News 2011

Team Phaedo has finished its biggest challenge to date and completed the Rolex Fastnet Race 2011

Finishing in a fantastic 5th place with only the world's fastest yacht "Banque Populaire" and 3 MOD 70's in front of them...

They worked hard, sailed well and came home fast...

Congratulations, Lloyd Thornburg, Paul Hand, Nick Crespi, Ian Moore, Andy Beadsworth, Brain Sharp, Jeff Condell, Ben Bungartz and Sam Bason.

Check out the final video showing the whole race, including some onboard footage from the boat, filmed by the Captain Paul Hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XwqvbTFfms

Still to come, TV coverage and some more high resolution photographs..

Rachel Jaspersen

Records tumbled in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race, this year's event living up to its reputation as the most gruelling and tactically challenging of the classic offshore races. As usual the 608 mile long course took the boats from the start line off Cowes, Isles of Wight towards the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland, back around the outside of the Scilly Isles off southwest England to the finish line in Plymouth.

On Sunday 14 August, 314 boats set sail - the largest ever Rolex Fastnet Race fleet - up from the previous record of 303. This was due to a new initiative from race's organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, to invite 'professional' offshore classes, able to compete under their own class rules, over and above the IRC fleet, that was capped at a maximum of 300 entries. The result was the most diverse selection of yachts ever assembled in a single offshore yacht race with the new initiative attracting many high-profile international racing teams. Thus in the same race some of the world's fastest multihulls such as the 140-foot long trimaran, Maxi Banque Populaire were lining up with Contessa 32s and pilot cutters with the complete pantheon of racing yachts in between.

A coup for the event was the participation of three Volvo Open 70s, the only occasion these boats would race together prior to this autumn's start of the fully crewed round the world race. The 'pro' classes also saw the race debut of the two Multi One Design 70 foot trimarans, and attracted six IMOCA 60s, best known for competing in the singlehanded non-stop round the world race, the Vendee Globe, plus an impressive fleet of 20 of their smaller cousins, the Class 40.

Leading the charge in the IRC fleet were the two 100 foot maxis Rambler 100 and ICAP Leopard, followed by the Farr 80 Beau Geste and Mini Maxis such as the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race winner, Niklas Zennstrom's JV72, Rán, and Andres Soriano's Mills 68, Alegre, but the bulk of the record-sized fleet were more regular yachts with amateur crews from a total of 20 nations. For many, participation in the Rolex Fastnet Race was the highlight of their sailing seasons, for others the pinnacle of their sailing careers.

Off the Royal Yacht Squadron platform, the fleet starts began with the multihulls and culminating with the canting keel monohulls and VO70s, the boats enduring a stiff beat out of the Solent and into the English Channel in the best Rolex Fastnet Race tradition. With winds gusting to 30 knots at the exit to the Solent at Hurst Narrows, there were the first dramas of the race with the Class 40, Eutourist Serv-System and the trimaran, Strontium Dog (GBR) dismasting, plus two collisions.

Videos in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race Playlist:

Find more videos on the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Youtube Channel

Click Read More for a higher resolution player

The prizegiving for the Rolex Fastnet Race took place this evening at the historic Royal Citadel on Plymouth's famous Hoe. Dating back to 1660s and standing on the site of the fort built in the time of Sir Francis Drake, the Royal Citadel over the centuries has been one of Britain's most important defences and today is the base for the 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery.

The main trophy for overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Fastnet Challenge Cup, was awarded this year to Niklas Zennström's Rán and this was presented along with a Rolex Yachtmaster Chronometer. The Judel-Vrolijk designed 72-footer also won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2009, making her the first back-to-back winner since Carina II in 1955/1957. In addition, Rán won the Joe Powder Trophy for best corrected time at the Fastnet Rock, the Hong Kong Cup for first in IRC Zero, Erroll Bruce Cup for the first yacht home in IRC Zero. Rán navigator Steve Hayles also won the Alf Loomis Trophy as the navigator of the yacht that wins IRC overall.

Mike Slade's 100 foot maxi ICAP Leopard picked up a large quantity of silverware including the Erivale Trophy for first yacht home in IRC Canting Keel; the Gesture Trophy for first overall in IRC Canting Keel; the Clarion Cup for the first British yacht home; the Kees van Dam Memorial Trophy for second in IRC Overall and the Royal Thames Yacht Club Spirit Cup for the first Royal Thames yacht home.

Beginners Blog - Star Date:17 August 2011. Time: 1630

The day after the night before

Probably the longest night and day of the race. The downwind ride continued

from the Fastnet Rock through the night. Our aim to keep high meant regular

sail changes as the wind angle tightened on us. The spinnaker soon departed

and we went through two asymmetric kites, where the grinding job was only

just less popular than the trimming. Both require constant awareness and

attention. This is hard after three days at sea. We are not pros, no one is

paying us to do this, but if we want to win our class and do well overall we

all have to pitch in and do what is required.

Everyone seems tuned into the possibility that we have a chance at a podium

placing not overall, but in our class. So the night is long, not as cold

as previously but I made a bad decision not to put my snug jacket on. The

standby watch has to be on deck for sail changes and the need to change

trimmers, drivers and grinders regularly. Slippage and clippage. The deck is

damp and with the toe rail in the water, occasionally, those on deck (even

the grinder) are fastened to the boat. I took my turn and will surely feel

it in a few days time. It is a dreadful job grinding. Im already tired. The

position hunched over the winch, trying not to lose ones footing and to

respond immediately to the call of trim on is mentally and physically

taxing. I think I did it for 45 minutes during my watch. Clinch, did the

most, followed by Richie (from Kent). Matt just droveexpertly, constantly

encouraging and talking about what he was doing. Ben, one of the other

principal helms is just the same. It is a real skill. Not just keeping the

boat on track, but the trimming crew too.

