Andy Rice talks to Vendée Globe and Global Challenge skipper Mike Golding about how to ready your yacht for all eventualities
Tor McLaren's Gallavanter presses on during the 2017 Fastnet Race. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex
You don’t need to tell Mike Golding about the importance of making your boat bulletproof. After all, this is the man whose keel dropped off his IMOCA 60 when 50 miles out from the finish of the Vendée Globe in 2005. He still finished, coming into Les Sables d’Olonne in a very impressive 3rd place.
Modern IMOCA 60s are complex, cutting-edge machines operating at the boundaries of reliability, but even when sailing a more run-of-the-mill boat, Mike would always run a series of checks before embarking on any kind of long-distance offshore race, even a hop across the Channel.
Aside from big Vendée moments like keels falling off and masts falling down, Mike has suffered his minor mishaps too: filling up his IMOCA 60 from a fuel tanker in Southampton Water only to pick up a dreaded bacterial bug that turned his diesel into jelly. Here are Mike’s five vital tips before you go offshore.
1. Start your engine
You need to start with the engine because you need power. Whatever your charging system it must be bombproof, so ensure the engine is regularly serviced, make sure your fuel is clean, and carry necessary spares.
Next on the list is electrics. Do the lights come on, do your nav lights work? If you have an alternator, what’s your backup? These things have to work if you’re to be in a position to finish a long-distance race.
2. Points of entry
Is the boat watertight? Make sure all skin fittings are properly fitted. I’ve learned from bitter experience: when I was pounding across Biscay in a nasty aboard one of the steel 67ft Challenge boats the hose popped off one of the skin fittings. The bilge pump was barely coping with the amount of water pouring in. If the pump had failed the boat would have gone down like a stone.
Double-clip through-hull fittings and have emergency bungs readily available – I tie the correct sized bung to each fitting with a piece of string. Modern boats have ever more complex steering linkages and compartments are not always easily accessible. Understand the steering system while the boat is on shore.
I cannot overstress the importance of regularly inspecting the keel and its attachment at least once a year, and always after a grounding.
The biennial Rolex Fastnet Race has developed into a multi-faceted competition with a burgeoning double-handed class as well as fully…
3. Chafe and turnbuckles
Look at the sailing systems. Wear you find now will multiply exponentially when you’ve been sailing for days at a time offshore. Treat signs of chafe as an early warning system for something that needs resolving before you go to sea. Pay particular attention to halyards and anything else that, if it broke, would require someone to go up the rig. You really don’t want to have to do that in a big sea.
I’ve learned from personal experience about turnbuckle failures, and a lot of times it’s down to there being insufficient articulation in the metal fittings. IMOCA 60s have virtually solved this problem with soft connections – to the point where I feel safer having a rope lashing than a turnbuckle because it articulates 100 per cent.
With modern materials, a rope junction is superior to a wire junction, provided they’re well maintained and periodically changed. Spectra is the most reliable option for most applications.
When you’re in harbour make sure you have enough length in furling gear systems to be able to take four turns of sheet around the winch – because that’s what you’ll need in a storm.
4. The weakest links
With every system on the boat, ask yourself the question: ‘What will be the first thing to fail?’ Either have a spare or at the very least be aware of which part of the system is likely to fail first. Have your plan of action before you need it.
Make sure you have lots of spare lengths of high-modulus rope – you can fix almost any problem with this stuff. If a metal fitting fails, you can tie it back on. The other obvious ones to take are lots of duct tape and Sikaflex: with these you can repair almost any sail.
5. Bulletproof your crew
Establish a routine that all the crew understands, but be flexible to change if circumstances require. You don’t set out in shorts and T-shirt to do a Channel race, so have the right clothing for all conditions. Equip everyone with head torches, and have plenty of spares.
Make sure you’ve got food that can be served without complicated cooking: hot food is really important for toughing out the worst moments.
And allow people to rest where possible. My mantra is that you should always ‘Wrap up before you get cold, eat before you get hungry and sleep before you get tired’.
About the author
Mike Golding is one of the most experienced offshore sailors on the planet. He skippered Group 4 to victory in 1997’s British Steel Challenge, held the solo record for sailing round the world westabout between 1994 and 2000, and has completed three gruelling editions of the Vendée Globe.
