaire du Figaro winner had done a remarkable job overnight, slowly eking out a 11-mile lead over the 2021 Fastnet Race’s IMOCA winner Charlie Dalin, aboard his brand-new IMOCA MACIF.

Crossing the Celtic Sea this afternoon, four IMOCAs had broken away from the other 25 in their class. They also included Jérémie Beyou on Charal and, impressively, Britain's Sam Goodchild, sailing one of his first major IMOCA races here aboard For the Planet (his teammate Thomas Ruyant on For People having retired to Cherbourg with damage).

Yoann Richomme's Arkea Paprec leads the powerful IMOCA class in the 50th Fastnet Race Photo: Paul Wyeth

Meanwhile Bryon Ehrhart’s 88ft Lucky, previously George David’s Rambler 88 and the monohull line honours favourite in the IRC fleet, had overhauled the IMOCA frontrunners through the sheer might of her superior waterline length and pointing ability. The powerful canting-keeled machine has previously raced across the North Atlantic and was already well tested in the stormy weather of the first 24 hours, but the crew will be looking forward to letting Lucky rip on the fast downwind conditions once they’re past the Rock and setting course for Bishop Rock and then Cherbourg.

Adrian Keller's Irens 84 catamaran Allegra was Chasing this group, which holds the largest class lead across the whole pantheon of Fastnet Race classes, almost 13 hours ahead of Ken Howery's Gunboat 68 Tosca. Paul Larsen reported from Allegra: "Everyone has had hot meals and a decent off-watch. Any moment now we should hit this expected big shift where the wind goes north and we tack towards the legendary Rock about 50 miles away. We could come in there at pace. All the necessary tools are on the bow to drag us there and home. Hot showers once we round the Rock. We’re not pulling all this comfort around the course to avoid using it. It really is remarkable how well these compromised boats can perform. I had to laugh as we made the MOD70 pass behind us, having done so many miles on them… and that one in particular. We’ve got five bathrooms onboard… they could at least have two buckets...!"

Bryon Ehrhart's Lucky was previously the Fastnet Race line honours winner Rambler 88 Photo: Paul Wyeth

With Peter Morton’s Maxi 72 Notorious DNS, it’s down to the tough-as-old-boots VO65s to see if they can hold Lucky to account in IRC Super Zero. Recent winner of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, Pablo Arrarte’s Wind Whisper was holding a two-mile advantage over Clarke Murphy’s all-star cast on Team Jajo with Gerwin Jansen’s Sisi-Kraken Travel X Austrian Ocean Racing another 25 miles astern.

Two French yachts are jockeying for the lead in the ultra-competitive IRC Zero, in which the most impressive new hardware has been built especially for this race. This afternoon Jean-Pierre Dreau’s well-travelled and well-sailed Mylius 60 Lady First III, with a crew including top Figaro sailor Xavier Macaire, was overtaken on corrected time by the NMD 43 Albator, whose crew line-up includes navigator Alexis Loison, the 2013 Fastnet Race winner and multiple IRC Two-Handed winner, and other top French pros including Benoit Briand and Cedric Pouligny.

The Class40s, too, are just breaking out into the Celtic Sea, where the leader continues to be Italian Ambrogio Beccaria on Alla Grande Pirelli, however putting in a superb performance is Amelie Grassi (fresh from the Ocean race) and her La Boulangere Bio, just three miles astern and Erwan Le Draoulec's Everial in third.

On the water, it is a different story, with Caro setting out across the Celtic Sea ahead of Warrior Won and Teasing Machine, all three race favourites. In last December’s Sydney Hobart Race, Max Klink’s Botin 52 Caro came out ahead of Chris Sheehan’s Warrior Won, which took victory in the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600 and Transpac races. Currently, Caro leads Warrior Won by just three miles, however, with Volvo Ocean Race veterans like Richard Clarke, Stu Bannatyne and navigator Will Oxley on board, Warrior Won will be working hard to turn the tables on their rival.

Fujitsu British Soldier is ahead in the Fastnet Race's IRC Two Photo: Paul Wyeth

As the front of IRC One reached Land’s End early this evening, the 2021 overall winner Sunrise III is once again setting the pace. Two years ago skipper Tom Kneen and crew were battling in IRC Two but the JPK 1180 has been rerated for IRC One this year. The British team find themselves marginally on top in a close battle with J/133 Pintia which is just six minutes behind on corrected time. Gilles Fournier and his well-known daughter Corinne Migraine head up an experienced French team on Pintia who, like Sunrise, are always testing new ideas to make their boat go faster. Stripping out a few hundred kilos might not have helped Pintia so much over this race’s blustery start, but could prove critical in the lighter winds to come.

