| Rolex Fastnet Race prizegiving at Royal Citadel. |
| 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. |
19:10 GMT, August 14, 2009. |
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Friday afternoon and at the time of the Rolex Fastnet Race prizegiving at Plymouth’s Royal Citadel, one third of the competitors still remain at sea. Of the 299 starters, nine have retired and 194 have reached Plymouth, leaving 106 yet to finish.
Niklas Zennström’s Ran 2 has won the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race overall under IRC and in IRC SZ, while Amanda Hartley and Jamie Olazabel’s Swan 56 La Floresta Del Mar has claimed a victory in IRC Z. |
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Niklas and Catherine Zennstrom from RAN 2, at the Prizegiving held at The Royal Citadel Barracks in Plymouth, with the trophy for their overall win in the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| Meanwhile, the three smallest IRC classes looked set throughout this race to result in a clean sweep for France; that was until the very last few miles of sailing for the Class 3 leaders late this morning. At 12:00 GMT when Fabrice Amedeo’s promising X-332 Bateaux Mouches du Pont de l’Alma had just six miles left to go, she was rudely pipped at the post on handicap by David Lees’ High Tension 36, Hephzibah. Lees’ Hepzibah was storming towards the finish line, 17 miles astern of Amedeo and the final results of IRC Class 3 as a result are now yet to be decided.
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Nigel Passmore's TP 52 Apollo,
crossing the finishing line of the Rolex Fastnet
Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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A win in IRC Class 2 that was conducted with equally clinical precision, to that of the seasoned pros’ on Ran 2, was that of the team on Prime Time. Owned by Jerome Huillard and brothers Jerome and Marc Alperovitch, the highlight of their program was the result in this Rolex Fastnet Race. The trio who have previously campaigned an X-302, traded up to their present A-35 yacht one and a half years ago with a specific aim of racing it offshore.
"The perception is that it is a very well-known race," confided Marc Alperovitch, of how the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s biennial classic is viewed across ‘la Manche’. "This impression comes from the 1979 race and people are aware that there were casualties. I think it is a race with a significant impact, particularly within the sailing community. They all know it is a difficult and competitive event." |
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Koen Lockefeer's Dehler 44 Eclecic, approaching Scilly Island during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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The Prime Time team is experienced at inshore racing, having previously competed in the Rolex Commodores’ Cup as well as cleaning up this season in France; winning the top inshore events SPI Ouest and the Obelix Trophy. However as Alperovitch explained, they lacked offshore experience.
"On other boats they have 50 or 60 Fastnets between the crew. On our boat, we had only one." Their crew is entirely amateur with the exception of Mini sailor, Sebastien Marquet. As to the key to their success? "Everything is about preparing the boat for the race," says Alperovitch.
"To give you some examples: Some of us get seasick. There is this medicine you can take, but it may make you sleepy. So we tested it at home beforehand, to see if it did this. We tested the food we were going to eat, back in May. We designed the way we were going to store the bags in the boat back in November last year. Everything was prepared. To me, we knew we were fast because we race a lot inshore. The question was: how are we going to adapt ourselves for offshore racing, as it is a different game? Anyway the secret is preparing, preparing, preparing." |
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The RYA Keelboat Programme's TP 52, John Merricks II, during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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Their approach to taking gear onboard resembled what Volvo Ocean Race teams do, each crewman having identical bags with their contents pre-defined and highly limited. "Phone chargers were forbidden, etc. The crew could bring along heavier items but they would end up in the bin! Really I am a bit of a maniac on the boat!" admits Alperovitch, who otherwise seemed mild-mannered.
Nonetheless their regime of precision worked and their ultimate corrected time was more than one and a half hours faster than David Walters’ J/39, Jackdaw. As the wind shut down yesterday, Jackdaw lost out in a most extreme manner, when their final run into Plymouth took around 15 hours longer than expected. |
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Chilean entry, the Great Southern Sea Inc's Class 40, Desafio Cabo de Hornos, sailing off the Solent after the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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But Alperovitch says he was most worried by his fellow countrymen on Parsifal as while they were becalmed, their rivals were speeding along at 5 knots. However, the wind shifted around and while Prime Time managed to make 6-10 knots to the finish at 00:20:01 GMT this morning, Parsifal was becalmed and crawled home to finish ten hours later, dropping them back to fourth in Class 2.
Among the other arrivals over the last 24 hours, have been two of the On Deck Farr 65s. Spirit of Juno arrived this afternoon crewed by members of BLESMA, the British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association. Spirit of Juno’s sistership, Spirit of Minerva, sailed by a crew of 16-18 year olds from Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury, reached Plymouth yesterday evening.
"About six of them were quite badly seasick, but they covered each other so well," commented skipper Michael Collier, adding that all was well by the time they had rounded the Fastnet rock. "They loved it and can’t wait to do it again," said Collier of his young crew. "Half are staying with us to take the boat back to Portsmouth," added Collier. |
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Luca Rubinelli's J 109, Aria,
during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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With the winds off the Cornish coast still light, the sky overcast and intermittent light rain courtesy of a dissolving warm front, patience will be required for the remaining competitors still at sea. By late afternoon, the two back-markers had only just rounded the Pantaenius offset mark, up by the Fastnet Rock. With 240 miles still ahead of them, it looks most likely to be Sunday finish for both.
The Rolex Fastnet Race Prizegiving was held this evening at the Royal Citadel in Plymouth. Niklas Zennström of Ran 2 was awarded the Fastnet Challenge Cup and a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece for his win in IRC class overall. A number of other trophies were presented and as some of the classes have yet to be decided, Ian Loffhagen, the Racing Manager announced that another prizegiving will take place on Saturday at 6pm.
Further information about the RORC and the Rolex Fastnet Race including the list of entries may be found at: fastnet.rorc.org. |
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| Outimage and Rolex © 2009 |
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