Story
Play Back The Track Of Our Boat Category IRC1 Boat Name "EH01" (Click Here)
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Fastnet Race Report update scroll down!
On the 9th August I took part in the Rolex Fastnet Race.
I took on this challenge for many reasons. One of them, the thrill of the risk which brings on emotions of apprehension and trepidation and at times even wondering "What am I doing?"(There were a few as you read on). The insecurity of not knowing what was going to happen next during the race was unsettling at times and in this case challenging through my choosing.
Through these thoughts I can’t help but to think that there are children out there facing life challenges much greater than I could possibly ever imagine. This is why I am asking you for your help in making a donation towards the Ellen MacArthur Trust.
The Ellen MacArthur Trust takes young children sailing to help them regain their confidence on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness. These kids face huge challenges which are no match to what I have done. If for no other reason they have not chosen to be challenged and they often do not know how and when it will all end.
Today the Fastnet Race is one of the most challenging classic yacht races in the world. First raced on the 15th August 1925. The race soon got its name as “the Grand National of Ocean Racing” owing to its unpredictability. In 1979 the event earned its infamous reputation through its worst maritime tragedy. Out of 306 yachts entered 194 retired, 24 yachts were abandoned and 15 lives were lost. In 2007 300 boats started and 71 finished the race.
Global Yacht Racing Campaign
I joined the GYR team in February this year and the Campaign started with a sea survival course weekend and two training weekends followed by the three qualifying races before the big event on the 9th August.
The Fastnet Race (Cowes - Fastnet Rock - Plymouth)
Distance: 608Nm Start: 9th August 13:00
There were 56 boats competing in our class IRC1
Day 1
We had a great start we managed to miss the ferry crossing the solent and avoid the container ship coming up the channel without going over the start line too early. We had the kite up and we were up with the leaders. By 16:00 we had passed the Needles and we were 5th in our class. During the evening the wind died and we were pushed South Eastwards (wrong direction) by the tide.
Day 2
The wind picked up during the early hours of the morning and we started to claw back on the rest of the fleet recovering from 46th to 26th. By lunch time we were up by Portland Bill and we were making good progress at an average of 7Knots towards Lizard Point when the wind dropped down to 3Knots. We were 29th before starting to loose places once again.
Day 3
During the early hours of the morning the wind picked up once again and we were back on track in 31st place at 07:00 going past Lands End. During the night the wind picked up and we were beating up wind touching 10Knots at times making our way across the Celtic sea. We were now 34th and clawing back places through the advantage of our tack line.
Day 4
At 5:00 am with 60nm to go to the Fastnet Rock our main sail ripped from leach to luff. At this point we knew that our race was over. We discussed our options and chose to continue with a new target. To finish the race and not come last. (Click Here EH01 Blog - 1/2 down the page) We hoisted our storm sail and carried on doing a mere 6 Knots while trying to repair our main sail. By the time we got to the rock we were 36th and we knew that we would be losing places from now on. We hoisted the battered re-built main sail but it did not perform well. So we hoisted our Spinaker and left our head sail as well as our storm sail. We were surprised at our speed it had not been affected as much as we thought although steering stability was an issue with so much power at the front of the boat. By the end of the day we were shocked to find that we were still in 36th place. We had also learnt to steer our sensitive boat.
Day 5
The wind was still holding up and we were still holding on to our 36th place until, you guessed it, the wind dropped down to nothing, zero this time. We were now 39th and drifting for 4 hours but at least with the tide in our favour near the Scilly isalnds pushing us into Traffic Seperation Scheeme (motorways for big ships) without the ability to manouver. (Click Here EH01 Blog - 1/5 down the page). We must have looked silly no wind with a storm sail up drifiting into TSS! Not sure if I have mentioned it but our boat is not good in light winds... By 21:00 the wind started to pick up and we got ourselves back 6 knots.
Day 6
03:00 coming up to Lands End with every sail that we could hoist doing 7Knots. By now we had learnt to sail the boat without a main sail but it was not enough to hold off the competition and we finished a very respectful 42nd place out of 56 after 5 days and 55 minutes.
I thank you all for your support through one of the most challenging, exciting and unforgettable experiences of my life!
Thank You!