Rolex Fastnet Race 2025
27th July 2025
RORC Morgan Cup, A Warm Up
Back in Guernsey after 7 months of sailing in the Caribbean and travelling abroad, some level of routine had returned, sailing yachts in coastal races out of St Peter Port after work and at the weekends, but soon it was time to head further afield with Killing Time’s first offshore yacht race of the 2025 season. The RORC Morgan Cup, from Cowes to Guernsey, of over 150 nautical miles. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, it would be a valuable training race to test new crew dynamics and on a personal level, to reacquaint myself with the technicalities and performance aspects of racing offshore, rather than cruising and dodging Nicaraguan pirates…
Race Start
A punchy southwesterly with a west flowing tide meant the most favorable start position was close in to the Royal Yacht Squadron. With a reef in our mainsail and the 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 being 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 line performance 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 respectable effort out the Solent finding favorable lanes with a couple of close crosses, and 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 jib halyards meant we may not be able to drop the spi at the windward mark. Eager Emile was soon fastening up the harness and after making sure he had a tether to limit any uncalled for swinging antics should we broach, I began winching Emile 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 speed and sea state increased approaching the leeward 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. 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.
We had held onto 7th/ 36 in IRC 3, but it had been painful watching a podium slip from finish as boats behind had seen our windless fate and headed further offshore!
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. But here I was, boarding the Aurigny redeye flight destined for Cowes in the Isle of Wight, to join the rest of the Killing Time crew for the 100th Anniversary Edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Arriving in Cowes, the atmosphere surrounding the ongoing Admirals Cup racing with teams from around the world and the build up to Fastnet start was electric. Various boat snagging jobs were ticked off the list, final provisions were secured and we managed to squeeze in couple of training sails that gave us a great vantage point for the Admiral Cup inshore races that were being fought in the Solent.
The Needles to Fastnet Rock
Unlike two years prior, when I was crewing aboard J/120 Majic2 and we had sought shelter from storm force winds in Yarmouth for the first evening our passage across Poole bay, this was far less eventful. Passing through a rainy squall and leaving the Needles to fall over the horizon behind us, we remained powered up as we approached St Albans head in close company with JPK 1030 Mzungu!. Watching the chart, I suggest we flip on to the opposite tack to take the beneficial speed boost offered by the west bound tide hitting the shallow bank extending from the head. it pays off and overtake our fierce competitors Fujitsu British Soldier (another Sunfast 3600) who had continued over the bank.
Our next major landmark is Portland Bill. We have made good time to this major tidal gate of the course, but like many in our class the tide was not in our favour and we observe boats treading water trying to sneak on the inside as we make our approach in gusty conditions under the sheer cliffs. We are skirting shallow contours on the chart, and having never transited this waters before, we are maybe not as willing to rock hop as others. As we exit the tidal shadow of the headland we’re leading a procession of traffic, with three of our competitors on our tail, some in the class above. We’re eager to tack, but without sufficient room to do so, we’re forced out into increasingly strong tide. All 7.7 knots of it. As this point we come to terms with the fact we could not beat against the tide, as despite it being at odds with our preferred strategy we split south and lick our wounds, watching out competitors slew side to side in desperate attempts to round the bill. Some eventually make it, but with the cost of fighting the traffic for more than 20minutes.
Speaking to the highly accomplished double handed sailing duo Tim and Kelvin racing Cora a Sunfast 3200 after the finish in Cherbourg, and hearing of how they had struck their keel on rocks cutting the corner extra fine, I’m reassured in the moment we had taken the the right decision. Thanks to Simon Brody for this video capturing the congestion from the cliffside. We slide into shot about 35 minutes in.
As the sun set, and fatigue started to set in, we fell into a watch system of 3 on, 3 off, in 3 hour intervals. Roughly, 1900 - 1000 - 0100 - 0400 - 0700. Our next big navigational decision would be not far beyond the Lizard, the southern most point of England. Here, running the routing software with the latest GRIB files, we would need to decide how to tackle the TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) exclusion zones around Lands end and the Scillies. Some routings had suggested the southern most route, to punch out west early in the Celtic Sea crossing. Alternative routings and our close competitors had chosen to head north of the Scillies, as I came back on watch, the decision had been made, as I was back in the role of driving the boat as fast as possible without clipping the TSS exclusion zone and finding a good lay line to clear the north of the Scillies and head out west to catch the incoming new breeze. The breeze built as we beat north westerly across the Celtic sea, an 18knot average wind speed crept up to 22knots and gusts began to read in the high 20’s. We were still under a full main and J2, and feeling overpowered on the helm and and after considering the forecast we soon opt to reef the main. The quicker option, it would be easier to shake this out than peel between different headsails.
