It takes 600 miles to make a true offshore, or so tradition dictates. The Royal Ocean Racing Club was formed in 1925 following the first-ever Fastnet race, with the objective: ‘to provide annually one ocean race not less than 600 miles in length’. All of the ‘blue riband’ races – the classic Rolex Sydney Hobart and Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Newport-Bermuda, the newer RORC Caribbean 600, and until this year, the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race – were contested over a course of around 600-630 miles.
When the classic offshores were conceived, those races took around a week to complete: Jolie Brise won the inaugural Fastnet Race in 1925 in 6d 14h. As yachts have got larger, and faster, the bulk of the fleet now finishes in three to four days. But 600 miles is still a distance that is sufficiently daunting for amateur crews, demands a proper watch system, and a day off to recover. Only the pro-level crew of the real ocean greyhounds – the Ultims, IMOCAs and supermaxis – consider it a short sprint.
When it was announced two years ago that the 2021 and 2023 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race were to finish in Cherbourg, France, instead of Plymouth, in southwestern England, there was, understandably, controversy. Much of the focus was on the destination: the split from tradition, the opportunities for the fleet to gather in one place, the financial deals behind it. But for crews, the real impact of the move to Cherbourg is how it has altered the Fastnet racecourse itself: that classic 600-miler is now just shy of 700 miles.
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Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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wallywind 110 launches
The first example of Wally Yacht's new wallywind performance cruising range launched this summer, during the iconic Italian brand's 30th anniversary year - and in time for its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.
Irish skipper wins Figaro
Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan took a historic victory in this year's La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, winning the solo multistage offshore race overall only the third non-French competitor ever to do so.
Youth AC puts on a show
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's team won the UniCredit Youth America's Cup after a highly absorbing series comprising 12 international teams racing the one-design AC40s off Barcelona.
ATLANTIC BEYOND
SAILING THE SECOND EXPLORATION 60 ON A WEST-TO-EAST ATLANTIC CROSSING WAS IDEAL FOR A RIGOROUS TEST OF GARCIA'S NEW NOWHERE YOU CAN'T GO FLAGSHIP
UNCONTROLLED
HELPLESSLY APPROACHING AN UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS WITHOUT ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS, JON VAN TAMELEN FEARED BEING IMMINENTLY SHIPWRECKED
SECRET ISLAND
BEYOND THE FORBIDDING ENTRY RULES OF TAIWAN IS A CULTURE RICH IN SEAFARING HISTORY AND STUNNING LANDSCAPES, FINDS CAMERON DUECK
LAND OF THE BIRDS
SKIP NOVAK DESCRIBES THE PERILS, CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF A CRITICAL EXPEDITION VOAYGE TO SURVEY SOUTH GEORGIA'S ENDANGERED WANDERING ALBATROSS
FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER
YOU CAN GET INTO WORLD CRUISING FROM A STANDING START AND EXPERIENCE THINGS NO OTHER TRAVELLERS DO. CATHERINE LAWSON AND DAVID BRISTOW TALK TO FOUR COUPLES WHO PROVE IT
HARD CHOICES
IN AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM HER NEW BOOK, PIP HARE REVEALS WHAT DROVE HER ON WHILE RACING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OCEAN IN THE 2020 VENDÉE GLOBE.
INTO BATTLE
COULD THIS BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE VENDÉE GLOBE EVER? HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT THE SKIPPERS WILL BE FACING.