Centenary edition of Rolex Fastnet Race set to be largest ever

Friday, July 4th, 2025

Leisure Marine

WARRIOR WON, Skipper: Chris Sheehan, Class: IRC Zero, Sail No: USA60564, LOA: "15, 85", Design: PAC 52, County/State: USA

Warrior Won (USA) owned and skippered by Chris Sheehan. Images courtesy of Rolex Fastnet Race.

Three weeks remain until the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, widely recognised as the world’s largest offshore yacht race. This year marks the centenary of both the event and the club that emerged from it, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC).

This year’s special centenary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race may have the biggest fleet on record when it sets sail from Cowes, on the Isle of Wight in England, on 26 July 2025. At present, 469 yachts are registered for this edition. In 2023, the race had 430 entries.

History of the Rolex Fastnet Race

The race has grown significantly since its inception in 1925.

The concept of the Fastnet Race was introduced by adventurer and author Weston Martyr, who, after participating in the Bermuda Race, questioned in the press why ocean racing had not reached the UK. At the time, UK yacht racing was more prominent than it is today, largely due to King George V’s involvement with Britannia in national regattas. Offshore racing, however, remained closely associated with cruising, and many in the cruising community opposed what they considered an unseamanlike practice. This divide contributed to the formation of the RORC by the organisers and competitors of the inaugural race.

Seven yachts took part in the first Fastnet Race in 1925, starting off Ryde from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, sailing east out of the Solent towards the Fastnet Rock and finishing in Plymouth. Over time, the course has evolved. Modifications include starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line and heading west out of the Solent, incorporating Bishop Rock as a mark, introducing the Pantaenius spreader mark, designating Traffic Separation Schemes as obstructions and, more recently, moving the finish to Cherbourg.

Isaac Bell’s 1939 Fastnet Race winner Bloodhound at the Fastnet Rock. During the 1960s she was owned by the Royal Family — Isaac Bell’s 1939 Fastnet Race winner *Bloodhound* at the Fastnet Rock. During the 1960s the yacht was owned by the British Royal Family.

The race became biennial in 1931, alternating with the Bermuda Race. In 1933, for one edition only, the course was changed to finish in Cowes.

Early entries included Colin Archer-type cruisers and converted pilot cutters. Purpose-built designs followed, especially from the US, such as Olin Stephens’ Dorade, which won the race in 1931 and 1933. British designer Charles E Nicholson also contributed, including Bloodhound, the 1939 winner owned by Isaac Bell. Naval architects such as Robert Clark and Laurent Giles began their careers working on minimum raters.

Before the Second World War, participation remained below 30 yachts. From the late 1950s to 1979, the number of entries grew rapidly. Key contributing factors included the acceptance of smaller yachts (LWL of at least 24 feet) and technological advances such as alloy spars, Dacron sails and GRP construction. These developments made offshore-capable yachts more affordable and manageable.

The Admiral’s Cup was introduced in 1957, initially to encourage US participation, later expanding to other nations. At its peak in the 1970s, up to 19 international three-boat teams competed with purpose-built yachts selected through national trials. In 1971, British Prime Minister Edward Heath led the UK team to victory. The Admiral’s Cup was considered one of the most important international yacht racing series during this period. It was last held in 2003 but is scheduled to return in 2025.

The rise of the International Offshore Rule (IOR) from 1970 until the mid-1990s standardised global yacht racing under a single rating system. After a period of disorganisation, the RORC and UNCL introduced the IRC in 1999 to bring consistency.

The 1979 race was marked by a severe storm that caused the deaths of 15 sailors and the abandonment of 23 yachts, prompting the largest peacetime rescue operation in UK history. The RORC and RYA conducted a joint inquiry, resulting in the implementation of new safety standards and construction regulations. In later years, improved forecasting helped avoid similar incidents, such as in 2007 when the start was delayed by 25 hours due to a severe weather warning.

Following a decline in entries after 1979, numbers began to rise again and surpassed the 1979 figure of 303 in 2011. By 2023, participation reached 430 yachts. Capacity limitations in Plymouth led to the finish line being moved to Cherbourg in 2021.

Rolex became the title sponsor in 2001 and remains a key supporter. The IRC system has enabled a range of boat sizes to win, such as Charles Dunstone’s 76ft Nokia-Connecting People in 2003 and Jean-Yves Chateau’s Nicholson 33 Iromiguy in 2005. A doublehanded class was introduced in 2005 and now makes up a significant portion of the fleet. In 2013, the doublehanded JPK 10.10 Night & Day, crewed by Pascal and Alexis Loison, achieved overall victory.

The race continues to attract professional teams, including round-the-world competitors from the 1970s onwards. Since the late 1990s, offshore professional classes from France have taken part, including ORMA 60 and MOD70 trimarans, IMOCA monohulls, Class40s and Figaros, as well as the 32m Ultim trimarans. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild currently holds the race record into Plymouth at 28 hours, 2 minutes and 26 seconds, with an average speed of 21.6 knots.

French teams have also increased their performance in the IRC classes, with experience among professional sailors contributing to amateur teams.

Seven boats took part in the first Fastnet Race in 1925 Image courtesy of Rolex and Beken of Cowes Image courtesy of Rolex Fastnet Race. — Seven boats took part in the first Fastnet Race in 1925. Image courtesy of Rolex and Beken of Cowes.