The Scillies and the Bishops Rock lighthouse hove into view in the morning.

The Scillies are beautiful, apparently. Ive never been, but would like to

go. I saw nothing but their silhouette today. Bishops Rock most have been a

miserable place to be a lighthouse keeper, but it is a welcome sight to us.

The wind though is rubbish. It is not doing what the grib files say it will

do, and we experience lighter than expected and hoped for, plus from a

different angle. It is frustrating for everyone. For me, primarily because I

have lost a grip on what we need and where it should be coming from. I am

tired. Matt says he finds grib files are always 3 hours out. Ross says that

is because Matt sails in the Med and has not factored in the time

difference. We all laugh, but it does not stop the wind being wrong. Worst

still competition that was well behind us at the rock is in front or right

behind. This adds to the sense of annoyance. Still, no one gives us. This is

a boat where a sniff of hope is enough. The jokers are in full flow Adie,

Nathan, (the other) Richie keep everyone amused. My contribution is a round

of ham, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. I hate passionately all three

fillings slapped together between bread, especially with butter, but this is

a time for taking one for the team. I have a satsuma instead.

We reach the end of the day knowing we have a shout at something. Tomorrow

could be short or long. The tide and wind (the stuff that actually arrives,

rather than that predicted) will be critical. Good grief, Im not sure what

Im looking forward to most. A decent kip or the continued chase.

A shut-down of the wind and a foul tide just short of the finish line made for a challenging few hours for the Royal Ocean Racing Club race team as an armada of Rolex Fastnet Race competitors descended on the finish line. Between 0000 and 0200 this morning 105 boats, or just over one third of the record-sized fleet, crossed the finish line.

Patrick van de Ven, sailing doublehanded with Igor Quik on the X-43 Lady of Avalon (NED) in IRC 2, arrived at 00:54 BST this morning. Yesterday, while lying 20 miles shy of the finish line, they had been forced to anchor, along with two other boats, for ten frustrating hours. To manage this involved their tying together all their available warps, sheets and guys in order for their anchor to set in the 70 metres of water.

"When we put up the sails and got running, we looked behind and there was this massive fleet of smaller boats coming in with the wind," recalled van de Ven. "It was beautiful - there was this big cloud of red and green lights behind us. We were happy we were in front of them."

Another Dutch doublehanded pair, John van der Starre and Robin Verhoef, on the newly-launched J/111 J-Xcentric (NED), racing in IRC 2, had less dramatic, but no less a frustrating finish yesterday afternoon. Finishing just one minute behind a fully crewed J/111, they were forced to anchor 200 metres from the finish line for one-and-a-half hours.

Van der Starre and Verhoef led the 36-strong double-handed division for most of the race. They eventually lost first place in the double-handed class to the Sigma 33c, Elmarleen (GBR).

This was their first Rolex Fastnet Race and Van de Starre said he was impressed: "This is a great challenge of tactics, handling and everything. There is so much in it - I had a really good experience. Racing double-handed is about management - everything has to work well, you need a good autopilot, all the preparation in advance should be perfect, and we had it very well organised." The duo had a small problem that left them unable to charge their boat's batteries (and therefore unable to use the all-important autopilot) for 36 hours.

Today the class winners have been announced. With Niklas Zennström's J-V72 Rán (GBR) claiming the overall IRC handicap prize ahead of Mike Slade's 100 foot maxi, ICAP Leopard. Rán also won Class Z ahead of the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team on Vanquish (USA) and the TP52 Near Miss (SUI).

In most other classes, France dominated. IRC 1 saw victory go to regular RORC race competitors Nicolas Loday and Jean Claude Nicoleau on their Grand Soleil 43 Codiam (FRA), ahead of Laurent Gouy's Ker 39 Inis Mor (FRA) and the First 47.7 Moana (BEL) of Francois and Mathieu Goubau.

Class 3 was claimed by two JPK 10.10 designs: Noel Racine's Foggy Dew (FRA), overall winner in the RORC's Myth of Malham Race earlier this year, ahead of Vincent Willemart's Wasabi (BEL). France also dominated Class 4 in the familiar form of Jean Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33, Iromiguy (FRA), overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2007, ahead of Persephone (FRA), Yves Lambert's Stand Fast 37/Tina.

One exception to the Franco-Belgium domination of this year's race was American Rives Potts, whose 48 foot McCurdy & Rhodes-designed Carina won Class 2, ahead of two French boats - the JND35 Gaia and the J/122 Nutmeg IV.

IRC Two winner Carina II is skippered by Rives Potts. The Rear Commodore of the New York Yacht Club raced the 1969 48' sloop in last month's Transatlantic Race to take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Carina II is a family affair: Rives Potts has his son William working the bow, navigator Dirk Johnson has his 16 year old son Dirk Jr. on board and Watch Captain, Richard du Moulin's son, Edward works on trim.

The three families represent a dynasty of sailors for Newport Rhode Island. Rives Potts has competed in several America's Cup campaigns. Potts sailing Carina is a veteran of 20 Newport Bermuda Races and has won the coveted St. David's Lighthouse Trophy on three occasions.

"I think the Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the most fabulous races in the world," exclaimed Potts dockside in Plymouth. "I think it's probably filled with more passion than any other race that I know of. I think the Bermuda Race rivals it, but the Fastnet Race has probably been greater. The second thing is I wanted to sail with my son and some of my best friends' sons. So we had a bunch of fathers and sons on the boat and we had a great time."

