As crew you must race over 300 miles with your intended Fastnet crew and yacht, during the 12 months prior to the race. The Rolex Fastnet is an endurance yacht race and is not easy. You need commitment and enthusiasm to do well. During the course of the training and the race itself you will develop and use all your sailing and communication skills and you will find the campaign a personal challenge, but also immensely satisfying when you complete it. Our aim is to make sure that everyone has fun and enjoys the challenge.
Training weekends in April/May
These weekends are an introduction to the boat and how she sails. We look at safety systems on board and the procedures to deal with incidents including fire fighting, flares, life rafts, life jackets, dismasting, storm jibs, man overboard, gas. The weekends are a chance for the whole team to meet the skipper and each other. It is important that we can work well as a team and the dynamics of this are covered within the first weekend. Not forgetting the need to get some sailing in as well. We'll practice the basics of tacking and gybing, and build up to race standard. If time and conditions permit we'll fly a downwind sail as on the pole and as an asymmetric off the bowsprit.
We cover some of the race regulations and rules and sail some distance to Poole for example. We also look at the way the boat is run whilst at sea for an extended period including maintenance of the ship's log.
Qualifying race 1 - De Guingand Bowl race - 75 to 150 Nm
Commences Friday evening in May for a start at 08:00 on Saturday in May / Returns afternoon of Sunday in May
This is our first chance to race together and a Saturday morning start provides a nice introduction. As with all the races, we start at the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes and the course will take in offshore marks and an overnight sail before returning to the Solent on Sunday. The exact course is decided the day before to reflect the prevailing weather. Short legs and tactics are likely to be critical.
Qualifying race 2 - Myth of Malham Race - 264 Nm
Commences Thursday in May for a start on Friday morning at 08:00 / Returns on the bank holiday Monday
The race commences early on Friday and follows the Fastnet course West out of the Solent, then along the coast to Eddystone Rock off Plymouth. On the way we will be faced with the same challenging headlands and tidal gates that will face us on the way to August. On rounding the lighthouse, we race back along the coast to finish at the Western end of the Solent. At 260 miles, this race will provide most of the 300 qualifying miles needed for Fastnet qualification. Our 2009 race took four days because of the light winds and we were forced to anchor more than once to stem the tide. In 2010 and 2011, we had stronger winds and finished the race in less than three days. Who knows what will come in 2013.
Qualifying race 3 - Morgan Cup - 75 to 150 Nm
Commences on a Friday afternoon in June for a start that evening / Completes on the Saturday or Sunday with return on the Sunday
The Morgan Cup starts at Cowes and finishes in Cherbourg with a flexible course around marks in the Channel to produce a 24 to 36 hour race. Depending on timing, we would hope to spend some time in Cherbourg before returning on Sunday, but if you need to get back in a hurry from Cherbourg you can catch one of the commercial ferries that run direct to Portsmouth.
In 2009 we made good progress through the night and in the morning we were already within sight of Cherbourg when the wind died. We had to anchor in 65m of water with the tide running at 4 knots against us for 5 hours providing the crew with a chance to catch up on their suntans before the tide turned, the wind picked up and we eventually finished around 19:00, just in time for a meal in France.
Qualifying race 4 - Cowes, Dinard, St Malo - 164 Nm
Commences Friday morning in July for a start at 15:00 / Completes on the Sunday with a return on Sunday or bank holiday Monday
This race starts on the Friday afternoon, so you can join the boat on Friday morning or Thursday evening if you prefer. The course is from Cowes West out of the Solent then across the Channel passing Guernsey to Port before heading down to St Malo. If there is no time for the return leg during the weekend, crew may wish to take the ferry home although the yachts will be returning by sea as soon as possible and you can stay with them at no extra cost.
In 2009 we had a lively start with choppy seas around the Needles before things calmed down mid Channel. Off Casquets lighthouse we got in close to make the most of the tide and similarly off the North coast of Guernsey. From there the wind stayed light, but we continued to male progress despite the rain that took visibility down to zero. We finally crossed the line in the early hours of Sunday morning and then headed for Guernsey where we spent an agreeable day relaxing in the sun. When the tide returned in the evening we departed for a 'Champagne' sail north, arriving back in Gosport at lunchtime on Monday.