The Admiral’s Cup will return in 2025. The event continues to include both high-performance race boats and participants from yacht clubs, families and sailing schools.

One team that has participated in every edition of the race is the Royal Engineer Yacht Club (REYC). In 1925, its yacht Fulmar, the smallest in the fleet, finished second overall. In 1926, the club entered the larger gaff yawl Ilex and won the race, despite losing three crew members overboard who were later recovered. Ilex remained active in RORC races until 1939 and also took part in the 1931 Transatlantic Race. The REYC won the Fastnet’s first Services Trophy in 1937.

Post-war, the club acquired three former German windfall yachts: Overlord, Torch and Avalanche. They later commissioned custom Robert Clark designs, including Right Royal (1951), Annasona (1955) and Ilex II (1963). The club won the Season’s Points Championship in 1950 and 1952. REYC members regularly served on the RORC committee, with two becoming vice-commodores. Brigadier LRE Fayle played a key role in the development of the RORC Rating Rule.

Although rising costs later limited its participation with purpose-built yachts, REYC continued using club and member-owned boats. Notable among these was the 1979 entry of Major Willy Ker and his son Alan aboard the Contessa 32 Assent, the only Class V yacht to finish that year.

Since 2000, REYC has entered various yachts, including the X-332 Ilex of Upnor, the Elan 333 Buccaneer of Upnor, the Nicholson 55 HMSTC Dasher, the Sigma 38 Redcoat, the Dehler 32 Right Royal of Upnor and, since 2021, the J/109 Trojan.

“There’s definitely an undertone of pride to it,” says Andrew Motion, REYC’s captain of boats, Trojan crew in 2021 and skipper in 2023. “There’s also quite a lot of pressure that comes with it. There’s a real expectation that it’s a no-fail event for us.”

Trojan and other service yachts operate from Hornet Services Sailing Club in Gosport. In the Rolex Fastnet Race, they compete for the Inter Regimental Cup for Best Service Yacht Overall and the Culdrose Trophy for Best IRC Services Yacht around the Fastnet Rock on corrected time.

Of the 2025 entry, Motion adds: “We’ve got servicemen and women coming from all over the country. But there’s a lot of pressure because of the centenary and because we’ve entered every single one and should continue to do so. It makes it all the more important to achieve… Whatever happens, come hell or high water we will have that boat across that start line!”

In a boom for Cornish boatbuilding, 10 of the 22 multihulls currently entered in the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race MOCRA class hail from the Multihull Centre in Cornwall, including eight Dazcats — performance cruiser-racers designed and built in the UK. This marks the largest Dazcat entry in the history of the race.

“To have over a third of the MOCRA fleet built in our small corner of Cornwall is a huge point of pride,” says Simon Baker, director at the Multihull Centre. “We love going fast – but we never forget that offshore success is built on good seamanship, preparation, and safety.”

Can a maxi yacht achieve the Rolex Fastnet Race triple?

The centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race is shaping up for a thrilling battle among the world’s fastest 100ft maxi monohulls, with a hard-fought line honours showdown expected between Ramon Vos’ Black Jack 100 and Seng Huang Lee’s SHK Scallywag. The two are former Rolex Sydney Hobart rivals, with Scallywag narrowly besting Black Jack in last year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race. Both have undergone major refits, and Black Jack 100 returns to competition following a complete overhaul, with a revised sail plan and a fresh mix of Ocean Race veterans and Olympic sailors on board.

Adding depth to the field is Joost and Laura Schuijff’s extensively upgraded Leopard 3, a two-time Fastnet line honours winner. Skipper Chris Sherlock believes it can hold its own upwind and in heavier breeze, but downwind the 100s could pull away. Meanwhile, the VO70 class — including Christian Zugel’s Tschüss 2 and Roy P Disney’s turbocharged Pyewacket 70 — could challenge if conditions suit. Tschüss 2, originally Groupama 70, has already mirrored its former incarnation’s winning streak in 2024, with victories in the Caribbean 600 and a leading position in the Transatlantic Race.

Charlie Dalin's IMOCA MACIF is the current monohull race record holder Cr Rolex and Carlo Borlenghi — Charlie Dalin’s IMOCA MACIF is the current monohull race record holder. Image courtesy of Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Further former Volvo Ocean Race entries are also in the hunt, from Green Dragon and Ocean Breeze to Cockatoo (ex-Kosatka), now skippered by Charlie Warhurst and crewed by a team of Clipper Race alumni.

With the current monohull course record standing at 2 days 7 hours 16 minutes, set in 2021 by Charlie Dalin’s MACIF, the question looms: Can one of these modern giants claim not just line honours, but also the overall IRC win — and perhaps even break the race record?

Then there is the thrilling prospect of whether it is possible to achieve ‘the double’ (line and IRC overall honours) or even ‘the triple’ (line and IRC honours, plus race record). The last to achieve the former was Ludde Ingvall’s maxi Nicorette, which, in 1995, won both the race’s IMS and CHS overall prizes (at the time the race was triple-scored under IOR, IMS and CHS) and line honours. Effectively, no one has ever achieved the triple, aside from Jolie Brise when in 1925, under the RORC’s future first Commodore Lt Cdr EG Martin, it won the first Fastnet Race in a leisurely 6 days 2 hours 45 minutes.