Pro race navigator Mike Broughton explains the gains that can be had by anchoring mid-race
It’s easy to get caught in the ‘washing cycle’ tidal streams off the Isles of Scilly in the Rolex Fastnet Race
There are two factors to consider when it comes to racing and anchors. One is whether you might find yourself kedging to avoid getting swept back against a foul tide, and so need to deploy the anchor quickly. But to balance that you want to avoid carrying your heaviest anchor in the bow, which accentuates pitching and kills your speed.
Rules are quite clear about the need for anchors in racing, depending on the Special Regulations category of the race. Substituting a lighter anchor is fine as long as it is ‘fit for purpose’. You might argue that one test could be: would it keep the vessel off a lee shore if the yacht were dismasted and had engine failure?
There is no doubt that getting the weight out of the bow is good for performance and even simply moving the main anchor inboard over the keel will help, but it still needs to be accessible for quick use – not so easy for heavy anchors on yachts over 50ft.
Dropping the hook
Racing on day one of Lendy Cowes Week this year in a Fast 40+ the anchor made it to the seabed in very light winds and an increasing flood tide, although only after I nearly dropped a clanger rather than an anchor!
While I was focusing on speed and course over the ground, the anchor was made ready (which always takes longer than you think), only to discover that we were still in the forbidden anchoring zone between Stansore Point and Gurnard. We may have been a quarter of a mile from the submarine cables, but it wouldn’t have been a great move to snag the seabed power cable and turn off the lights on the Isle of Wight.
So the anchor stayed on deck as we ghosted along for another 20 minutes. The fitful wind died once again, some 300m from the ‘Elephant’ mark in Thorness Bay. We were going backwards so this time the anchor was deployed. It stopped the rot and we made gains on two adjacent competitors. Once the wind filled in again, we rounded the mark in equal first after two hours of racing, then heard on the VHF: “Race abandoned”.
One of the world’s classic offshore races, the Rolex Fastnet Race is also one of the most tactically demanding. Multiple tidal…
In offshore racing, many yachts have made gains against competitors by anchoring better. That can be a combination of deploying it more quickly (not staying in denial for too long), having the right type of anchor, getting it back up quicker, or selecting the right place.
After a very light Fastnet Race in the 1990s, class winning skipper Mike Shrives told me they’d made a major gain at Portland, “We anchored best and that was what made the real difference.”
Many times yachts get into the Portland ‘washing cycle’ as they creep along in light winds, then hit the strong tidal steam and get set back, only to try again and again. In light winds it generally works better for bigger yachts to go well south of the tidal race, as they have enough speed to keep going over the foul tidal stream. Smaller yachts often face anchoring in light winds once the tidal stream turns against them.
Overcoming denial
Shrives and his team of Royal Navy students overcame ‘anchoring denial’ early and dropped the pick before close rivals. Little did they realise that they’d timed their anchoring perfectly, as they drifted backwards across the shallow Shambles Bank. Their anchor held, while their main opponents dragged for up to half a mile in the deeper water.
“All we could see was navigation lights getting dimmer behind as other yacht anchors took time to dig in,” he recalled. “When the wind filled in, we were off and garnered a lead of nearly 40 miles heading towards the Fastnet Rock.”
Back in the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2003, I raced on Chris Bull’s J/145 Jazz. After creeping round Bishop Rock at sunset, we headed east in a fading wind with a strengthening tidal stream against us. Keeping close to the rocks helped (and led to some lively navigation) as we made slow progress over the ground. We found ourselves going backwards but were, typically, in denial, especially as the depth was over 70m.
We made it to a shallower area with less current and continued sailing, but really we were in the washing cycle, making tortuous progress east in a weaker tidal stream, only to get knocked back in the stronger stream on the headland. After going round about 18 times, we capitulated and anchored.
The tracker didn’t make good viewing in the light winds as opponents astern slowly made in roads on our lead. In reality, we probably saved over two hours by getting to a spot where we could actually anchor, rather than being swept back westwards to an area, which would have been increasingly deep.
Meanwhile ashore in Plymouth, Charles Dunstone’s Enigma had just finished with several of my friends on board. The leaderboard was showing that they could now only be beaten by Jazz for the overall trophy, and we had to finish within seven hours to win.
My phone buzzed with a dozen missed calls and texts from Enigma, wondering where we were. Had we stopped our signal at the Scillies? Were we in stealth mode? The word among the 22 crew on Enigma was that Dunstone had promised a Rolex watch each if they won overall. They were tense times.
We held our position against the tidal stream, watching other yachts slow behind us, then retrieved the anchor as the wind built once more. But our overall victory had evaporated, Charles generously kept to his word, while Jazz at least held on to win Class Zero.
