Fastnet 2021

[savageseadog]

Seems to have started into some brisk weather. Dismastings, collisions and some retirements including one from our club fleet.

 

[jaminb]

I enjoyed watching the start - on the live feed, from the comfort of my saloon. Been tracking the guys who were preping a J105 on the pontoon next door, the live tracking shows they have turned back and are now in Yarmouth.

 

[mikegunn]

I watched the leaders go through the Hurst Narrows. Wow! Those big tri’s can sail really close to the wind too. Those at the front are already rounding the lizard and should then have a perfect reach up to Rockall. Elapsed time for winners could be sub 48 hrs.
Mike

 

[Babylon]

Watched the fleet departing. Was walking the dog on the beach at Yarmouth (where I've been sitting out the weather myself!) then further down at Sconce etc. Quite a few of the cruiser-racers were under storm-jib or trysail. This view from the fort of the top of the Needles Channel just out from Hurst Narrows:

 

[Babylon]

And some of the bigger machines earlier:





Boat berthed behind me had to retire with gear failure, and I heard there were quite a number of Pan-Pans.

 

[SaltIre]

Do we think this is the body of the Fastnet fleet?

Apivia, pictured in #5, is flying along at ~17.5 knots here, north of Roscoff!
APIVIA SOLO SAILOR (Sailing Vessel) Registered in France - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 227955460, Call Sign FLXT

Is it the same yacht?

 

[savageseadog]

I enjoyed watching the start - on the live feed, from the comfort of my saloon. Been tracking the guys who were preping a J105 on the pontoon next door, the live tracking shows they have turned back and are now in Yarmouth.

I think that would be Mojo Liverpool Yacht Club's Commodore's boat. Not sure what's happened.

I saw one major collision on the start video.

 

[SaltIre]

The tracker for the yachts' current locations is here: 2021 Tracking Player

 

[matt1]

Why is Hugo Boss so uncompetitive? Consistently slower and overtaken by the previous Hugo Boss (which I’m convinced he would have won the last Vendee in). He must be really disappointed. Got a good start too. Amazing at Hurst to see how small Rambler looked up against the Club Swan 125!

 

[matt1]

Blimey, Apivia is on fire! Alongside Scorpios at the Scillies! Looks like she has consistently done 16kn overnight vs 10kn for the other IMOCAs - what a standout performance

 

[Boathook]

Watched the fleet departing. Was walking the dog on the beach at Yarmouth (where I've been sitting out the weather myself!) then further down at Sconce etc. Quite a few of the cruiser-racers were under storm-jib or trysail. This view from the fort of the top of the Needles Channel just out from Hurst Narrows:

View attachment 120334

Hurst Castle was holding 30+ knots of wind on Sunday, so wind against tide would have given some interesting seas in the area. I pulled out of a club event to Lymington because of the forecast and glad I did as I would have been travelling west as well in a 9m cruising cat to get home.

 

[flaming]

Why is Hugo Boss so uncompetitive? Consistently slower and overtaken by the previous Hugo Boss (which I’m convinced he would have won the last Vendee in). He must be really disappointed. Got a good start too. Amazing at Hurst to see how small Rambler looked up against the Club Swan 125!

Hugo Boss was arguably the most downwind optimised IMOCA ever. Not exactly the machine of choice for a beat down channel in 30kts....

 

[Gixer]

Blimey, Apivia is on fire! Alongside Scorpios at the Scillies! Looks like she has consistently done 16kn overnight vs 10kn for the other IMOCAs - what a standout performance

I've been watching them on YB races app, their course was so different but they ended up so close. I'm keeping my eye on Rambler as well although he looks to be well downwind of them.
I've never followed yacht racing but this is truly fascinating.

 

[matt1]

Hugo Boss was arguably the most downwind optimised IMOCA ever. Not exactly the machine of choice for a beat down channel in 30kts....

Yeah and I’m pretty sure that’s what AT racing said when she started to lose her lead in the S Atlantic. Not really sure I buy that tbh. I mean Charal is pretty similar and lying nicely in second. Could it be that HB just isn’t that quick? She took the lead in the Vendee though tactically going though that tropical storm…his last boat was demonstrably faster than the rest. This one? I’d say on what we have seen she is slower, sadly

 

[flaming]

Yeah and I’m pretty sure that’s what AT racing said when she started to lose her lead in the S Atlantic. Not really sure I buy that tbh. I mean Charal is pretty similar and lying nicely in second. Could it be that HB just isn’t that quick? She took the lead in the Vendee though tactically going though that tropical storm…his last boat was demonstrably faster than the rest. This one? I’d say on what we have seen she is slower, sadly

Jury is still out, certainly...
But if you think back to the start of the last Route De Rhum where it was moderately fresh downwind, they absolutely blasted away from the fleet.

 

[matt1]

I guess foil shape has a lot to do with upwind performance, so maybe you would expect to see a difference between similar hull shapes (eg Charal) if they have different foils. I can’t recall Charal’s foils

 

[flaming]

I can’t recall Charal’s foils

Nothing like HBs...

 

[Martin_J]

If I've read the race instructions correctly

I wouldn't want to be the navigator on [name hidden] tonight ...

 

[Martin_J]

It was this track I was looking at...

 

[Gixer]

Yes, looks like a screw up......

I can't understand how that can happen though??