Fastnet 2023

[jaminb]

Any one else following? The live updates on the Rolex site suggesting it is quite lively out there - 45 knot gust seen in Lyme Bay.

Is there any where else to get the latest updates?

 

[Martin_J]

I guess you've got the YB Tracker for positions... it's a free App on Android or Apple..

Or I guess on the YB website if you are on a PC..

Rolex Fastnet 2023 - YB Tracking Race Viewer

 

[Martin_J]

Looking at weather and routing, and if we had done it again this year (IRC4), I think we'd have been against the wind all the way to the Scillies, then drifting there for the best part of a day, then against the wind to the rock where we be becalmed again... I don't think we'd have made it back to Cherbourg for the Friday night parties.

 

[Martin_J]

There's a fair bit on Facebook... and just a few videos and photos from competitors on the official site blog

Live

 

[jlavery]

One of my friends retired before the start, given the forecast.

My strategy would be survive the fronts, then restart when they've gone through.

But after 2019, I swore never to do it again. Hard to beat our 8th overall in 2015 in a J-109

 

[yoda]

Looking at weather and routing, and if we had done it again this year (IRC4), I think we'd have been against the wind all the way to the Scillies, then drifting there for the best part of a day, then against the wind to the rock where we be becalmed again... I don't think we'd have made it back to Cherbourg for the Friday night parties.

You seem to think the parties are for the small boats..........

 

[dunedin]

I was wondering - how many waves will you have to crash through / over going upwind from Cowes or Lands End?
(Not my kind of sailing.)

Huge number of OCS penalties, mostly amongst the IMOCA 60s & Class 40s. These guys are professionals yet looked like schoolboy errors not making allowance for tides (that most pros would have learnt back in their Oppie days). And some had clearly not even read the Sailing Instructions as rather than going fast to recoup some of their 2 hour penalty using their ill gained clear wind, some tried to turn back and recross the line (prohibited in the SIs).

 

[Birdseye]

both boats from our club seem to have retired but I cannot find out why. Windy is showing 25 gusting 35 which is unpleasant but do-able. That said I guess size matters.

 

[Roberto]

I looked earlier at Marine Traffic, while most of the fleet was just west of Wight, the Ultim Lazartigue was near Falmouth, SOG 27kt or whereabouts. Ok they were early starters

 

[Martin_J]

The starts were spread out over a couple of hours between 13:00 and about 15:00.... and this year, the multihulls set off first, then Imocas etc with the later start times for the slower rated classes..

In previous years a lot of the faster classes were set off after the slower ones.. it made it rather 'interesting' exiting the Solent, against the wind near Hurst when the faster boats were just catching up..

It was odd seeing the first finishers heading into Plymouth before we'd even passed Falmouth..

 

[KREW2]

Been following Pip Hare. After a bit of a disaster just past Hurst they have come back fighting, but a 2 hour penalty is going to be hard to get back.
With such a long race ahead of them I don't understand why they push so hard for a few seconds advantage at the start line when the penalty for an OCS is really punishing.

 

[flaming]

An awful lot of retirements. And some big names too. Oystercatcher is in Portland and retired, Black pearl has gone back…

The bits I’ve seen on FB suggest a lot of wind. Several of the “we’ve retired” posts talk of 50 kt gusts.

Every now and again I get a slight itch to go do a fastnet. This should cure it for a decade or so…

 

[flaming]

Been following Pip Hare. After a bit of a disaster just past Hurst they have come back fighting, but a 2 hour penalty is going to be hard to get back.
With such a long race ahead of them I don't understand why they push so hard for a few seconds advantage at the start line when the penalty for an OCS is really punishing.

In Pip’s case it would just have been a misjudgement. Though the pics of you bow out on the fleet are sponsor gold…

Though it might be my fault… I did text her this morning telling her that my son wanted to see “Pip’s boat in the lead”…

 

[Roberto]

With such a long race ahead of them I don't understand why they push so hard for a few seconds advantage at the start line when the penalty for an OCS is really punishing.

In French offshore races it's often sponsor time: a picture of the boat crossing the line ahead of all the others is often more valuable than the end result (sic).

 

[yoda]

Was a 24 hour delay to the start really not possible? Just seemed mad to put them all out into that wind with challenging tidal gates. The race for so many is ruined.

 

[dunedin]

The Ultim Banque Populair fair old “banged a corner” early on, heading almost into Cherbourg before tacking West. Doesn’t seem to have worked for them

 

[capnsensible]

Awesome pictures from Hurst. I'm very happy to be not doing that....

50th Rolex Fastnet Race start Trevor Pountain photo gallery

 

[Martin_J]

In reply to Dunedin

Trouble is there is a huge TSS in the middle of the course that competitors are not permitted to enter... It was one side or the other for those two multihulls .

 

[Martin_J]

Very demoralising now for competitors... dark, against the wind and the tide has turned giving very slow progress over ground (for the IRC3 and IRC4 boats) as they slowly pass Portland Bill.

 

[Bajansailor]

This lad seems to be in second place, already past the Scillies - is he really singlehanded, on such a monster boat, with so much traffic around?
Ship BP11 SOLO SAILOR (Inland, Unknown) Registered in France - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 228042670, Call Sign FAH6719

Every now and again I get a slight itch to go do a fastnet. This should cure it for a decade or so…

I did it in 1993 - once was enough, that cured me for life!