About the author
Mike Broughton is a pro race navigator who has won many titles including World and European championships. He is a qualified MCA Master to captain superyachts and previously had a successful career in the Fleet Air Arm flying Sea King and Lynx helicopters.
Elaine Bunting meets the man behind the ARC rally, whose ideas shape so many cruising dreams
Photo: Paul Wyeth
Do you know this man? Some will barely recognise Andrew Bishop, though his name may ring a bell. Yet others know not only who he is, but clamour to stop him on the street or the dock, usually to ask him a question or glean some vital piece of information.
Andrew Bishop is ‘Mr ARC’, the man behind the world’s most popular cruising rallies and seminars. He has quietly shaped modern cruising, and made ocean voyaging accessible to sailors from around the world, providing a runway to launch people’s most ambitious dreams.
Building on the vision he inherited from ARC founder Jimmy Cornell, he has maintained the ethos, but styled it in his own way. His upbringing and early career explain a good deal about his reserve and self-discipline, and also his meticulous care about getting the detail just right.
An only child, he was taken sailing as a youngster by his father, who kept an Angus Primose-designed quarter tonner in Chichester Harbour. Robin Bishop was keen on offshore racing, and regularly took part in Channel races. Andrew first did the Fastnet Race with him aged 15, in the family’s Nicholson 30.
A young Andrew Bishop with his father, Robin, in Chichester Harbour
A love of sailing was fanned further during schooldays at Gordonstoun, the character-building Scottish public school famous for educating Prince Charles and infamous for its bracing cold showers. “Yes there were cold showers,” Bishop admits, “but they were after a hot shower and the theory was the cold would close the pores.”
School activities included a week of seamanship. “We had to cycle to the harbour and have lessons in the boatyard – there was no minibus to take us down to a warm changing room. Then we went out in one of the two cutters that the school owned and rowed out to make sail. It was teaching us self-sufficiency.”
Here, too, he developed a love for navigation, especially astronav – he took an O-level in navigation – and befriended Adam Gosling. They remain close friends to this day; Gosling is a well-known businessman and top Solent-based sailor who has been a backer of World Cruising and is still on the company’s board.
Does wind matter? It might seem an off-hand remark perhaps when it comes to breakages; of course, when the tradewinds…
In his last year at school, Bishop applied for a Royal Navy university cadetship and says he was “partly surprised to be offered it.” His first job was as a seaman officer, working in Hong Kong. Here his navigation skills were honed by a commanding officer who liked to put his navigators under pressure by threading his patrol craft through narrow channels. “That taught me a lot,” Bishop says laconically.
Following two years in Hong Kong, he was posted to Scotland as flag lieutenant to Vice Admiral Sir George Vallings, who was in charge of all the naval establishments in Scotland and Northern Ireland. His new boss was also a keen sailor, and in 1973 had skippered the Joint Services Nicholson 55 Adventure on part of first Whitbread round-the-world race. The post gave Bishop “a real understanding of how the Navy works.”
Bishop during his career in the Royal Navy
Following this, Bishop took a frigate navigation course. He spent two years with HMS Liverpool, a Type 42 destroyer, but then began having doubts about continuing in the Navy. He felt the constraints of the service were hampering him personally and professionally, and in 1989 he quit.
He was considering applying to do an MBA when his father floated a more expansive idea. Robin Bishop’s dream was to sail across the Atlantic in his Freedom 39 schooner, Tamasina. Why didn’t Andrew delay his plans for a year and come and join him on the adventure?
So the same year, father, son and friends cruised south from the UK and joined the ARC rally, then on only its fourth edition. The transatlantic rally had been started in 1986 by Jimmy Cornell, and was becoming a magnet for ambitious cruising sailors.
At the helm of Tamasina in the 1989 ARC rally
Sailing in the ARC proved unwittingly to be the turning point in what had, until then, been a conventional background. One incident above all caused Andrew Bishop to rethink what he would do with his life.
Halfway across the Atlantic he had been working on the foredeck, about to set the main staysail. The boat was sailing downwind, wing and wing. A preventer had been rigged, but when a wave caught the transom it picked the boat up and the boom swung over, hitting Bishop on the back of the head and flinging him across the boat.
“The next thing I remember was lying down below in my bunk with a severe headache,” he recalls.
