About the Fastnet

The Fastnet Race is a famous biennial offshore yachting race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom. Generally considered one of the classic offshore races, 'Fastnet' is a difficult contest testing both inshore and offshore skills, boat and crew preparation and speed potential. From its inception, the Fastnet Race has proven highly influential in the growth of offshore racing, and remains closely linked to advances in yacht design, sailing technique and safety equipment.

The Fastnet Race takes place every two years over a course of 608 nautical miles (1,126 km). The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England at the Royal Yacht Squadron. Leaving The Solent through The Needles Channel, the race follows the southern coastline of England westward down the English Channel, before rounding Land's End. After crossing the Celtic Sea, the race rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland. Returning on a largely reciprocal course, the race rounds the Isles of Scilly before finishing at Plymouth.

The monohull record for the 608 nm course is 42 hours and 39 minutes, not something will be attempting to even get close to! 

Partly as a result of the 1979 Fastnet, which resulted in a number of deaths and one of the (if not the) biggest peace time rescues of all time, as well as other yacht race incidents such as the Sydney Hobart in 1998, there are now some stringent safety rules, governed by ISAF and various qualifying criteria for boats wishing to take part in the Fastnet race.

The qualifying criteria for the crew are:

• At least 50% of the crew (but not less than two) including the Person in Charge, must have completed a minimum of 300 miles of offshore racing together, within 12 months of the start of the race on the boat that is entered
• Training to Section 6 of the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations must have been completed by at least 30% of the crew (but not less than two) including the Person in Charge within the five years before the start of the race

• At least one of the crew must have completed appropriate First Aid Training or be a Medical Professional

In addition there are a number of qualifying criteria in respect of the suitability of the boat, which have thankfully all been taken care of by Andy, the owner skipper of Castalia. 

It is partly a result of the qualifying criteria for the crew, that we are doing a series of qualifying races run by RORC in order to ensure we complete a minimum of 300 nm offshore racing together on Castalia within 12 months of the Fastnet. The other reason for completing these reasons is that it gives us the opportunity to grow as a team and practice together in race conditions - something which will be very useful when it comes to the race itself which is likely to be anywhere between 4 to 5 days of solid sailing, on a watch system and testing us to our limits with a variety of different weather conditions.