What a cracking start to the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race, in excess of 300 boats got away cleanly in a fair easterly breeze of about ten knots. It was a spectacular sight, the Solent festooned with spinnakers at the start of the epic journey to the Fastnet rock. Every colour of the rainbow set in sail by a diverse fleet ranging from the powerful professional super yachts to family cruisers. For sailors, the Rolex Fastnet Race is iconic, a tough challenge, just completing the race is something to be rightly proud of.

At the moment Sam Davies' IMOCA 60, Artemis, is the lead boat having escaped the transition zone where the gradient wind meets the sea breeze. Approaching the Hurst Narrows the easterly gradient is fighting with the south westerly sea breeze and a park up looks likely. Getting through Hurst will be crucial. There is about two knots of favourable tide pushing the boats through the transition zone but it won’t last, the slower boats may not make it.

1200 hrs 9th August 2009: Eddie Warden, Chief Executive RORC reports from the Rolex Fastnet Race start.

"It is an impressive sight; boats streaming through the identification gate with their orange tri-sails. The Starting area is absolute chocker with boats, it is an incredible sight. We have a light north easterly to easterly breeze of about seven knots which should be enough to get the fleet away. It will be a spinnaker start, a really splendid occasion. The sea breeze will start to come in as they head west down the Solent."

Clear skies over Cowes and whispers of cumulus cloud over the main land shore with a light northerly wind are a recipe for a southwesterly sea breeze to kick in this afternoon. The tell tale signs mean that the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race could have a champagne start with the 300 strong fleet encountering more wind than earlier predicted.

In Cowes Yacht haven, the competitors are gearing up for the off and the morning sunshine is spreading an infectious warm humour amongst the competing yachts, clustered in Cowes.

Joe Sutton skippering Corby 45, Incisor of Wight, was looking forward to the race with some relish. "We have competed in three qualifying RORC races this season, the Cervantes Trophy Race, the Myth of Malham Round Eddystone Race and the De Guingand Bowl Race, so we have done a fair few miles together and we are still talking. We all work for Gerald Ronson in London, but we are from all over the place. I am from Tipperarry and there are two other Irishman on the boat from Donegal and Cobh, the rest of the crew are from Scotland, England and Belgium. We all love to sail and we are looking for an enjoyable race and intend to make a good account of ourselves."

Eddie Warden Owen, Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club walks the first 186 miles of the course from the start to Land's End. The 608 mile race from Cowes around the Fastnet Rock and back to the finish at Plymouth has many races within the race, how the 300 boats deal with these challenges will affect their performance in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The Start and the Solent

Starts are always important, the leading boat in a class can dictate tactics and keep an eye on the competition behind. The start in the confines of the Solent means that there are often boat on boat tactics at play and the race to the Needles has many opportunities to make gains or losses. Playing the tide and pressure and trying to slingshot out of the HurstNarrows is the game of chess to get into the open sea before the competition, the prize.

After leaving the Needles channel the fleet has to negotiate a number of headlands on the way to Lands End. Around these headlands the tide accelerates to great advantage when the tide is with the boats but to be avoided at all costs when the tide turns making long term strategy very important.