Later, while spending Christmas on board, Bishop heard that Jimmy Cornell was looking for someone to help him run Europa 92, the first ever round-the-world cruising rally. “The rally would be going to lots of places that I hadn’t been to and after the change in direction in my career and my mid-Atlantic experience it appealed to me. It became more important to me to have fun.”
So he went to see Jimmy Cornell, had an interview with him and got the job of rally operations manager. He ran the round-the-world rally, travelling with the fleet across the Pacific, Indian Ocean and north through the Red Sea. The organisational and logistical skills Bishop had learned in the Navy, as well as an exceptionally cool head under pressure, were (and still are) a characteristic asset.
With other Atlantic rallies running simultaneously, and the relentless pace of travelling taking its toll, the relationship with Jimmy Cornell eventually began to fray. It reached boiling point in the Azores, where they were running a rally from the Caribbean to Europe. When I ask what happened, Bishop says simply: “I was fired.
“I wrote a long letter to Adam [Gosling] and I was critical of Jimmy. I had faxed it from the hotel and afterwards they put it back in my pigeonhole. When Jimmy came in he saw it there and asked for it. The hotel gave it to him and he read it. He lost it and he fired me.”
Jeremy Wyatt, now a co-director at World Cruising Club, and then also working on the rally, responded to the sacking by saying: “If Andrew leaves, so do I.” So they both went.
Co-director of World Cruising, Jeremy Wyatt. Photo: Paul Wyeth
Back in the UK, the two promptly started up their own rally business with an event circumnavigating Britain. But they were to remain intertwined with Cornell’s business for many more years. “The events we were running were small and we needed a bigger one. The ARC was obviously key to World Cruising and we thought maybe we could have a merger and take it over. I knew that Jimmy wanted to retire and I started talking to him about that.”
The discussions were “well down the road” but Bishop’s backers would not agree the eventual valuation, and a deal fell through. “Then I came up with a solution, and that was to suggest that Jeremy and I were given full-time jobs for six months so long as we could relocate to Cowes. We would get an understanding of how the business worked. From January 1997 we all worked together.
“Then, that summer, he dropped a bombshell: he told us he was going to do a management buyout. We had spent a year negotiating and the thought of being part of that did not fill us with joy and so we declined the offer.” But someone else was interested: Sir Chay Blyth. Then looking for a way to diversity his Challenge Business from its ‘wrong way’ round the world race, Sir Chay bought the events, convinced he could find a sponsor for the ARC.
Bishop and Wyatt continued with Challenge Business. It was the opportunity they had been waiting for to put their stamp on the rallies. Among other changes, they introduced seminars to help prepare for ocean cruising.
But by 2004 Challenge Business was in trouble. Corporate sponsorship was drying up and the final wrong way round the world race in 2004 was run without a title sponsor. Chay Blyth’s business was under real financial pressure and began to offload assets, including World Cruising. This time, Bishop was able to agree a deal, and in just two weeks. “Jeremy and I finally achieved what we’d attempted to do 10 years earlier,” he says.
Since that day in 2006, the ARC has continued going from strength to strength. It marched undented past the financial crisis in 2008 and annually fills to capacity. Its resilience has several strands. For one thing, it attracts a varied international fleet, which mitigates a dip in numbers from any one country.
Watching the start of the 2018 ARC
Bishop and Wyatt also continually look for ways of improving the experience of taking part and build on what works; they do not chase wild new ideas. They have never attempted to find title sponsorship for the ARC, however lucrative an idea that might seem.
“We continue to enhance what we deliver. We don’t get much feedback from people wanting us to do something different. Our team go to great lengths to prepare the rally handbooks, make sure all the information participants get is accurate,” Bishop says.
The ARC continues to grow, so much so that last year Bishop’s team launched a third route option finishing in St Vincent. It also runs the ARC+ to St Lucia via the Cape Verdes. A revived idea that has worked well for World Cruising is the World ARC circumnavigation. This event now runs annually, allowing crews to leave in Australia or New Zealand for a season before rejoining the following year. It is also usually filled to capacity.
Why is it so popular? For one thing, deadlines make things happen. And the information that World Cruising provides – the knowledge, the handbook, the seminars – make it very much easier than it used to be to find out what you need to know to go. Over three decades, World Cruising Club has demystified ocean cruising, and unriddled what was once something of a black art.
They continue to look at information and services that cruising sailors need. In 2008, they bought Jimmy Cornell’s cruising website Noonsite, which reports on news and information from ports and cruising areas round the world, and launched Ocean Crew Link, a platform to link up boat owners and crew.
