Rolex Fastnet Race 2011, Cowes, Royal Yacht Squadron, Start IRC Z Class, Photo by: Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi
Hosted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), Europe’s oldest offshore race sets sail to its 45th edition today from 11–16 August. The Rolex Fastnet Race 2013 is set to welcome an impressive international fleet of 380 yachts from over 20 countries. Following a record 315 yachts that took part in the 2011 edition of the legendary offshore classic, held once every two years, the 2013 edition marks a new record participation in the challenging 608-nautical miles offshore race. (Less than 24 hours after the online entry system opened last January, already 300 boats had registered!) Beginning at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, the Isle of Wight, with first warning signal set for 10:50 BST, the fleet passes noted landmarks in the English Channel including The Needles, Portland Bill, Start Point, The Lizard and Land’s End, ahead of the open water passage across the Celtic Sea and the symbolic turn around the Fastnet Rock off the southern coast of Ireland; a rounding that heralds the race’s emblematic halfway juncture as the fleet embark on the long return leg and the finish in Plymouth. The historic Fastnet Race course has not changed since the first race held in 1925. Though, for the first time, there will be Live coverage of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2013 start sequence, commencing at 1145 hrs local time. Don’t miss!
The wide-ranging appeal of the offshore sailing is portrayed by the diversity of the competing yachts. Cutting-edge multihulls and professionally crewed monohull maxis up to 100-feet in length share the start line with much smaller boats crewed by passionate Corinthians. In claiming monohull line honours, double Olympic medaillist Ian Walker set a new Rolex Fastnet race record of 42 hours and 39 minutes in 2011 on the Volvo Open 70 Abu Dhabi. Quite a contest is expected in 2013. Two-time line-honours winner and former race record holder, ICAP Leopard, owned by Britain’s Mike Slade, is planning on a return to prominence. Vying for success for the first time in Atlantic waters: The pan-European crewed Maxi Esimit Europa 2 by Slovenian Igor Simcic with German sailing legend Jochen Schümann as skipper. The undisputed fastest boat in the Mediterranean in recent seasons, current race record holder of the Giraglia Rolex Cup, sets up the conditions for a mouth-watering sporting occasion. And should the British-crewed Rán 2 by Niklas Zennström win this year, she will become only the second yacht to win the race overall three times, and the first to do so three times in succession: a feat which, in the unpredictable and highly competitive world of offshore racing, would border on miraculous…View this impressive Rolex Fastnet Race Photo story and set sail!