Not far behind the front two is a sistership to Sunrise and friends and close training partners, Dawn Treader. Still being in the race will in itself be seen as a victory by owner Ed Bell. Ironically his JPK 1180 lost her rig in a similarly breeze start during the 2021 edition, following an unfortunate collision with Pintia.

It’s a very international top 10 in IRC One in these early stages, with four French, three British and one apiece from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. With the breeze now much lighter, the game has shifted firmly from survival to tactical, and now is the chance for Dawn Treader and others in the chasing pack like Codiam and Cocody to prove they have the ability to outsmart the frontrunners.

In IRC Two at one point Fujitsu British Soldier held a four hour advantage over Hey Jude on corrected time. Major Henry Foster and his crew of colleagues in the British Army like the rough stuff in their Sun Fast 3600 and they came through the boat-breaking conditions of the first 24 hours in good shape. However, now the race has moved from stormy to much softer breeze, their hard-won advantage is rapidly diminishing as Foster’s troops make slow progress along the west country coast. While Fujitsu British Soldier has stayed inshore, coming in fast from further out into the Channel is J/120 Hey Jude skippered by Philippe Girardin. Like Fujitsu, the doublehanded J/99 Axe Sail skippered by Maxime Mesnil is another boat to have taken a more coastal option and holds third place.

Cora lead IRC Three under IRC and on the water, plus also tops IRC Two-Handed Photo: Paul Wyeth

Early evening the IRC Three leaders were on their approach to the Lizard. Here Tim Goodhew and Kelvin Matthews, racing doublehanded on the Sun Fast 3200 Cora were leading under both on the water and under IRC corrected time ahead of the two JPK 1010s, Loeiz Cadiou's Tracass and Rmain Gibon's Les P'tits Doudous en Duo. This trio was also leading IRC Two-Handed, where sadly attrition over the last 24 hours has seen the 100-strong entry reduced by 32.

In IRC Four the leader on the water and under corrected time is also one and the same: Francois Charles’ Sun Hill III, which early evening was half way between Start Point and the Lizard. However the French crew on their Dehler 33CR will know not to count their chickens: they were in this position two years ago only for a subsequent park-up later in the race to turn the IRC Four results on their head. Sun Hill III holds a lead of more than three hours under IRC corrected time over Marc Willame's JPK 960 Elma with, in third, Chris Choules and Vanessa Twohey on the Sigma 38 With Alacrity. Sun Hill III’s lead is the biggest across the IRC classes, with the exception of IRC Super Zero.

Despite the conditions abating over the course of today, there have been further retirements, which now stand at 112 from 430 starters.

Meanwhile, spectators in Cherbourg were preparing for the first arrivals of the two Ultim trimarans, due at around 2300 (French time) this evening.

Fastnet Race Day Two 2 pm - A brutal first night at sea in this 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race has seen numerous retirements and many others seeking temporary shelter from the gale force conditions in the English Channel. For example, wind data from Hurst Castle at 20:10 BST last night recorded 38 knots, gusting 43. Yesterday evening off St Alban’s Point, Stuart Lawrence's J/120 Scream II crew reported 46 knots.

At the time of writing, from the 430 official starters (excluding 15 DNS), 86 have officially retired, comprising 78 across the IRC fleet (the biggest number being 27 in IRC Two) plus two Class40s, two IMOCAs, three MOCRA multihulls and one Ocean 50 trimaran. In the severe conditions, HM Coastguard reported involvement in 28 incidents, including one sinking. Of the latter, in a statement, the Rolex Fastnet Race race committee stated: “At approximately 16:30 yesterday afternoon the Sun Fast 3600 Vari began to take on water southwest of the Needles. Thanks to the swift response of the emergency services, both crew members were evacuated to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and are safe and well. The boat is believed to have sunk, although the exact reasons are not yet confirmed.”

 Paddy Broughton's Australian Kialoa II at the start of the arduous 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race Photo: Kurt Arrigo

Several calls to HM Coastguard were to do with injured crew. Otherwise, four yachts dismasted – Heather Tarr’s Yoyo (recently sold from Dublin Bay); Nick Martin’s Diablo, Bertrand Daniels’ Mirabelle and Tapio Lehtinen's Swan 55 yawl Galiana (due to compete in the Ocean Globe Race shortly). In addition, Azora sustained broken steering, Dulcissima a loss of rigging, Richard Matthews’ CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV sustained deck failure, and Oida ran aground after her anchor dragged. There were several other incidents in which HM Coastguard was not involved, including the mast foot exploding on Long Courrier, who retired to Cowes – the only occasion race veteran and 2015 winner Géry Trentesaux has retired from this race.