Fastnet to Cherbourg
I’m awoken at 0100 for what would be the last watch before rounding the infamous rock. Three hours in the early hours pass quickly with several tacks between Ireland’s dramatic south coast cliffs and the TSS exclusion zone south of Fastnet Rock. Having called the lay line on one of the last tacks before rounding the lighthouse, I’m intently scanning the inky black night for navigation lights and crossing boats along with checking AIS targets for CPA’s (closest point of approach). The 72ft Challenger 4 soon becomes one of my primary concerns. Whilst we are sailing on starboard tack and technically we are stand on vessel she is showing no sign of altering course. I try hail her on VHF Channel 16, the mandatory channel all vessels should maintain watch on, but I’m greeted with silence, by now I can clearly see their navigation lights all too clearly and shine my high powered torch in their direction. We’re close enough to light up their sails and I quickly make the call to Carlo to tack, as to bear away and dip her would give away valuable height this close to the very large and immovable mark! The Challenger’s are big heavy steel vessels designed to sail the wrong way around the world, and in close quarters in a big sea state, waiting for them to try take quick evasive action was not a risk I was going to run. Anyhow, it’s a good wake up maneuver for the next watch who are due on, (and wanted!) to be awake for rounding the lighthouse and at last popping up the kite for the first time in 3 days of living on a heal!
We’re now trucking downwind with the A2 spinnaker up, doing our best catch waves and boost our average speed. The wind again builds into the mid 20’s and we’re testing the linit of the A2 in an increasing sea state. We peel to the smaller, heavier weight A3.5 spinnaker and forge south easterly. I’m on watch as we round the south of the Scillies, the breeze as softened at we have the A2 hoisted again. After a helming stint I hand over to Carlo and start pinging AIS targets to assess our progress against the fleet. I note a trend of the boats above and ahead of us moving slower than those south and call for a gybe in search of more sustained pressure. This paid off and we gybe again for another bite of the stronger pressure further south. As the wind moves closer to our beam pointing towards Cherbourg KT shines in a reaching high mode with the planning on her chine in 17knots of breeze at 125TWA with the A2.
Our final key navigational call was how to tackle the infamous Cap de La Hague and it’s challenging tides as the English channel forces around the french headland, Alderney, Burhou and surrounding reefs. With lighter airs to the north of Alderney over the Casquets TSS, and the tide due to switch in our favour, the routings suggested we dipped south of Alderney and picked up the tide as it began to flood west. Utilsing the French barotropic tide models, we carefully gybed and positioned ourselves in the most favourable tide. The tide steadily built as we crossed the race as the sea state grew in ferocity. With KT bucking like a broncho, the opposite watch wake up and join us on deck, in anticipation for what could be our last maneuver before the finish line. The tide and sea state is comically confused and sailing deep, the main accidentally gybes more than once with multiple shouts of HEADS! in the darkness. We opt to stand on port gybe a little longer until the chaos becomes more manageable and chuck in one last gybe to point us as the glowing lights of Cherbourg.
It all feels a little surreal as the sea state moderates further, and with the spinnaker lit by torch light, Max pops the kettle on an offers to heat up freeze dried meals. This finish is a far cry from the intensity of the last edition and we’re curious to know what the reception will be like. It doesn’t dissapoint. We’re greeted by a cheering crowd on the pontoon who merrily help catch our lines. Before long we’re enroute to the beer tent for a well earned beverages. The joy of this celebration also comes in the steady stream of competitors who arrive at all hours of the day, with the race village open around the clock.
We had finished the largest yacht race in the world, in 4,5 days and one minute, ish. 6th/43 in a highly competitive IRC3A fleet, and 86th/ 444 competitors overall.
The largest offshore race in the world, take 2!