Beginners Blog - Star Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011. Time: 1500

The best of all worlds

Its over. We finished. Ive finished. Were tied up in Sutton Harbour.

Handshakes all around, champagne, beer, its all happening. Weve lost class

2 by a whisker of 30 minutes, but it does not matter. A bunch of blokes have

raced a 48 foot yacht around the Rolex Fastnet course and done so

respectably. There was plenty of bad language, but none of it in anger. No

one came to blows, even though Clinch was rudely awakened by a bottle of

water to the midriff - his return salvo missed the initiator and went

through the wheel, narrowly missing Matt. We can laugh about it now.

Girlfriends of the crew show up, phone calls home are made. It is a

satisfying moment. Sutton Harbour has plenty of boats in it - we think we

are the first non-carbon rig and there are plenty more to come. Weve done

well, but that is not the half of it. Last night and this morning were

something else.

I miss an off watch from 6 9 pm to watch the sun set over the receding

outline of the Scillies. Some hours later at 0300 I get below, out of the

damp and cold. A quick brew for the forthcoming watch and then Ill be in

bed. Suddenly, come on, everyone on the rail shatters my illusions of a

warm and comfy sleeping bag. Ross has got to be joking, but hes not. Were

in fighting mode. He wants one last push to the finish and whilst theres

wind we need a flat boat. I had forgotten one could sleep on the rail.

Gradually, though the wind peters out. It is all about the tide at the

Lizard now. There is a small gate and a small advantage for a

well-positioned boat. We need that position. We are hunting for minutes and

seconds to beat some boat called Nutmeg. Magnus the Swede has become our

link with the outside world. His iPhone seems to have the best signal and he

is charged with downloading grib, and checking the tracker. If we are in

with a chance we need to know about it.

The wind gets lighter and lighter. Tension mounts, daybreak arrives and then

it starts raining. Not any old rain, but the wet stuff that goes through

everything even my mid-layers. This time they are not warm. For some

reason, the leg straps of my otherwise excellent Spinlock life jacket cause

a seepage point on my foulweather gear. It is rank

The rain just keeps on falling. When the call comes for half the crew

below, I am too slow. McInney is first as usual, for an old guy he moves

fast. So I sit it out, moving from side to side as required. Matt and Ross

are engaged in a discussion about whether Ross can actually drive whilst

checking our position on his phone. The discussion goes Matts way, when he

confiscates the phone. We need to keep focussed. Ross knows it too. It is

his focus over the last four days that has got us into this position of

hope.

The morning seems to have lasted forever. The rain never seemed to stop. The

wind never seemed to settle. The finish line kept moving away from us as

each header pushed us off course. Slowly we inched towards it. We have a

last minute scuffle with the American boat Carina. We have been within eye

sight of them since Lands End on the way out. We have been in front all

that time. As we approach the line, she seems to have her own wind. Our

headers are her lifts. Our lack of wind, her gusts. This is not fair. Maybe

the Americans do not feel the same tension. They have us on handicap and

look to have won class 2 overall. They wave us through on a port/starboard

crossing which is gentlemanly after 607nm of racing and we nip them on the

line, our hooter just seconds before theirs.

Would I do it again. Of course. It takes about 30 seconds from crossing the

finish line to thinking of next time. It takes tying up, an hour and a

welcome from friends for the nasty bits to vaporise and the rock rounding to

take precedence. Within two hours, you know you have done something special.

Something that is an achievement about which to be proud. Understanding why

people come back time and again, why hardened pros want to do the race, why

Ken Newman embarked on his 27th race is easy once youve had a go. After a

couple of beers, the nerves have gone too. At least Ill know what to pack

next time. Any beginner needing some advice in 2013, let me know. Im an

expert on clothing.

Dawn Star Sails Home -Final

It is 2 AM, and Dawn Star finished her race in style, pulling ahead of a crowded fleet. But like every other day in the race, there was an alternation of fast and slow. Her trip homeward, after leaving Fastnet light, was fast, but as she neared Plymouth, the whole fleet in the area fell into a vast hole of windless calm. After hours of barely moving, the wind returned and Dawn Star flew home. The finish line was a madhouse, with over fifty boats bunched together in darkness trying to find wind and room to cross the line. But now it is done. Finishing places will come later. Thanks for following our adventure. Bugs

Joe Powder is one of the main-stay crew on Richard Loftus' Swan 65, Desperado, whether its hammering away at a winch or climbing the pole to spike a kite, Joe is an an all action monkey with a cheeky nature. Joe is a long standing RORC member, (overseas as Joe lives in the Jungle).This year, due to the inaugral presentation of the Joe Powder Trophy, Joe has stayed on in Plymouth after the Rolex Fastnet Race to help the race team and be available at the Prizegiving Ceremony. During his time in the Race Office, Joe has especially enjoyed reading the 'story of the race' and here are his favourite blogs from the boats.

"As a veteran of the Rolex Fastnet Race I know what agonies and ecstasies it takes to round the Rock when people start pilfering my secret banana stash." Chattered Joe. "This year I preferred to follow from the comfort of the jungle and with such a choice of ways to keep up with the crews I found myself drawn to reading the blogs. Swinging from my tree, I sympathised with the grim tales of malfunctioning heads, equipment breakdown and the inevitable repercussions of choppy seas. It seems the preoccupation with food has not changed since my day, but dried food, vats of chilli and 'come dine with me sailor' - what happened to a good old-fashioned banana and monkey nuts?

