How to follow the RORC Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race

This year’s centennial edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race will set sail this Saturday, 26 July from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight, bound for Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France via the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland and Bishop Rock off the Scilly Isles.

At present 451 yachts are entered, which, if all start on Saturday, will break the previous record entry of 430 which took part in the Rolex Fastnet Race’s 50th edition in 2023. With these numbers the Rolex Fastnet Race is by far the world’s largest offshore yacht race in terms of participants. Boats are competing from 34 countries with crew from 57 and ranging in age from 14 to 81.

The entries range in size from the world’s fastest and largest offshore race boats, the 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans - likely to cover the 695 mile course in a little over a day, to the IMOCAs of the Vendée Globe and Ocean Race, plus other French grand prix classes such as the Ocean Fifty and Class40.

The bulk of the fleet resides in the IRC classes. These span some of the world’s fastest 100ft maxi yachts in IRC SZ down to 30ft family cruisers and sailing school boats in IRC Four, including a sizeable groups of one designs and 80 doublehanded yachts in the classes in between.

Returning for the club’s centenary is the Admiral’s Cup for the first time since the event was last held in 2003. But it will be the first time since 1993 that the Admiral’s Cup fleet has competed in the Fastnet Race (for the 1995 Admiral’s Cup it was replaced with the Wolf Rock race). The Fastnet Race formed the cornerstone of the Admiral’s Cup since it was first held between three boat teams from just the UK and USA in 1957. This year 15 two boats teams, representing yacht clubs from afar afield as New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong, are competing in the revitalised Admiral’s Cup, with the Rolex Fastnet Race reinstated as the concluding event of this prestigious series.

The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the few events where regular sailors can line up on the same start line against numerous heroes of the sport, from the America’s Cup, Vendée Globe and Ocean Race winners to Olympic gold medallists.

This year the fleet is divided into 13 classes – six IRC classes, from IRC SZ to IRC Four, plus five non-IRC classes (Ultim, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty, Class40 and MOCRA) and two Admiral’s Cup classes.