FLYING HIGH AT FIFTY – ROLEX FASTNET RACE ASTNET RACE ROLEX F Kurt Arrigo/ROLEX ORGANISED BY THE ROYAL OCEAN RACING CLUB Start: 22nd July 2023, Cowes – Cherbourg-en-Cotentin via the Fastnet Rock The 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race will see the start of the world’s largest offshore yacht race set off from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes on Saturday 22nd July. The fleet - racing 695 nautical miles to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France via the Fastnet Rock - has once again attracted an international and highly diverse range of yachts from 9m (30ft) to 32m (105ft). It’s always an amazing spectacle, whether on land, on the water, or watching online, as the massive fleet gathers at the start and heads off down the Solent to compete in what must be the most famous of all yacht races. A record fleet of over 450 boats is expected to mark another milestone in this historic race, which was first run in 1925 and was the founding race of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). After a strong start, the ‘Ocean Race’ - as the Fastnet Race was first called - nearly withered and perished with just six entries in 1933, when it became biennial. In more recent years it has gone from strength to strength, attracting boats and sailors from all around the globe to participate in one of the ‘must do’ yacht races on every sailor’s bucket list. The 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race represents a significant landmark for the Club’s premier event and this will be the first of two bumper editions of the race, with the second in 2025 celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Today the race continues to attract a giant fleet with entries from all over the world, with 30 countries represented and comprising everything from professional teams in their ultra-fast Ultime trimarans, the foiling IMOCAs of the Vendée Globe and the giant Class40 fleet, to the bulk of competitors in the IRC fleet. Ranging from top maxi teams, through to the core RORC competitors aboard their racers and cruiser- racers, and on to the family cruisers and sailing schools out to enjoy a ‘once in a lifetime experience’. The entry list makes for impressive reading in terms of scale, diversity and quality of the fleet taking part, confirming the Rolex Fastnet Race’s position as the world’s biggest and most popular offshore race by far. From classic yachts to superyachts, production race boats to professionally crewed cutting-edge multihulls, all are in the mix with much smaller boats crewed by passionate Corinthians made up of family and friends, past winners and first timers, young and old. The race is an arduous yet absorbing adventure, with many moments to savour, from the memorable start in Cowes and race out of the Solent among the fleet of hundreds, to the rounding of the Fastnet 18 solenthandbook.com