Mark Chisnell B&G blog on Rolex Fastnet Race
by Mark Chisnell, B&G 14 Aug 2015 20:11 BST
16 August 2015
The Rolex Fastnet Race 2015 will start for the first class – the multihulls – at midday on Sunday 16th August. The course is unchanging; 603 miles along the south coast of England to Lizard Point, and then turning north-west into the Irish Sea and heading for the Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland. Once around, it's south-east back to the Isles of Scilly, before turning back east to the finish in Plymouth.
There are almost 400 boats entered, racing on handicap under IRC – it's a diverse fleet spread from Jim and Kristy Hinze Clark's brand new 100' Comanche, to the Contessa 32s. I'm not about to predict a winner – the race and the conditions are far too uncertain to try that – but we can look at some of the tactical and strategic hurdles that will make the difference between winning and losing.
We are going to have to do this in very general terms – unlike the one-design Volvo Ocean Race fleet that started together and sailed at the same speed, the options for this fleet will vary widely with staggered starts and massive differences in pace. Any analysis of the specifics of the tactical, strategic and meteorological battle is difficult when the fleet will be spread all along the course at different times. But I think we can pull out a few essential truths... let's start with a quick weather over-view.
The action will start with a serious absence of wind...
Read the rest of Mark Chisnell's blog post here