A full-on 50th Fastnet Race

Saturday 22 July dealt up a wild start for the record entry 430 yachts taking part in the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race

The largest offshore racing fleet ever, comprising nearly 3,000 sailors, set off from Cowes in 25-knot wind-against-tide headwinds, which made for a punishing scene in the western Solent.

Conditions described by competitors as ‘boat breaking’ and ‘survival mode’ led to the retirement of around one in four entries over the following 24-hours – but also helped spark a blistering pace which led to overall course records being set in both multihull and monohull classes.

Wind speeds in the western Solent were particularly high on the first evening, gusting up to 40 knots, fuelling an incident-packed first day and night for many competitors and for rescue services along the south coast of England and the Isle of Wight. HM Coastguard reported that it responded to 28 incidents in those first 24 hours.

The most dramatic was the sinking of a French double-handed yacht in the western Solent. A search and rescue helicopter and two RNLI lifeboats were deployed after reports that the Sunfast 3600 Vari was taking on water. The two crewmembers were found in their liferaft, safely recovered and taken ashore to Yarmouth. The reasons for the sinking have yet to be determined.