Sigma 38 - the Rolex Fastnet Race story of friends and family

Birthday celebrations on the Sigma 38 'With Alacrity' during the Rolex Fastnet Race 2013 © Sigma 38 With Alacrity

All thirteen entrants finished

The Rolex Fastnet is arguably the most gruelling and tactically challenging of the classic offshore races - one where the media tends to focus on the latest, biggest, fastest record breakers. However it is the individual stories of human courage, endeavour, endurance, camaraderie and, not least, humour which actually makes the race real and literally awe inspiring. The 13 Sigma 38 crews that have now finished truly embody this human spirit and tell the stories of friends and families competing together.

Mefisto were first Sigma 38 home, the highest placed British boat and 6th in class in one of the fastest ever Sigma 38 times. Mefisto's crew included brother and sister, Southampton University students, Kat and Matt Burleigh. Kat said "It's been pretty amazing as far as first Fastnets go. I've been racing on the same boat as Matt for so long now that it seems normal, although people always seem surprised by how little we argue when racing. Fortunately we were never off watch at the same time so I didn't have to listen to him snoring!"

The double handed, father and son team of Nigel and Tim Goodhew on Persephone finished second and a credible tenth overall in the double handed series. Sailing double handed, taking on fully crewed boats requires yet another level of endurance to cope with everything the gods throw at you. Blogs from Tim Goodhew graphically detail the highs and lows of the voyage. Following a diesel spillage, Tim blogged "luckily neither Dad nor myself have the time nor the attitude to get seasick......too busy." Later he observed "there was an amazing sky with too many shooting stars to count, a decent breeze, and so many dolphins......it was easy to sail along alone on deck and you notice the Sigma 38 universe is really quite small - especially when it reeks of diesel."

Third Sigma 38 was With Alacrity Racing Team self christened "the WARTS." Blogs from Nancy Gould gave incredibly amusing and telling insight into life aboard. "For the record, living and sleeping on a racing yacht is an acquired art... For a significant part of this race we will be living at 20 degrees off the horizontal. Most attentive yacht owners lovingly coat all internal surfaces of their pride and joy with lashings and lashings of lovely high gloss varnish. The combination of both these factors PLUS the added bonus of constant motion most akin to a bucking bronco makes even the most mundane of everyday tasks a major accomplishment." With Alacrity even celebrated a crew members 40th birthday on their last day at sea with carefully secreted balloons, decoration, cake and Guinness!

The wider Sigma 38 community not competing in this race were transfixed by the continuous position updates, blogs and expert commentary on the Sigma 38 Facebook page. Susie Best, who competed in the 2011 Fastnet, possibly followed the action the most closely. She was, in particular, tracking Rho, skippered by her fiancé, Simon. Rho finished sixth and to Susie's huge relief in time for their imminent wedding.

So it's over for another two years but I've already lost count of the times I've heard Sigma 38 crew say "Next time...!"