Rolex Fastnet preview

A wealth of powerful monohulls and a few multihulls will attempt to break the record in the RORC's classic offshore event

The 605 mile Rolex Fastnet Race sets sail two weeks today at 1600 on 12 August, the Sunday after Skandia Life Cowes Week.
Among the 220 boats taking part the Royal Ocean Racing Club's offshore classic, will be both America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race crews.

Many records are at stake. The main focus will be on the 2 days 6 hours 9 minutes and 56 seconds set by the George Coumantaros' American maxi Boomerang in 1999.

Chief contenders for the monohull record will be the four maxis. Morning Glory was recently the monohull winner of the Round Gotland Race. She is owned by German Hasso Plattner, who is a major backer of Team New Zealand's defence of the 2003 America's Cup and will have several TNZ crew on board.

The all black Stealth, owned by that prince of the Italian motor industry Gianni Agnelli will have Whitbread veteran Paul Standbridge on board. The gorgeous Skandia Leopard is the new 92-footer of property magnate Mike Slade and recent monohull winner in the Hoya Round the Island Race. Ludde Ingvall's Nicorette, a Simonis-design which was first home in 1999.

While the maxis will form an impressive line-up, most eyes will be on the four Volvo Ocean Race boats due to take part. Previously almost the entire fleet in the round the world race used the Fastnet as a warm up and it is a good guage of their form. This time several campaigns are either so late to the table that they now need the extra time for their sail development programs or they feel that doing the race is not in the best interests of their campaign.

At present the four likely Volvo Ocean 60s entered are John Kostecki's Illbruck Challenge, Djuice, skippered by Knut Frostad and the two Swedish boats Team SEB, led by Gunnar Krantz, and Assa Abloy, with the Dutch Olympic medallist Roy Heiner in charge.

"The Rolex Fastnet gives us a great opportunity to get together with the whole team and test everything in race mode," commented Heiner. Kostecki, a fellow Olympic medallist, added: "The Rolex Fastnet is one of the world;s premier ocean races. With other Volvo 60s competing, it will be a great tune up for the Volvo Ocean Race."

In addition to the Volvo Ocean 60s, a number of the French Open 60s are expected.

Bernard Stamm, who in February established a new monohull west to east transatlantic record in his Open 60 Armor-Lux-foie Gras Bizac, now renamed Bobst Group, will be up against Vendee Globe singlehander Catherine Chabaud aboard Whirlpool, sistership to Roland Jourdain's Sill Plein Fruit (until yesterday, leader in the EDS Atlantic Challenge). Chabaud won the top prize, the Fastnet Challenge Cup, in Whirlpool in 1999.

Chabaud, who has twice taken part in the Vendee Globe has announced this may be her last offshore race. "It is going to be the last race for my monohull in its Whirlpool colours and probably my last participation in an offshore race. The CEO of Whirlpool will be a member of the crew for this race and that just makes it more special. This is my third time in the very prestigious Rolex Fastnet. None has been more important."

Line honours for the Rolex Fastnet will certainly go to one of the 60ft trimarans taking part, despite their sailing an enlongated version of the Fastnet course.

Of particular interest will be Scottish sailor Emma Richards who now has charge of what was once Steve Fossett's record breaker, Lakota. The boat is soon to be renamed after Richards' sponsors Pindar, but confusingly will still be in Sony colours for the event. There are also rumours that maverick Frenchman Francis Joyon aboard Dexia Eure et Loir, which surprised everyone by winning last year's Europe 1 New Man STAR and this year demolished both the course and outright records for the Hoya Round the Island Race, with Flying Dutchman multiple Olympic medallist Rodney Patisson on board.