For the 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, which starts off Cowes on Saturday, entries are heading towards 460.
All the boats are in their respective classes with handicaps so that from the smallest to the maxis there is an equal chance of winning The Fastnet Trophy. It is not like other sporting races when 1st over the finish line is the winner but of course the thrill of taking Line Honours is a special event for the Line Honours skipper and crew.
There are a number of Island residents taking part on a variety of craft. At the RYS start line look out for XANABOO (GBR390X) with a crew of 8 mainly based in Bembridge whilst Robbie Southwell and Jonathan Carter on SCHERZO OF COWES (GBR73R) are from Cowes.
Peter Morton’s NOTORIOUS (GBR8728R) has not confirmed entry to date but is very likely to be on the line and has local Jules Salter as navigator. This boat usually has a crew of 9. Other local boats confirmed to race include MZONGUI (GBR 4436L) with Sam White and Sam North (who has taken part in The Fastnet 7 times) from Yarmouth, ESPRESSO MARTINI TOO (GBR8940R) and EHO1 (GBR4778R) and, the winner of the RORC’s “Boat of the Year” for 2020 and 2022 Richard and Sophie Palmer’s JANGADA (GBR958R) which is in class IRC 3.
Teasing Machine is a strong tip for success in IRC 0, and arguably for an overall win in this 50th edition Rolex Fastnet Race. RORC Vice Commodore Eric de Turckheim always ensures his NMYD 54 is immaculately prepared. Up against Eric is James Neville (RORC Commodore) and his loyal team now sailing on Ino Noir in IRC 0. They will see if they can improve on a very successful Rolex Fastnet Race in 2021, when Ino XXX, took victory in IRC 1.
In IRC 1 watch out for Tom Kneen and his crew on Sunrise III (GBR). Kneen’s team pulled a strategic masterstroke in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, the JPK 1180 beating the rest of IRC 2 by more than 120 miles after successfully bridging the transition between 2 breezes. Sunrise went on to become outright winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race, and with the move to IRC 1 for 2023 must surely rank as 1 of the favourites in this class.
Expect the doublehanders to have a big say in the outcome of IRC 2. There are some powerful duos ready to show what they can do across the 695 miles of the race from Cowes to France via the Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland.
There will also be some major ‘races within a race’ taking place in the IRC 2 fleet, including: 7 JPK 1080s, 12 JPK1030s, 15 Sun Fast 3600s and 22 Sun Fast 3300s. There are also 9 J/Boats of various sizes and speeds.
A strong contender in IRC 2 will be Ross Applebey’s Scarlet Oyster, whose family has been campaigning their Oyster Lightwave 48 continuously for 30 years and are regular visitors to Cowes. During this time, they have racked up numerous race wins and class victories, notably in other Rolex Fastnet Races and RORC Caribbean 600.
The 2023 edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race has several starts for the various classes. 1st start, off the RYS Line, is scheduled for 13:00.
