With most of the ‘big’ yacht races postponed or cancelled for 2020, it is time to look forward to the plans for the 2021 season – including the Rolex Fastnet race.
Last week would have been Cowes Week and in years gone by – every other year – the Rolex Fastnet Race sailed out of Cowes with boats and crews on their way to the Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland.
First raced in 1925, the buzz of the preparation for this – one of the great ocean races – very often added to the excitement of Cowes Week with many competitors taking part in races at Cowes before the long haul to Ireland and beyond.
However, races evolve and in 2019 the Rolex Fastnet Race started before the start of Cowes Week. With competitors finishing the race at Plymouth, some boats which may have taken part in Cowes Week instead stayed in Plymouth or sailed in regattas other than at Cowes.
For the 2021 race, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) have decided to make further changes. These were announced in November 2019 and reported on Island Echo. To coincide with the 2021 start date of 8th August the RORC have given further details of next year’s race. Once again, the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race will follow Cowes Week which will run next year from 31st July – 7th August.
The RORC have decided to keep Cowes for the race start so on Sunday 8th August 2021, the Rolex Fastnet Race will set sail from Cowes bound for the Fastnet Rock as usual, but then, once the boats have rounded Bishop Rock, they will, for the first time in the race’s 96 year history, direct their bows towards Cherbourg, the new finish for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s premier event.
This change in finish venue to Cherbourg comes thanks to the joint co-operation of the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, the Communauté d’Agglomération du Cotentin, the Conseil Départemental de la Manche and Région Normandie with the event’s organiser, the RORC. The Rolex Fastnet Race’s giant fleet will face no berthing shortage when they reach Cherbourg where they will be moored in Port Chantereyne and the Bassin du Commerce.
Following the racing battles in the 2019 race, it is hoped that among the stars will again be Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. This massive 32m long 23m wide flying trimaran is one of the World’s fastest offshore race boats and famously in the last race overtook Francois Gabart’s MACIF on the last gybe to win by less than a minute.
It remains unconfirmed if 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race overall winner David and Peter Askew’s VO70 Wizard will return to defend their title. With the finish in Cherbourg, more French entries are anticipated but the majority are still likely to be from the UK. Last year David Collins was the top British finisher under IRC, his Botin IRC 52 Tala’s time correcting out to third overall behind Wizard and Nicolas Groleau’s Mach 45 Bretagne Telecom.
CEO of the RORC, Eddie Warden Owen said:
“The coronavirus pandemic has left us already looking towards 2021 and a racing season – the highlight of which will be the 49th Rolex Fastnet Race.”
Report by Alan and Suzanne Whitewood