I read tales of endurance, initiative (fixing heads with a champagne cork - genius!) and hearty debate on the proper etiquette of offshore racing (etiquette isn't the word I'd use to describe the land-based antics...and I'm a monkey) I suggest you read them too!"

[Editor's Note: You can now help to decide the Best Blog Trophy; a brand new iPad, in a poll on the RORC's Facebook page]

For the first time in more than 50 years, the Rolex Fastnet Race has a back-to-back handicap winner. Following on from her victory under IRC in 2009, this afternoon the Royal Ocean Race Club has confirmed that Niklas Zennström's Rán (GBR) is once again the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race and the prestigious Fastnet Challenge Cup.

Past double winners of the race include Jolie Brise (1929 and 1930), yacht designer Olin Stephens' Dorade (1931 and 1933), John Ilingworth's Myth of Malham (1947 and 1949) and most recently Richard Nye's Carina II (1955 and 1957). It should be noted that Carina II is not the same boat as the one of this same name being campaigned in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race by American Rives Potts.

The Judel-Vrolijk designed 72ft Rán finished in Plymouth on Tuesday at 12:53:44 and even then she was looking like a strong contender for the overall prize, but this afternoon her win was officially confirmed by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

Under IRC, Rán's time corrected out so that she beat ICAP Leopard (GBR) by 4 hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds, and Mike Slade's 100 foot supermaxi in turn a massive 10 hours, 40 minutes ahead of third placed Vanquish (USA), the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team's STP65.

"It's fantastic. It's still hard to believe almost. Everyone on the team is very, very happy and very pleased," said Zennström of his second consecutive Rolex Fastnet Race victory, adding that defending their title was one of his sailing team's primary objectives for the year. "You may say 'we're going to race to win', and that is really what we were going for, but also these races have so many different variables that you cannot really take into account. Its great when it works out."

Navigator Steve Hayles agreed: "We like the Fastnet Race and it has treated us well again on Rán. It was a bit of everything and felt like a pretty tough race at times. It was great."

Hi

Photo of malice minus rudder, on the wall in Hugh Town, and sailing to

Plymouth on Saturday with transom mounted jury rigged J24 Rudder. Parted

company 0330 on Thursday 45m west of the scillies.

We rigged a drogue and continued on to the Scillies where we were towed in

by the RNLI. The J24 rudder was then modified in Plymouth and sent out to

us in Hugh Town

(More pictures and commentary available)

Rgds

Mike Moxley

Arguably the heart and soul of the Rolex Fastnet Race are the sailors racing in Class IRC Three and IRC Four. Sutton Harbour Marina in Plymouth is now ram-packed with finishing yachts and 135 of them have been racing in Class Three and Four. The boats come in all shapes and sizes and fly the flags of nine different countries; Belgium, Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Sweden and the United States.

Noel Racine's Foggy Dew, repeating their success in 2007, won IRC Class Three. The 33' JPK built in Morbihon Brittany, France is a real pocket rocket, which enjoys fast downwind conditions, however this year, the race for Foggy Dew was mainly upwind.

"It was a very hard battle with the other JPK Wasabi, we were neck and neck all the way to the Fastnet Rock and then the wind died and shifted unexpectedly and Wasabi got there before us by about 40 minutes. So after that we really had to do a lot of hard work," said Racine.

"We had good strategy in the Celtic Sea and as we reached Bishop's Rock, we were just a few metres ahead of Wasabi but still behind on corrected time. 90-miles from the finish, we were beating into light wind and it was there that we made up our time, tacking on every wind shift. This year was very different to 2007, it was a like a 600 mile regatta with several races. The Rolex Fastnet Race is a very interesting race, there are many different parts, you have to change your thinking all the time, to win you have to be able to adapt."

After an extremely quiet 24 hours, from last night boats have been streaming into Plymouth, with over 50 boats finishing between midnight and noon. There have been some tight finishes in this Rolex Fastnet Race between the Volvo Open 70s and the IMOCA Open 60, but the closest by far occurred in the early hours this morning in the Class 40, where the top five boats arrived within six-and-a-half minutes of one another.

Having led for the majority of the race, there was a deserved win for Tanguy de Lamotte aboard his Rogers-designed Initiatives - Alex Olivier (FRA), which arrived two and a half minutes ahead of the new Kiwi 40 Peraspera (ITA), in turn just 30 seconds in front of Red (GER), skippered by Mathias Mueller von Blumencron, former Editor in Chief of Der Spiegel magazine.

Having led for most of the race, Initiatives - Alex Olivier was overtaken by Peraspera at the last headland coming into Plymouth and it was only because their last tack into the finish took them further south of the Plymouth breakwater, that they won. "We could go on one tack to the finish line and that is where we pulled away and overtook them again," recounted de Lamotte. "It was a literally a few hundred metres before the finish line. So it could have gone any way, anyone could have won it."

Niklas Zennström's Rán (GBR) is once again the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race and the prestigious Fastnet Challenge Cup.

Since yesterday afternoon there have been just been five finishers: the last two IMOCA 60s completed the course with Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss reaching the line at 22:10:01 BST yesterday, while DCNS 1000 arrived at 00:22:22, skippered by round the world sailor Marc Thiercelin who was racing on board with Luc Alphand, the 1997 World Cup winning skier, who in 2006 also came first in the Paris-Dakar rally.

Between the IMOCA 60s, the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team entry on the STP65 Vanquish crossed the finish line at 00:19:35, while Lloyd Thornburg's orange-hulled Gunboat 66 catamaran Phaedo pulled into Plymouth's Sutton Harbour after arriving at 03:03:24.

