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Recent
yachting
and boating events covered by Outimage Publications |
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| The Club Marine
Brisbame to Keppel Yacht Race 2009. |
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| Audi Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race 2009. |
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Audi Winter Series
Sydney Harbour 2009. |
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The Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009
Yacht Club Italiano
May 9-10. |
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RORC Caribbean
600
Antigua
February 23-25, 2009.
Photographs by
Carlo Borlenghi
and Stefano Gattini. |
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Volvo Ocean Race
2008-2009. |
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61st Brisbane to Gladstone
Yacht Race 2009. |
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Audi Sydney
Offshore Newcastle
Yacht Race 2009. |
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XXV Primo Cup
Trophée Credit Suisse
Montecarlo, Feb 5-15, 2009.
Photographs by
Carlo Borlenghi. |
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Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series
Auckland New Zealand,
Jan 24 - Feb 14, 2009.
Photographs by
Stefano Gattini. |
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| The 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race |
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| The 2008 SOLAS Big Boat Challenge 2008. |
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| The 2008
Rolex Trophy One Design Series |
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Sydney
Short Ocean
Racing Championship
November 29-30, 2008. |
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Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008 Valletta, Malta.
October 18 - 25, 2008. |
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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy
September 1 - 6, 2008. |
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Sydney Gold Coast
Yacht Race 2008. |
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Giraglia
Rolex Cup 2008
Saint-Tropez France
Genova Italy
June 8 - 14, 2008. |
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Rolex Farr
40 Worlds 2008
Miami Beach, Florida |
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| Grand Banks
Rendevzous, Hawkesbury River NSW Australia 2008. |
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| A long tatical race that loses none of its magic. |
| by the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009 Media Team |
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Photos By Carlo Borlenghi and Kurt Arrigo for Rolex.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
15:00 GMT, August 15, 2009. |
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| While the previous Rolex Fastnet Race is remembered for the course record time being demolished, the only record broken in this year’s running of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s biennial 608 nautical-mile classic was one relating to competitor patience, as light winds at the start and end, combined with powerful spring tides, made for a ‘tactically challenging’ race, and one of the longest in recent years. |
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Vittorio Volonte's STP 65 Luna Rossa sailing off the Solent, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| Running from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland, the race again proved it remains one of the world’s most prestigious offshore yacht races. The 300-boat entry limit was reached quickly, attracting boats from a wide spread of nations. The bulk came from the UK and France, but there were potent entries from the USA, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and others coming from afar afield as Chile and Australia. |
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The Needles.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| This year’s event also attracted a hugely competitive line-up of professional sailors and grand prix race boats from around the world. This included the 2007 race record setter, Mike Slade’s 100ft supermaxi ICAP Leopard. Two recently launched state of the art Mini-Maxis taking a break from the Med circuit, also competed. Niklas Zennström’s Judel-Vrolijk 72, Ran 2; and Patrizio Bertelli’s STP 65 Luna Rossa, crewed by his Italian America’s Cup team and featuring an all-star cast including five time Olympic medallist and recent Volvo Ocean Race winner, Torben Grael. |
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Mike Slade's Farr 100, ICAP Leopard, leading the fleet after the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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The Rolex Fastnet Race was also the offshore debut for Karl Kwok’s brand new Farr 80, Beau Geste, run by America’s Cup helmsman Gavin Brady, while Roger Sturgeon’s race-proven Rolex Sydney Hobart-winning STP65 Rosebud Team DYT had come across from the USA.
The IMOCA Open 60s had their own class, including stars from the Vendee Globe singlehanded round the world race such as the UK’s Sam Davies on Artemis Ocean Racing, Dee Caffari and Aviva, plus France’s Seb Josse on BT IMOCA 60. They were joined by 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race winner, Mike Sanderson, who was reunited with his Team Pindar. Also in their own class were the swelling fleet of Class 40s, including solo round the world sailor Giovanni Soldini and his all-conquering Telecom Italia, plus Class World Champion Tanguy de LaMotte and Initiatives Saveurs-Novedia Group. |
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Karl Kwok's Blue Water 80 Beau Geste, passing the Fastnet Rock during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Although the doomsayers were forecasting no wind for the start, in the end it could not have turned out better with an easterly wind forcing spinnakers to be hoisted in all eight classes. It provided a magnificent colourful spectacle for both competitors and the spectators crowding the Cowes seafront.
