Rolex Fastnet Race 2025
27th July 2025
The RORC Morgan Cup
Back in Guernsey after 7 months of travelling abroad, some level of routine had returned, sailing yachts in coastal races out of St Peter Port, but soon it was time to head further afield with Killing Time’s first offshore yacht race of the season. The RORC Morgan Cup, from Cowes to Guernsey.
Race Start
A punchy southwesterly with a west flowing tide meant the most favorable start position was close to the Royal Yacht Squadron. With a reef in our GBR 3600x mainsail and our smaller J3 headsail hoisted, in a competitive class of 36 boats, we jostled to be closest to the line to find clean air and the best lanes out of the Solent. We were soon forced by boats being flipped onto port calling water, but through great team work we had nailed our timing and achieved our strongest RORC start as the following photos evidence. Time on distance was near perfect with just seconds and meters left as the start canon fired.
Solent & South coast legs
We put on a competitive effort out the Solent fining favorable lanes and with a couple of close crosses, an moments of calling starboard on our competitors. Next two marks had to be rounded on the south coast. On the downwind leg, an unfortunate mix up with halyards meant we may not be able to drop the spi at the windward mark. Eager Emile was soon fastening up the harness and making sure he had a tether to limit any uncalled for swinging, I began winching him to the top of the rig. Apparently the views of the fleet were spectacular, but with winds gusting into the mid 20’s I was grateful to land Emile safely back on deck. Rightly so, as the wind increased approaching the mark and boats around us began blowing up spinnakers and broaching.
Heading south, Guernsey’s west coast, The Hanois & A Shutdown
After rounding the leeward mark of Needles Fairway, we beat back west to position ourselves best for the new breeze out of the east. Committing to the west early paid off against our competitors and after falling into a shift pattern, I was on watch with Emile and Max, and once again battling against Bellino, the RORC Championship title holders.
After a careful stint of rock hopping down the west coast of guernsey to seek tidal relief by the Hanois we were 2nd in class, but mother nature threw up another challenge. A glassy wind hole on the south coast saw our spinnaker collapse and us fall mercy to the steadily west flowing tides. This park up saw our fleet compress behind us and many of our gains evaporated along with the wind.
A couple more knots enabled us to make progress against the tide, and once around St Martins Point the breeze steadily built and we powered up under the A2 at a reaching angle until we crossed the line,
Rolex Fastnet Race 2025
26th July 2025
After taking part in the last edition of the largest offshore race in world, I had told myself never again. A race of attrition and survival, the weather had been unseasonably brutal and we were one of the fortunate boats to complete the 50th Edition of this challenging race. You can read about it here. But here I was, boarding the Aurigny redeye flight destined for Cowes in the Isle of White, to join the rest of the Killing Time crew for the 100th Anniversary Edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
The Needles to Fastnet Rock
Fastnet to Cherbourg
A second take at the largest offshore race in the world