Phaedo's captain Paul Hand, from Tasmania, commented: "The most exciting part was the hull flying out off the Needles and the more anxious moments were during the beam reach up to the Rock in 35 knots of breeze, with 20 knots of boat speed and one hull in the air. No one was sleeping that much then..."

Hired guns, navigator Ian Moore and tactician Andy Beadsworth, were crucial in Phaedo reaching Plymouth so quickly, getting the most benefit from the tide and smallest wind shifts. Nonetheless, just short of the finish line their progress was slowed as they had to wait for the tide to turn.

The Phaedo team also played a vital role in the rescue of the Rambler 100 crew, as off southwest Ireland it was their media boat which picked up the five crew, including skipper George David, after they had been in the water for 2.5 hours, having drifted away from their capsized supermaxi.

The only arrival since dawn this morning has been Franck Noel's TP52 Near Miss from Switzerland which crossed the line at 10:46:05 BST. Skipper, French match racer and offshore sailor, Benoit Briand was pleased to have finished. "Last night we were stuck off the Lizard with tide and no wind. We spent four hours in a circle of one mile!"

Beginners Blog - Star Date:17 August 2011. Time: 0900

Yes, It is worth it

The aftermath of the night before has been a messy, shaken crew. But with

the morning has come fresh enthusiasm. The day dawned grey with overtones of

the wind and rollers of the previous 12 hours, but it was all subsiding. As

it subsided the wind dropped dramatically, and began to irritate. We had

been beaten up all night and now it was shutting down on us. However, the

shut down brought sunshine. Steadily everyone stripped off, even the off

watch. The back of the boat turned into a chinese laundry with wet clothing

everywhere. My rubber boots came into their own. Not as cool as gore text

and leather, buy far faster to dry out. The sun super-heated the insides and

steam poured out.

McInney (yet another Irish man, who turns out to be a great friend of one of

my wifes cousins) told me that bad weather in these parts at this time of

year is like this. Its just a front. They come, bash you about a bit and

then go. Easy when you think of it in those terms.

The wind continued to frustrate and it proves a long trek to the rock, which

appears on the horizon almost by surprise. It has an amazing result. Moods

brightened, the objective was in sight. The wind even started to build, as

if it too had caught the mood and wanted it to continue. Clothing was

grabbed from vulnerable locations and stuffed below. Rail positions were

adopted, the decks cleared for action. Opposition was sited on the horizon

and it was not good. Gaia and Carina, both in our class. Both of which we

had been beating, both of which had clearly fared well last night. We

continued to push the big red bus. Angles for approach to rock were

considered, grib files downloaded, tide tables consulted. Still the rock

remained present in the distant, but seemingly no closer. Lunch was ad hoc.

Cold sausages, sausage roles and cheese. Fruit appeared from no where, stop

right there scurvy. Coffee and tea were brewed and consumed along with

Ribena by the gallon. Anticipation was thirsty work.

When 3G signal arrives, we start to see the news about Rambler. On the plus

side we have the full story so know how it ends. But we were in it last

night, the conditions that is. We know what the sea-state was like. It is a

sobering moment. I now know the less obvious answer to my earlier question,

why people want to do this race on boats less than 100-feet. You know what

you know, and that is a good thing. I do not know Scarlet Oyster intimately

like others on the crew, but I am comfortable on this size of boat. It is my

comfort zone the rig, the keel, the sails. I understand them on a 48 foot

yacht - what they do, what they can bear, the loads and pressures, the

motion, the noise. I may not be skilled enough to race her like my

crewmates, but Scarlet Oyster feels like home. Size and speed is not

everything even if Banque Populaire have finished after only one night at

sea.

The final approach run to the rock gave us a clear sight of Cape Clear and

the surrounding Irish coast, bathed in a watery sun. A lone powerboat came

out to greet us, followed by a cruising yacht, with a very enthusiastic crew

shouting and cheering us past the lump. The media chopper and boat were in

attendance too, recording our passage around the rock in digital HD

splendour. For a few seconds we felt like heroes. Especially those of us

rounding the mark for the first time.

Once again the mood changed. Quite often this race is lost on the leg home.

People forget the Rock is not the finish line. The competitive instincts of

the senior members of the crew, Chris and Ross, reminded us of the reason we

were there. To race and to race hard. The spinnaker was brought on deck, and

fired up in short order after we gybed around the Pantaenius bouy. An

impressive manoeuvre after two days of hard sailing. Getting the 48 ft beast

that is Scarlet Oyster to surf is no easy thing, but we tried and every now

and then cries of success resonated through the boat. Everyone enjoys a

spinnaker ride. The boat is flat. Simple tasks become simple again.

As the night wears on the angle into the Scillies tightened. First the spin

staysail came down, then the spin change to one a-sail, led a change to a

second a-sail. And an overheated barrelling run down towards the Bishop. It

was a ripping ride, with helms, and trimming teams working in tandem as

though a well-oiled machine. The rest of us doing what we could to help. The

night wore on and eventually the angle is too tight to hold a reaching sail

and the number one goes up, heralding more frustration as the wind drops

away still further. Life is good though. Firmly in my mind are the

Shepherds Pie on the rail, with a swift rum n coke to celebrate the

rounding. Oh and dry clothes. Its all in a day on this race.

Rolex Fastnet Race course record history since 1925.