All was good with the tide shooting the fleet west in the early part of Sunday afternoon. Then the wind shut down at the Western extremity of the Solent, with particular abruptness on the mainland shore. After this first roll of the dice, a new south-westerly breeze filled in gently, but with insufficient strength to power the majority of the fleet past Portland Bill on the first night. |
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Roger Sturgeon's STP 66 Rosebud Team DYT, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Portland Bill was probably the defining moment of the race, with most of the big boats managing to make it past before the tide turned foul. The majority, including some notable professional boats, were forced to set their anchor and kedge, typically for an hour or so, but in some instances for up to six hours, to prevent themselves being ripped back east.
Others such as Andrew McIrvine, Commodore of the RORC, aboard Peter Rutter’s Quokka VII, plunged south into the Channel to avoid the worst of the tide. "We got to the place where our mobile phones said ‘welcome to France’. The met guys said it would feel dreadful and it did feel dreadful. I nearly had a mutiny on board!" |
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The race fleet passing the Needles in light conditions, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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While the early stages looked to be favouring the big boats, they by no means had it all their own way. The wind remained on the nose down the Channel, then inconveniently veering northwest causing them to remain upwind while crossing the Celtic Sea towards the Fastnet Rock.
ICAP Leopard eventually rounded the Fastnet rock at 00:26 GMT on Tuesday morning and began her return journey. The downwind leg back to Bishop Rock was a tense one for Slade and his supermaxi crew as those chasing were able to close in, benefiting from new breeze arriving from the west. But with a 20ft length advantage over her closest rival, there was nothing that could touch Leopard which sauntered home to take her second consecutive line honours win in the Rolex Fastnet Race, even though her course time of 2 days 11 hours 9 minutes and 36 seconds was almost 15 hours more than two years previously.
’It was a great race,’ commented Slade. ’We didn’t get into any difficult situations. We just wanted to get around fast and competently. All in all we are delighted to be here, second time running, back to back victories in this great race.’ |
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Mike Slade, owner of ICAP Leopard, won line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Behind ICAP Leopard, the IRC Class Super Zero handicap contest between the Mini Maxis was won convincingly by the Tim Powell-led crew aboard Ran 2, ahead of Luna Rossa. It is worth noting that Ran 2 was just beaten home on the water by the first of the smaller IMOCA 60s. Even more remarkable is that Seb Josse was sailing double-handed, demonstrating the performance potential of these water ballasted, canting keel round the world race boats.
The IMOCA 60 battle had been a case of ‘nip and tuck’ for the duration of the race course with Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet’s Artemis Ocean Racing rounding the Fastnet rock first, ahead of BT, Team Pindar, Marc Guillemot's Safran and Aviva. However, once downwind and en route to Bishop Rock, Artemis Ocean Racing was overhauled by BT.
’We are not very quick downwind VMGing,’ explained Sam Davies. ’So as soon as it went into a VMG run, they soaked and went low and fast and we were high and slow. Our boat must be 2 tonnes heavier than BT and idney’s bottle of wine didn’t help either!’ |
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Niklas Zennstrom's RAN 2 rounding Fastnet Rock at sunrise, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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Just over a day after Leopard’s arrival, the Class 40 competition was decided with Tanguy de LaMotte and his Initiatives Saveurs-Novedia Group, taking honours in this rapidly expanding class. The French Class 40 was leading by 12 miles at the Fastnet rock, and while race favourite Giovanni Soldini closed in on the run to the Bishop and on to the finish, the Italian was unable to catch LaMotte.
Despite arriving on Tuesday, it was not until late on Thursday afternoon that the RORC was able to confirm that the overall IRC prize for the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race had been won by Niklas Zennström’s Ran 2. The break made by big fast boats on the first night proved decisive and there was never sufficient wind for the slower boats to make up their time.
