Please select your home edition
Edition
Sailingfast 2018 2 728x90

50th Rolex Fastnet Race - one month until vital registration opens

by James Boyd / RORC 11 Dec 2022 16:29 GMT 22 July 2023
Registration officially opens for the 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race at 1200 UTC on 11th January 2023 - Save the date! © Carlo Borlenghi / ROLEX

1200 UTC 11th January 2023: this time should be double underlined in the calendar of those wishing to enter next year's Rolex Fastnet Race, as it will be the moment when registration officially opens for the 50th edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's flagship event.

Just like Glastonbury tickets when they go on sale, registration opening prior to recent editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race have seen available places snapped up within just a few minutes.

In the last pre-pandemic edition of the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race in 2019, the entry capacity was reached in just four minutes and 37 seconds - 13 seconds outside the record time set two years earlier.

With next year's edition of the world's largest offshore yacht race marking a special anniversary, demand is expected to be higher than ever, with more than 450 expected on the start line, ranging from maxi monohulls and multis to 30ft club racers and cruisers and everything in between.

Entries are available on a 'first come-first served' basis and any late comers beyond the RORC's limit will be placed on a waiting list.

Will the sign-up record be broken for this special edition? CEO the RORC, Jeremy Wilton advises: "The message is: Get your entry in immediately registration opens, otherwise you will end up on the waiting list. If the Rolex Fastnet Race is going to be the highlight of your 2023 season, why take the risk that you might not get in at this first stage?"

As in 2019, next year's Rolex Fastnet Race is an 'early one'. Setting sail on 22nd July (chosen because of availability in the Cowes marinas, as it is outside of Cowes Week and favourable tides on this date), this Saturday start will enable the fleet to complete the 695 mile course, rounding the Fastnet Rock and finishing, once again, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France in ample time to return to the Solent for Cowes Week.

For further information please go to the race website: www.rolexfastnetrace.com or contact the RORC Race Team:

Related Articles

A worthy 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
As ever, the fleet was hugely diverse The 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race proved near perfect as a celebration of the 50th running of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's flagship event. As a reminder of what a brutal race it can be, its giant fleet set off from the Solent into a southwesterly gale. Posted on 3 Aug 2023
Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 - Pip Hare
The inspirational Pip Hare sailed the Fastnet with NIck Bubb in her Open 60, Medallia British sailor Pip Hare has long been an inspiration to the Bow Caddy team, so it was a real pleasure to meet her briefly in Cowes, just before she set off with Mini sailor NIck Bubb on the Fastnet Race in her recently modified IMOCA 60, Medallia. Posted on 29 Jul 2023
Rolex Fastnet Race: 50th edition grows the legacy
Crews were set an immediate and extreme examination of boat-handling and resilience The largest ever fleet in the history of offshore racing spanning fully professional ocean racing greyhounds as well as more Corinthian entries combined with conditions that tested preparation, determination and expertise. Posted on 29 Jul 2023
Doublehanded domination at 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race
Les P'tits Doudous en Duo finished first in IRC Two-Handed One of the strongest competitions within the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 50th Rolex Fastnet Race was in the ever-swelling ranks of IRC Two-Handed, mostly populated from IRC Two and IRC Three. Posted on 28 Jul 2023
Les P'Tits Doudous en Duo save their best to last
Winning IRC Three and IRC Two-Handed in the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race 81 teams from all over the world entered IRC Three for the Rolex Fastnet Race. The podium was dominated by the French JPK 1010s, but up to the Fastnet Rock it was Cora, the British Sun Fast 3200, which held pole position since the brutal start in Cowes. Posted on 28 Jul 2023
2023 Rolex Fastnet Race - Challenge accepted
Winning the Rolex Fastnet Race is a dream for many passionate offshore sailors Winning the Rolex Fastnet Race is a dream for many passionate offshore sailors. For Max Klink, the owner and skipper of the 15.85m (52ft) Swiss entry Caro, the dream became reality in 2023. Posted on 27 Jul 2023
Juzzy comes good in Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Two
The outcome of IRC Two hung in the balance until the very end The outcome of IRC Two hung in the balance until the very end, but it was Juzzy who came through to win at the end, as the fleet arrived in a wet, wild and windy Cherbourg early on Thursday morning. Posted on 27 Jul 2023
Fournier fires Pintia to victory in IRC One
After a close battle with Sunrise III in the Rolex Fastnet Race Gilles Fournier and his family and friends on Pintia couldn't quite believe they had managed to win IRC One after such a close battle with Sunrise III. Posted on 27 Jul 2023
2023 Rolex Fastnet Race: Caro etched into history
Remaining focused and committed throughout takes passion, belief and determination The Fastnet Challenge Cup is awarded to the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race on time correction. Success is dependent upon possessing the skills and ability to race one's yacht at its full potential, whatever the weather or sea conditions. Posted on 26 Jul 2023
Worthy Class40 winners in the Rolex Fastnet Race
Some of the most impressive offshore racers of this size were competing While there was some serious 40ft competition and much new hardware in IRC Zero, some of the most impressive offshore racers of this size were competing in the Class40. Posted on 26 Jul 2023