Thursday Noon. All the bad things of Wednesday turned to good things over the next 24 hours. Dawn Star spent hours drifting in the lightest possible wind Wenesday while rounding Fastnet light while her competition sped 50 miles ahead. As though Dawn Star had won a huge coin toss, everything reversed.Good winds in the high teens -- strong but not too strong -- drove us at top speed toward the finish. And at the same time, the boats ahead saw their wind fade to almost nothing. Our morning report told us that our 50-mile deficit had been chopped dramatically to 18 miles. We were fifth in our class, almost into the prize circle. Dawn Star loves the heavier winds. Beating upwind in strong winds is great for our competitive result, but is,as always, pretty miserable below.. You have to hang onto the grabrails, floors become wet and slippery. plates slide off tables, you fall out of seats, clothing is difficult to put on or take off, and things just fall apart. After Dawn Star hit some rock-hard waves this morning, a seven-foot long ceiling panel, together with its installed lighting fixtures tore loose from its Velcro attachments and fell on Mark, who was asleep in his bunk; the panel was not damaged.. But spirits are high. Stacey's watch, with Paul C, Paul J, and Rob held a raucous joke-telling contest. And the food continues to inspire. Robin Hubbard's chicken blend was consumed eagerly at dinner time, with three portions extra set aside for later. Will ate them all. And last, we should finish our 608 mile adventure late today. Bugs

On Sunday 14th August, Twenty Class 40s set off from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line to compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race. The biggest fleet assembled since the Route de Rhum in 2010. There was drama right at the start as Eutourist-Serv-System was dismasted in big breeze and lumpy seas. The battle was intense, right from the gun, the highly skilled fleet knew that they were in a race against the tide. Those that could make Portland Bill first would escape the grip of the foul current, those that didn't would fall away from the lead.

Francesco Piva's Farr designed Peraspera was first out of The Solent, followed by Initiatives-Alex Olivier designed by Simon Rogers and skippered by 2009 champion Tanguy de Lamotte. In hot pursuit were Michel Kleinjans' Roaring Forty 2, another new Farr design and Guillaume Verdier designed BSL, co-skippered by Ross and Campbell Field from New Zealand.

Roaring Forty 2 broke away from the pack, heading offshore and the move paid off. By Portland Bill, they had opened up a 2-mile lead but the chasing pack was nipping at their heels. As they approached The Lizard, the fresh wind they had enjoyed since the start, began to fade and Initiatives-Alex Olivier stayed offshore hoping to get the new breeze first. This allowed Peraspera and BSL to squeeze past them. As the new breeze filled in Initiatives-Alex Olivier was into it before the rest and moved back up to second.

A crew of 14 sailors, nine of whom have lost at least one of their limbs whilst serving in the Armed Forces, successfully completed the Rolex Fastnet Race early this morning. The jubilant crew are currently lying 30^th in their class (IRC 1) and the race is one of BLESMA's showpiece rehabilitation events of the year. BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association) was formed in 1922.

Sailing on Spirit of Juno, Ondeck's Farr 65 for the first time was double amputee, Alan Roberts: "I wanted to give myself a challenge, especially since the accident and losing both my legs. I like to set myself goals and I've achieved that today! The whole race was brilliant from start to finish. I'd never sailed before and both training for it and actually taking part was brilliant, really good. There was so much banter on board, typical military banter, jokes being cracked even when it was raining, soaking wet and cold. The jokes were flying round all day and night and it kept morale up so everyone stayed in good spirits. Now I've been introduced to sailing, I would definitely like to do more. Hopefully with BLESMA and then look at the bigger picture, maybe get myself on a Day Skipper course and then work my way up to watch leader."

"We're really pleased to have won our challenge between the Forces boats - the other boats are still out at sea and may be for some time. In a way, it's sad that the race has finished as we've bonded really well, but even if this part of our voyage is over, I'm sure there will be more opportunities to meet up," continued Roberts.

Following the arrival of the 100 foot supermaxi ICAP Leopard (GBR) this morning, so the first of the Mini Maxis arrived in Plymouth this afternoon in the form of 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race winner, Rán (GBR).

The Judel Vrolijk 72 campaigned by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström crossed the line off Plymouth at 12:53:44 BST, in an elapsed time of 2 days 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.

"It was a good race in that we had good boat speed all the time," commented Zennström. "The worst thing with offshore races is that you sail into an area with no wind and you sit there, but we didn't have that this time. In the places where we thought it would be very light, like the transition around Land's End, we had good pace. But it was tough. Halfway to the Rock, and all the way back there was no visibility, lots of wind and rain - everything was very wet. But if you go fast, that makes up for it. It was great racing and we were doing 20-22 knots of boat speed all the time in big waves. We pushed it pretty hard."

Rán benefitted from the retirements yesterday of 80-foot Beau Geste (HKG) and 68-foot Alegre (GBR). According to Gavin Brady, Beau Geste was forced to pull out when some cracking developed in her deck and with conditions set to build around the Fastnet Rock and the onset of night, they chose to err on the side of prudence, the boat this afternoon was back in Gosport. "We were really surprised, because we were doing 15-16 knots of boat speed side-by-side with the VO70s, and everything was business as usual," said the former America's Cup helmsman. "If it had been a moderate forecast, we might have tried to fix it. It was disappointing, a tough decision to make, because we were in a good position at that point of the race."