’It is fantastic, we are very excited about it,’ commented Zennström, the founder of Skype. ’One of the key objectives when we were building Ran 2 was to be able to do offshore races and the most obvious race we put on the calendar was the Rolex Fastnet Race. So it is great we have done so well in it.’ |
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Tanguy de Lamotte's Class 40, Initiatives Saveurs - Novedia Group, crossing the Plymouth finish line during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Elsewhere in the IRC fleet, Amanda Hartley and Jamie Olazabal’s Spanish La Floresta Del Mar proved that some prudent additions to an otherwise family crew can make all the difference. Their Swan 56 included in its crew 470 Gold medallist Jordi Calafat, now with America’s Cup defenders Alinghi and multiple round the world sailor Guillermo Altadill. They ended up claiming IRC Zero honours by almost 1.5 hours from race veteran Piet Vroon and his brand new Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens.
IRC Class One was taken by the veteran French campaigners on Jean-Claude Nicoleau’s Grand Soleil 43 Codiam, skippered by Nicolas Loday. Although Codiam took the lead on the first night, Nicoleau attributed their victory to good tactics in their crossing of the Celtic Sea to the rock. |
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The Baltimore Coast, Ireland, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Although also French, the Prime Time team, winners of IRC Class Two on an A-35 could not be more different. Marc Alperovitch and Jerome Huillard are experienced and successful inshore racers having been part of the French Rolex Commodores’ Cup team in previous years. This was their first taste of offshore racing. However their meticulous approach to the race and their preparation reaped dividends.
With over half the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet berthed in and around Sutton Harbour, in the Barbican area of Plymouth, the prize giving at the Royal Citadel was packed to the rafters. Yet, the principal topic of conversation was the large numbers of boats still at sea, many unlikely to finish until the Sunday; a week after the race had started. As it happened, a freshening breeze has propelled all but seven yachts to the finish. |
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Niklas Zennstrom's JV 72 Ran 2 rounding the Fastnet Rock, during the Race. Ran 2 was the overall winner of this Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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This has been an awkward Rolex Fastnet for competitors rather than difficult. The conditions have been frustrating. Yet the experience has been no less than rewarding when listening to the comments of Nick Haigh, owner of the DK46 Dark & Steamy.
’The most glorious moment was reaching back towards Bishop Rock under spinnaker, staysail, full main, eating bacon sandwiches, doing maybe 12-13 knots and being surrounded by dolphins. It was great.’ What more could you ask for. |
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Cowen Chiu, Margaret and Karl Kwok from Beau Geste, Hong Kong, at the presentations for the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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In his concluding remarks, RORC Commodore, Andrew McIrvine was positive about this year's Rolex Fastnet. ’I think it was wonderful. Everyone seems to have enjoyed it. People thought it was a good, hard race. It wasn’t too rugged, but it was a very tactical race which made it fun to do.’
The 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race starts on Sunday 14 August.
Further information about the RORC and the Rolex Fastnet Race including the list of entries and results may be found at: fastnet.rorc.org. |
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| Outimage and Rolex © 2009 |
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Hobart to Cowes, Cowes to Hobart and back to Cowes. This little yacht just keeps on circling the Earth!, Alex Whitworth's Brolga 33, Berrimilla II from Australia, sailing double-handed with Peter Corzier, during Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| Previous Articles. |
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| Prizegiving at Royal Citadel - 19:10 GMT, August 14, 2009. |
| A long slow finish - 11:35 GMT, August 14, 2009. |
| Ran 2 confirmed Overall Winner - 17:15 GMT August 13, 2009. |
| Streaming into Plymouth - 09:50 GMT, August 13, 2009. |
| First arrivals - 09:30 GMT, August 12, 2009. |
| Closing in on the Leopard - 16:40 GMT, August 11, 2009. |
| First around Fastnet Rock - 09:20 GMT, August 11, 2009. |
| Bound for the Rock - 17:35 GMT, August 10, 2009. |
| Dorset Coast overnight parking lot - 10:45 GMT, August 10, 2009. |
| Conditions come good for a spinnaker start - 17:00 GMT, August 9, 2009. |
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| Scuttlebutt Europe Daily News Feed. |
| Produced by boats.com Europe, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinion, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors. |
| To the Scuttlebutt Europe Daily News Feed Page. |
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