Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard June to September

Tom Dolan takes second place in the IMOCA 60 Class at the Rolex Fastnet Race

by Tom Dolan Racing 30 Jul 08:48 BST
Tom Dolan takes second place in the IMOCA 60 Class at the Rolex Fastnet Race © Tom Dolan Racing

Irish sailor Tom Dolan, skipper of Figaro 3 Kingspan, wrapped up his season with Team Charal on a high note, securing second place in the IMOCA 60 class at the centenary edition of the prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race.

Dolan and the Charal crew delivered an impressive performance in a fiercely competitive race, going head-to-head with Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner almost the entire way from Fastnet Rock to the finish line in Cherbourg.

In the end, they finished just two miles behind the winning boat, skippered by the IMOCA class's newest talent, 29-year-old Elodie Bonafous. The light winds near the finish ultimately played to Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner strengths in such conditions.

"We're really happy with how the race went," said Dolan. "We put a lot of work into weather routing and strategy beforehand, and a strong start gave us great momentum. Fair play to Petits Princes-Quéguiner—they raced us hard all the way to the finish."

He added, "It can be tough on your mentality racing neck and neck for so long, especially during what turned into a 300-mile match race downwind from the fastnet. But funnily enough, it was Figaro sailors racing against Figaro sailors on both IMOCA's. We're all used to hard-fought battles and the wind dying at the end with everyone finishing tightly packed."

This result marks a significant confidence boost for Dolan as he prepares to defend his title in the upcoming Solitaire du Figaro. The first leg of the 2025 edition sets sail from Rouen on September 7th.

Related Articles

Bonafous scores her first IMOCA class win
After close battle with Charal for Rolex Fastnet Race glory The French sailor Elodie Bonafous' spectacular start to her career in the IMOCA Class continued today as she followed up second place in the Course des Caps earlier this month with her first victory in the Class in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 29 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Day 4
Black Jack 100 takes monohull line honours ahead of arch rivals Remon Vos' RP100 Black Jack 100, skippered by Tristan Le Brun, has taken Monohull Line Honours in the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 29 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Day 3
SVR Lazartigue defends her multihull line honours As dawn was showing its first rays this morning off Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, so the sleek light blue triple-hulled form of the Ultim trimaran SVR Lazartigue sped across the finish line of the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race to collect overall line honours. Posted on 28 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Start - Jason Ludlow Gallery
A superb gallery of some of the fastest offshore yachts in the world We're used to seeing Jason's photos at SailGP events, and here he concentrated on the fastest yachts in the Centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Enjoy these amazing shots of some of the fastest offshore yachts in the world! Posted on 27 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Day 2
Australian first timers in the chocolates Compared to the morning after the start of the last two Rolex Fastnet Races, this year's special centenary edition has seen just a tiny number of retirements as the frontrunners fan out across the Celtic Sea. Posted on 27 Jul
SVR Lazartigue rounds the Fastnet Rock first
In the Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race The Ultim trimaran SVR Lazartigue was the first yacht to round the Fastnet Rock in the Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race 2025, rounding at 15:22:53 today. Posted on 27 Jul
Be Water Positive retires from Rolex Fastnet Race
Technical issue with one of the boat's key hydraulic control systems Be Water Positive made the difficult decision to retire from the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race following a technical issue with one of the boat's key hydraulic control systems that stabilise the mast, provide mainsail controls and foil adjustment. Posted on 27 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race gets underway with record fleet
Spectators in their thousands swarmed Cowes Green and the shores of the western Solent Spectators in their thousands swarmed Cowes Green and the shores of the western Solent to witness the starts of the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race from 1120 until 1320 BST today. Posted on 26 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Start - Tom Hicks Photo Gallery
Stuunning shots from as 444 yachts start the centenary edition of the race! Tom Hicks is out on the Solent for all the major events and has captured some stunning moments from today's start of the Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race. Take a look at the shots below and far more in the gallery above! Posted on 26 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race Start - view from Hurst Castle
A video montage as the fleet went out of the Solent I went out to Hurst Castle with his camera and drone to capture the action as the boats, ranging from the mighty Ultim trimarans, through to the IMOCAs and grand prix yachts competing in the 2025 Admiral's Cup went through the narrrows out of the Solent. Posted on 26 Jul