Beginners Blog - Star Date: 15 August 2011. Time: 1100

Of fishing men and fishy tales

Im sure its a saints day of some sort, but surely not of sailors as a

lovely sunrise gave way to an overcast sky and decreasing wind that combined

with a still flooding tide was pushing us off our bearing to the Lizard. We

also appeared to have been caught, if not overtaken by some competition

during the graveyard shift. Without any 3G signal though we are not certain

of the damage from the tracker. Even the AIS is not helping to show us

nearby competition. Breakfast would have amused the children. Variety pack

cereal direct from the box (with milk and a spoon), followed by a premium

yoghurt (no plugs here), but the one with muesli in the corner, so youll

get the picture. All followed by the most welcome bacon sarnie produced by

DK (yet another crew member from Ireland). Odd how many of the gnarlier crew

did not have butter. Very healthy, despite the bacon. Most of the

entertainment this morning was provided by others. The fishing fleet

(Britains I hope, were not that far off land) was out in force, making

life difficult. If we tack will we clear the trawlers nets? If we dont

tack will we be lifted clear of her bow. In the end the trawler made a

gesture, a polite one, and altered her course. Behind her though were two

more that looked to be hunting us as a pair. Again the seemingly potential

incident passed without incident, but it led to a flood of banter and

discussion about fishermen in general that kept us in a buoyant frame until

the next watch started stirring. At this point, it was another yacht in the

fleet that livened things as a misfiring EPIRB set Falmouth coastguard into

alert mode. Unable to raise the boat on the VHF, a helicopter was scrambled.

A nearby boat sailing alongside the offender put everyones mind at rest.

She was in no state of distress. But taking no chances the chopper continued

on to find the miscreant indirectly giving us the position of some of our

competition to do a double check and make direct contact. Nice to know the

system works so effectively. So, for the moment we continue on our way to

The Lizard, still a fair way from Lands End, and as for the Rock.The big

question. Will we get to Lands End before Banque Populaire finishes. Bet

they did not have bacon sandwiches this morning.

By 9 am on Thursday morning, 70 yachts had completed the Rolex Fastnet Race. A steady stream of yachts came in during the night, 52 in just 12 hours.

The first ever Lithuanian yacht to compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race, Ambersail, finished just after 6.30 pm. The yacht has been on a three-year odyssey to celebrate a thousand years of their country's history. After completing a circumnavigation in 2009, Ambersail competed in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland before sailing the boat across the Atlantic to take part in the RORC Caribbean 600. The Volvo 60 then raced back to Britain in the Transatlantic Race in order to take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Ambersail skipper, Simonas Steponavicius has competed in all of the above.

"The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the races that any offshore sailor just has to do," enthused Simonas. "I don't think any Lithuanian has ever competed in this great race, now there are 15 of us and we know that our friends back at home want to compete in the future. We have always dreamed of doing the race and now I know why, it has been running for so long. It is a fantastic race, very tactical and complex. It has something of everything; working the tide, understanding the effects of land on the wind, ocean racing and some fantastic conditions.

While the multihull record fell last night to Maxi Banque Populaire (FRA), so earlier this morning the monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race was also demolished. Surprisingly the new record went not to Mike Slade's 100 foot supermaxi ICAP Leopard (GBR), which had established the record of 1 day, 20 hours, and 18 minutes in 2007, but the smaller Volvo Open 70 Abu Dhabi (UAE), skippered by double Olympic silver medallist, Ian Walker.

The black-hulled VO70 arrived at an overcast and drizzly Plymouth finish line at 07:49:00 BST this morning, just under 5 minutes ahead of Franck Cammas' VO70 Groupama 4 (FRA). In doing so she broke ICAP Leopard's 2007 record by 1 hour 39 minutes.

Despite this, for ICAP Leopard, line honours winner in the last two Rolex Fastnet Races, the race was still good as she had led her faster rival, George David's supermaxi Rambler 100, for more than 24 hours.

"It was a very good race," commented owner Mike Slade. "The weather at the beginning and the end, and the surge around the top were very, very exciting and we were all doing big numbers. I thoroughly enjoyed coming out of the Solent - we led Rambler there and led her most of the way up to the Rock. Rambler is a quicker boat in terms of righting moment and weight. So that was a great thrill."

In the fog, Slade says that they knew there was an issue with Rambler but not the full extent of what had happened (of her keel loss and subsequent capsize). When they passed the location of the incident, between the Fastnet Rock and the Pantaenius offset mark, there had been thick fog.

The three Volvo Open 70s subsequently sped past ICAP Leopard in the 20-30 knot winds heading across to Bishop Rock.

Beginners Blog - Star Date: 16 August 2011. Time: 0930

Misery

Light winds plagued us for much of the second day until we rounded

Runnelstone Light (despite a short lived accusation from another boat) at

Lands End. Even a roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce did little to

lift the spirits of the crew. Ross, the skipper, spent all day saying get

ready for bad weather. Big wind is coming. All without a grin, so we knew

that it would be so. And it was. Supper was Beef Stew and Dumplings

absolutely the best meal I have ever had on a boat, were it not for the fact

that I was already suffering from even more serious indigestion as my

stomach churned over the idea of winds in the higher 20s and the entrance to

the open Celtic Sea.

When my watch started we were under the No 3. As the winds increased and the

angle to the rock opened slightly we went to a Jib Top. This was a good

decision, but heralded the onset of a really unpleasant spell of the race.

My watch end could not come soon enough. I was cold, wet, and not sure if

the indigestion was sea sickness. I scrambled into my bunk miserable, but

grateful. Three short hours later and I was up again. Nothing was dry. It

was sticky, syrupy clothing that I pulled on. The thumping that had kept me

regularly waking up materialised into the worst sea conditions I had seen

for many years. Not the worst for my crew mates, many of whom had been on

the 2007 Rolex Fastnet lucky them... My morale took a severe pounding.

