Fleet deep in talent, technology and tradition  

With less than two months until the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, interest has been running high and the entry cut-off of 300 has now been reached well before the official closing date for entries. In consequence, organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), have set up a waiting list. The 608-mile race has long been a favourite of offshore sailors and offers a true test of seamanship, skill and preparation. First contested in 1925 and run biennially since the early 1930s, the 2007 start will be on August 12 from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The Rolex Fastnet Race has always provided a testing ground for old and new designs and technology advances. Once again, the entries reflect the varied fleet usually drawn to such ocean classics, with this year’s cast headed by Neville Crichton’s 100-foot lightning fast canting-keel super maxi, Alfa Romeo, which last week took line honours at the 2007 Giraglia Rolex Cup race and Mike Slade’s brand new Leopard 3, which will make its racing debut at the JP Morgan Round the Island Race this coming weekend.  

 
A dozen or so Open 60 monohulls will ably demonstrate the latest design concepts in monohull ocean racing, and should include Mike Sanderson’s latest Pindar designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and now entering its final build phase at Cookson’s in New Zealand; whilst the four Orma 60 trimarans expected and that include Lionel Lemonchois’ Gitana 11 will put the case for multihulls.  

 
Away from the headline grabbers, the bulk of the fleet will be a mix of one-off racers and dual-purpose cruiser-racers, within which various series designs are well-represented including the Beneteau First 40.7 (25 boats), the J/109 (12 boats), and the Sigma 38 (13 boats), the first of which were launched in 1985.  The smallest yachts in the fleet will include some more traditional designs such as the Contessa 32s of Ian Coglin (Moonshadow II) and Mark Himsworth (Drumbeat) and two Nicholson 33s including the 2005 Rolex Fastnet overall race winner in IRC, Jean-Yves Chateau and Iromiguy.

 
Despite the work associated with vetting such a large entry, the RORC is delighted that the Rolex Fastnet race is proving to be as popular as ever. RORC Racing Manager Janet Grosvenor commented, “for many years we have had an unofficial cut-off of 300, which is regarded as a manageable size for this race taking into consideration the practicalities of Cowes and Plymouth.   Although we have reached 300 we are maintaining a waiting list.   We are screening entries all the time as the process of qualification continues and this means the situation changes almost daily. Owners and crew interested in taking part should not be put off contacting us.”

 
While the race is an open event, the RORC has mandated strict guidelines: participating skippers and at least half the crew must have completed (in the yacht in which they will race the Rolex Fastnet Race) either (1) 300 miles of RORC offshore racing, (2) one RORC offshore race plus other offshore racing or non-stop passage totalling 300 miles, or (3) something similar to which the RORC agrees. This has to occur within the 12 months preceding the start of the race.

 
Former NYYC Commodore Lawrence Huntington’s Ker 55, Snow Lion, and fellow American George David’s Rambler (ex-Shockwave) skippered by Ken Read are both racing in the HSH Nordbank Blue Race, from Newport, Rhode Island to Hamburg, Germany as part of their warm-up and qualification process for the Rolex Fastnet.

 
For some, the challenge of just competing in the race is not enough - the added allure of racing out the Solent, across the Celtic Sea, around the Fastnet Rock and back to Plymouth, with just two people onboard appeals to quite a few. This year there will be over two-dozen double-handers including Nick Martin and Gary Fry on the J-105 Diablo J. Martin and Fry have known each other for over 20 years. This will be their second double-handed attempt at the race, having taken part in the 2005 Rolex Fastnet. Asked why he chooses the short handed option, Martin responded, “I really enjoy the combination of increased demands in terms preparation and race-endurance, combined with the simplicity of only having to consider just two people!  It is certainly challenging as you are often single-handed, yet the reward of competing and performing well, especially against fully crewed boats, is fantastic.  It creates an amazing bond between you and your crew and the responsibility for all aspects is totally shared.”

 
Like a lot of boats in the fleet, Diablo J has a full tune-up programme of racing prior to the start of the Rolex Fastnet and currently lies second overall in the double-handed class in the RORC season points championship. In preparing for the race little is left to chance, “from a safety perspective, we’ve fitted a transmitting AIS system, plus a Sea-me device, so we have piece of mind to track commercial vessels and know they can track us when in busy shipping lanes.  On a personal level, diet is key and we've established a good daily menu of sustainable energy and hydration.  One of our secret weapons is easy-to-prepare porridge for breakfast from Team Grasshopper.  Sleep patterns are key to maintaining good performance and we've adopted a 1.5 hour watch system, plus 0.5 hour 'power naps' when conditions allow.”  

 
Summarising what the event means to him, Martin believes that “competing in this race is a real privilege. It's steeped in RORC racing history and with only 300 boats able to enter, the focus on early qualification has been intense. This is one of the best racing opportunities in the sailing calendar.” 

 Elsewhere in the fleet, the Class 40 will be making its first appearance in the Rolex Fastnet. The Class 40s started racing last year and the design rule, created by an association of offshore racers, naval architects and designers, immediately proved popular with some 25 participating in the Route du Rhum. Nick Bubb, frustratingly forced to retire from that race with a broken boom, has teamed up with a fellow competitor and friend from his days in the Mini 6.5m class, Tanguy de Lamotte, who started building Novedia Group / SET Environnement in Thailand late last year. Novedia is expected to arrive in the UK on the 15^th July, giving de Lamotte and Bubb less than a month to complete the necessary qualification process. Neither appear concerned by this seemingly daunting task – both have considerable experience in offshore and ocean racing in the Minis. Bubb, despite having seen the Fastnet Rock on a number of occasions, is taking part in the race for the first time and seemingly cannot wait, “Tanguy and I are very excited about competing in such a famous race. It will be the first true test for Novedia Group/SET Environnement and we couldn’t think of a better test.”  

 
Also new this year, it will be mandatory for yachts to carry an OC Tracker unit for the race. The OC Tracker is a self-contained, battery-powered, lightweight, tracking device capable of reporting a boat’s position, speed and course at pre-determined intervals, and is programmable remotely. A dedicated website will allow the public to see where the fleet and individual yachts are on the course during the period of the race
 

 
One new trophy this year is the Seahorse Magazine trophy. The RORC, in conjunction with Cowes Combined Clubs, has created a series trophy for any boat of over 14 metres LOA (upto 30m LOA) with a rating of over 1.420, as well as any boat over 14 metres LOA (upto 30M LOA) with a canting keel regardless of rating, taking part in the RORC Channel Race, Skandia Cowes Week IRC Class Zero series and the Rolex Fastnet.  

 
The first signal for the start of the 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race sounds at 0950 on Sunday 12th August.  

 
A Skipper’s Briefing will be held at 1600 on Saturday 11^th August at the Events Centre in Cowes Yacht Haven.

  Further information about the RORC and the Rolex Fastnet Race can be found at www.rorc.org and competitors are encouraged to keep a close eye on the Rolex Fastnet web pages since all administrative documentation and race notices will be posted there.  

Royal Ocean Racing Club

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