Bishop’s own yacht, a replica of Slocum’s Spray
Once, Andrew Bishop dreamed of sailing round the world, following in the wake of Joshua Slocum, and in 1996 he launched his own boat, a replica of Slocum’s yacht Spray. He keeps her in Scotland, an area that has his heart. “The peace and tranquillity are my ideal. I love the remoteness, the beauty, the challenging sailing, the tranquillity, the starkness and the wildlife,” he says.
As for sailing Spray around the world, he says: “I don’t know any more. Life changes. Responsibilities change. I don’t have the same burning desire to sail round the world as I once had. I’m lucky I’ve been to so many of the places.”
It was while covering the first round the world rally for Yachting World all those years ago that I first met Andrew, and he has become a valued friend. He is very private person, who has no need of the limelight. You’d never term him ‘larger than life’, and in the marine business that’s something of a rarity. He takes very seriously the ambitions of rally participants and cherishes the family ethos of his events. For many of the young people who have worked for him seasonally, he has been a champion and mentor.
He may be less well known than some of the rock stars of the sport, but Andrew Bishop has shaped the sailing of many thousands of crews covering millions of miles. Of all the influential figures in sailing, this quiet and serious-minded man may well be a dream-maker for more people than anyone else.
Bishop’s advice for ocean cruising
Know your boat system – and by that I mean understand the user manuals, the plumbing and wiring runs and how the boat is put together. That is time well banked for when you go.
Fit extra equipment in good time so it’s been used and you are not operating it for the first time on your trip.
Seek compatible crew, which means sailing with them before you set off and knowing that you can live on board together in a small space. You should ensure that your skills complement each other and you’re not too heavy in one area.
Give some thought to how you are going to enjoy your time at sea. For example, what food are you going to feed your crew? Listen to their likes and dislikes. Make your victualling thoughtful.
Use a tried and tested watchkeeping routine that everybody understands and feels is fair and right. Be sympathetic to people’s different body rhythms.
Have a plan, but be prepared to be flexible. For example, be prepared to add different or extra stops on the route you are planning to sail or change your direction of travel because of the weather. Remember, you are there to enjoy your voyage.
Don’t be overambitious with your sails or drive your boat too hard. It is always better to arrive safely.
In 1979 Matthew Sheahan, aged 17, was racing his father’s yacht Grimalkin in the Fastnet Race. After being rolled, pitchpoled, battered and half drowned, and believing the rest of the crew to be dead, he and two others had to make a crucial decision
The helicopter crew leave Grimalkin after cutting the mast and rigging free. Photo: A Besley / Royal Navy
At 0830 Tuesday 14 August 1979, aged 17, five minutes changed my life. Five minutes that, despite the stress of the previous six hours, would encapsulate the most extreme emotional highs and lows that I would ever experience. Five minutes that would be stretched to the longest minutes of the night and culminate in the most important decision I would ever make to this day – a decision that would need to be made in the most testing conditions. And a decision that I would feel forced to justify three decades later.
During what turned out to be the wildest and most destructive night in yacht racing history, our six-man crew aboard Grimalkin, a 30ft Nicholson half tonner, saw conditions deteriorate rapidly as we headed out across the Celtic Sea on our way to the Fastnet Rock.
Aboard were my father, David Sheahan, Gerry Winks, Mike Doyle, Nick Ward, Dave Wheeler and myself. All had experience of offshore racing, all had raced together aboard Grimalkin for most of the season through a variety of what we thought were testing conditions, yet none of us had any idea how far we would be pressed during the next few hours.
My father and I on Grimalkin‘s first offshore race to Cherbourg after taking delivery of her in the autumn of 1978. Photo: Matthew Sheahan
The first knockdown was a shock to the system, a one-off, an extreme incident that, like lightning striking twice, was impossible to imagine happening again. But when it did, time after time, it was clear that our focus had changed from racing to survival.
As we careered down the perilously steep face of a yet another mountainous wave it was clear this was going to be a big one – at best a terrifying white knuckle ride, at worst the end of our night. Within a few seconds our boat speed leapt from a lethargic amble in the trough of the wave to a thundering plane as the wave pitched us head first into the invisible trough 40-60ft below.
Running down what felt like a vertical wave under bare poles in the dark while trailing multiple warps, there was nothing we could do to slow down. As the log wound itself up like the rev counter on an engine that has just been floored, a pair of huge white bow waves arced out from each side, providing a V-shaped wall of water ahead.