Richard Matthews CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV sustained deck failure at the start of the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race Photo: Kurt Arrigo

In addition, 15 registered entries didn’t start yesterday, including one of the race favourites - Peter Morton’s Maxi 72 Notorious in IRC Super Zero. Many more sought shelter after starting.

A trio of French offshore racing legends were among a group that returned to Cowes: Marc Guillemot's WellnessTraining/MG5, Roland Jourdain's Outremer 59 We Explore and the Fife classic Moonbeam on which round the world record breaker and former Vendée Globe race director Jacques Caraes is skipper. Round the corner in Osborne Bay was Michael Orgzey's Swan 48's Dantes, in Newtown Creek was Martin Andrews Cork Malt II, with an additional 13 in Yarmouth. Having braved Poole Bay, four were in Poole Harbour, five in Studland Bay, one in Swanage, three in Weymouth and 15 in Portland Harbour. The majority resumed sailing this morning as conditions abated.

“The strong winds last night were forecast well in advance,” commented Rolex Fastnet Race Race Director Steve Cole. “The club would like to thank HM Coastguard and the RNLI for their assistance. It is thanks to their effort and skill that the incidents were dealt with professionally and those who required assistance were recovered safely. Now the front has passed the wind and sea state have dropped, and conditions are even set to be light over the next 24 hours.”

This morning the wind has dropped to 10-15 knots in the western English Channel and is expected to drop further to 5-10 knots in the Celtic Sea for the crossing to the Fastnet Rock.

First to the Fastnet Rock

This morning at 08:15 BST the François Gabart-skippered Ultim SVR Lazartigue was the first to round the Fastnet Rock. SVR Lazartigue's lead came about when she shaved the north side of the Casquets TSS, while Banque Populaire XI went south of it (the TSSes, or traffic separation schemes, are considered obstructions and entering them is prohibited). Thanks to this, as SVR Lazartigue was passing the Lizard shortly before 22:00 BST last night she was already 15 miles ahead. Both passed south of the TSS off Land’s End and overnight were making 26-30 knots upwind across the Celtic Sea. After making landfall just west of Cork, they tacked along the coast.

SVR Lazartigue rounded the Fastnet Rock at 08:04:31 BST this morning, in an elapsed time of 19 hours, 4 minutes 31 seconds. This was outside of the multihull record time to the Rock set in the 2019 race by Maxi Edmond de Rothschild in 2019 with an elapsed time of 18 hours 3 minutes 38 seconds.

Fastnet Race Day 2 0900: The strong to gale force south-westerlies headwinds, occasionally hitting 40 knots with dense air and poor visibility, have made the destructive first cold, wet night of the 450-boat Fastnet Race 2023 into an endurance test, and by dawn this morning (Sunday), more than a hundred boats had retired, including such frontline craft as Ran, Oystercatcher XXX5, Winsome and Privateer, with Irish in the departure list, including Checkmate XX from Howth and Big Deal from Foynes.

Some idea of the conditions to be expected in open water can be gauged from this vid of the start and racing while still mainly in the shelter of the Solent:

EXCEPTIONAL VARIETY OF SPEED POTENTIAL

The extraordinary variety and speed potentials of the fleet have been almost cruelly demonstrated, as the two giant Ultime trimarans from France, SVR Lazartique (Francois Gabart) and Banque Populaire (Armel Le Cleac'h), will both have rounded the Fastnet by the time this story appears, yet the leading monohulls are still only getting clear of the Land's End area.

However, the monos have seen a change of emphasis, for although the flying IMOCA 60s were still dominant as night drew on, the powerful challenge of American Bryon Erhart's canting-keel Lucky (formerly Rambler 88) has come battering through, and the only IMOCA still ahead of her for mono-hull honours is Paprek Arkea.

The best-placed Irish are the Murphy family's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Cork, Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom from Howth, and Mike O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood, Solent-based but very determinedly Royal Irish YC. All three are currently south of Start Point on the Devon coast.

The astonishing performance of Australian Sean Langman's 1932-vintage 30ft gaff cutter Maluka, with Gordon Maguire on the strength, is a matter of continuing delight as they slog gallantly on, still with a very long way to go but second overall on IRC 4 and first in IRC 4B.

WINDS EASED, AND DIRECTIONAL CHANGE EXPECTED

The currently lighter southwest-to-west winds will change direction as the dominant low-pressure area over the north of England continues its long-curving progress east and north towards Norway. In its wake, the forecast is for a quite rapid change in wind direction to northerly and even northeast winds, which will do nothing to lessen the impression of remarkably cold weather for July.