ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2023

The historic 50th edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race sets sail with the first start at 1300 BST this Saturday (22 July) from Cowes, Isle of Wight bound for Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France via the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland.

With more than 450 entries, this special anniversary race will have a record-sized fleet, up from the previous record of 388 set in pre-COVID 2019. The Rolex Fastnet Race is by far the world’s largest offshore yacht race in terms of participants.

The line-up ranges in size from the world’s fastest offshore race boats, the French 32m long flying Ultim trimarans, likely to cover the 695 mile course in a little over a day, down to 30ft cruiser-racers and classics, such as the Australian 9m long 1932 classic Maluka, which could take six days.

Held in 1925, the first Fastnet Race (known at the time as the ‘Ocean Race’) helped established the sport of offshore racing in the UK and Europe. It was held annually until 1931 and biennially since, excluding the years over WW2. In 1957 the Fastnet Race became part of a bigger event, the Admiral’s Cup, one of grand prix sailing’s pinnacle events during the 1970s-90s. The race was marred in 1979 when an unforecast storm battered the fleet, resulting in the loss of 21 lives, including 15 competitors. Since 1925, the race has spawned numerous other 600 mile offshore events internationally such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart and Rolex Middle Sea Races.