Three hours on watch would precede three hours standby. Which was worse? The

three hours on, would hopefully give me something to think about, other than

the feeling in my throat. The standby would be an opportunity to go below

to the fetid mass of unhappiness below deck. Sleeping on the galley passage

floor did not bear thinking about, but apparently it was an option. Sea sick

crew were about, others were smoking...smoking? I just tried to avoid both

and to keep my stomach contacts intact.

Towards the end of the watch we needed a tighter angle to the wind which had

subsided from a top sighting of 32 knots on the prior watch to 28 on ours.

Now it subsided further to a steady 20-22, gusting occasionally to 25. No. 3

on deck, peel the jib top and up she goes. All done under water of course,

as the boat corkscrewed through the waves, but with an ease and efficiency

that defied the circumstances, and proved my view that on this boat of

rogues were some very, very sound sailors. I had nothing to worry about,

save the sky falling on my head and how on earth was I going to relive the

tension on my stomach from two days food intake.

My watch ended and I sank (relatively speaking, it is a pipe cot) into my

berth after a desperate effort to relieve some weight on my mind in the

bucking head. Successfully achieved I crashed into my bunk, still sodden and

feeling rank. Sleep must have come, though it never really felt like it. It

overcame the feeling of sick in my throat though.

3 hours later and it was up again (am I on repeat?). Same conditions, grey

leaden (I now understand that expression) skies, same unsettling sea, same

bashing along up wind. Breakfast came and went in a blur, but it stayed down

and it helped. Everything I wear is wet, but at least it is warm that is

the wonder of mid layers (have I mentioned how useful they are?). Offered a

chance to go below on my standby, I declined. I was happier on deck, even at

the front, spray breaking position on the rail. My recurring thought was

does this end? If so, how and when does it end? I didnt ask. What if Ross

had said with a cheerful grin that we had another 12 hours of the same.

These were good conditions for Scarlet, and bar breakages we need them to do

well. For an unknown reason I started singing Space Odyssey to myself. Here

am I floating in a tin can. Planet earth was anything but blue at this

point, but absolutely there was nothing I could do.

After a brisk first 48 hours, pace in the Rolex Fastnet Race has slowed up.

Records are expected to fall in a major way over the next 24 hours in the Rolex Fastnet Race with the world's fastest offshore boat, Loick Peyron's 140 foot trimaran Maxi Banque Populaire (FRA), due to break not only the outright race record (set by Peyron in 1999) but also the record for the course, set in 2002 by Steve Fossett's 125ft maxi-catamaran, PlayStation (USA). Meanwhile tomorrow morning there is the possibility of George David's Rambler 100 (USA) breaking Mike Slade's outright monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race of 1 day 20 hours and 18 minutes, set in 2007.

To break the outright multihull race record of 1 day 16 hours 27 minutes set by Loick Peyron's ORMA 60 trimaran, Fujicolor (FRA) in 1999, Banque Populaire would have to finish before 0327 BST tomorrow morning. However the crew have their hopes set on even breaking the outright course record of 1 day 11 hours and 17 seconds set by Steve Fossett's 125ft catamaran PlayStation in 2002. This would require them to arrive in Plymouth by 22:17 BST this evening. This afternoon Loick Peyron believed their ETA at the finish line in Plymouth would be between 1930-2000 BST.

Beginners Blog - Star Date: 15 August 2011. Time: 0335

The wrong trousers?

As the first evening crept on it has got wetter. Well, damper and colder,

and I encountered a major catastrophe. Certainly one to flavour my mood for

a good few hours. My previous bout of blog typing coincided with the

distribution of hot chicken pies. My rejection because I was jammed in the

nav station like a cork and unable to hold a pie, was taken as total

rejection of the meat filled delight. I watched it depart, not literally but

certainly in my mind, into the stomach of a starving wastrel on deck. A

morale blow that a pie aficionado can ill afford on a voyage like this. Two

more hours on deck in the moist air of La Manche has done nothing to improve

my situation. The crews banter which so far has avoided religion and

politics, but covered most other available ground has been of no comfort.

Two hours in a bunk ahead of my first night watch was though. We are

standing three watches of four people, with a standby group and an off

watch. The upwind conditions on this first night demanded that the standby

group stay on deck, so 6 hours of rail time lay ahead. My watch is led by

Matt, skipper of a Swan 82, more accustomed to warm weather sailing and also

on his first Rolex Fastnet. I discovered he had not been sure what clothing

to bring and was cursing his lack of thermals. Richie from Kent, as opposed

to Richie from Northern Ireland, is on his third race - the last being 2007

and therefore well kitted out in all the latest hi tech gear. Clinch is our

fourth man, another to have raced the 608nm before. His kit looks

purposeful, used and abused. We all seem to get along, despite wildly

different backgrounds and characters. I think I am the oldest, though with

Clinch its hard to be certain and weve not got into that type of

conversation yet. Reheated meatballs and pasta is good, but it is not a

substitute for a pie. It is food though, and it got me through to 0300 when

it was time to get those below to shake a leg. Not much happened in the six

hours on deck apart from a deepening awareness of penetrating cold and wet,

and indigestion, which I put down to the motion. Now, if I had had that pie

My mid-layers (this is a recurring, but important theme) needed bolstering

with thermal underwear, and (mental note) next time a fleece top will be

added too. Plus, if I can remember to rescue my woolly hat from the bunk on

which it spent the night before another hairy crew mate uses it as a cuddly

sleep comforter, or something worse, my next night watch may be comfortably

passable. When I arrived below it was to the news that we were fourth in

class on handicap, up with the front runners overall, and with no lower

rated boat ahead of us. We were making good progress down the Channel, and

should be off Lands End sometime tomorrow morning. Sleep on that misery

guts, is my final thought.