The continual howl of the storm was deafening, but the rumble and hiss generated by this outrageous burst of speed rose above the background. A soul-chilling surge of fear swept through all of us as we heard the terrifying sound of a breaking wave 40ft above us.
Grimalkin was a Nicholson half tonner, designed by Ron Holland and built by Camper & Nicholsons. Photo: Beken of Cowes
In just a few seconds the 10ft high foaming crest was bearing down on us from behind like an avalanche. We dared not look back. There was no escape.
As time slowed down before the inevitable crash, the most terrifying aspect of our predicament was the realisation that we had no more options. There was simply nowhere to go.
Any attempt to steer along the face of the wave was futile and would have meant a knockdown and tonnes of foaming water cascading onto the boat.
Having been knocked down repeatedly and the crew thrown into the water, we’d already been there several times during the night.
Pitchpoled
We braced ourselves for the pooping of our lives, but a split second before the onslaught from astern, the bow disappeared as we nosedived into a wall of water in front. No one had seen that coming, not that it would have done any good if they had.
As the bow submarined into this secondary wave, Grimalkin’s stern rose until it arced over the bow and stood us on our nose. As we approached the vertical, crew were thrown against the back of the coachroof or out of the boat altogether. A split second later and we were hit from astern by the breaking wave and we pitchpoled.
Solid water and bubbles rushed past my face, my limbs streamed out as I was towed underwater like a mackerel spinner by my harness line. I had no idea which way was up, where the boat was, or what would happen next. Helpless, overpowered and overwhelmed, when your predicament gets to this stage your mind goes into an alien state where fear is replaced with resignation. But, as I was to discover three hours later, this clearly wasn’t my time yet.
How the Daily Star reported the 1979 Fastnet Race disaster
Seconds later I broke the surface, trailing alongside the boat, spluttering, thrashing around and desperate to get hold of anything connected to the boat. Although she had righted herself, Grimalkin was now starting to accelerate down the face of another wave.
I don’t really know what happened next other than somehow I managed to get back aboard. As I scrambled back on deck, I could hear shouting, but in the dark, the noise and the drama of the conditions it was impossible to work out who was saying what.
As I tried to make sense of the situation I looked aft to see a pair of hands clutching one of the vertical legs of the pushpit. It was Dave Wheeler hanging on, struggling to keep his head above the quarter wave. As the stern pitched and heaved, somehow we pulled him back aboard.
I sat there and looked at him and for a reason I still don’t understand, ran my hand down his harness line to find his carbine hook floating free, detached from the boat. Both of us went numb with shock.
The winchman from a Wessex V helicopter goes into the water to rescue a survivor from Camargue. Photo: Royal Navy
Until this moment, running with the seas had been slightly more comfortable, safer even, than trying to reach across them or lie ahull where we felt like a sitting duck waiting for yet another breaking crest to roll us on our side, sometimes through 360°.
Sailing downhill reduced the apparent windspeed, reduced heeling and provided a degree of manoeuvrability that allowed us to dodge the terrifying breaking crests. The trouble was that at speed and with waves coming from all directions – now the breeze had swung through 90° – the potential for a major pile up was greatly increased.
The reality was that until now we had simply been lucky, most of the breakers had rolled past us on either side – just. On this point of sail there was no skill in avoiding the waves, we were simply playing a game of Russian roulette. And when the bullet and the barrel lined up, the waves that struck us broadside had simply laid us flat or rolled us, ejecting the crew into the sea.
Running out of options
That was frightening and risky enough, but the pitchpole that we had just experienced was all the more distressing as it drove home the unpleasant truth that we were fast running out of options. What else could we try? How much more could we take? How much more could our boat withstand and how much more water below decks would it take to see her start to sink?
As we took knock after knock, thinking beyond the next 60 seconds seemed impossible. Tired, cold and hypothermic, just responding to our surroundings second by second was the best our six-man crew could achieve. Our ability to make rational decisions was being impaired rapidly.
Even the simplest things were becoming difficult. I remember that, despite recognising the various components of zip on my oilskin jacket, I just couldn’t work out how to do it up.
But, over the course of the next few hours, life was about to become far more taxing and present the most serious dilemma I have ever experienced.
The Daily Mail’s coverage of the Fastnet disaster
The final blow
Looking back at conditions during the night and listening to the accounts of others, including those of our surviving crew, has helped me to understand how some sailors saw the storm and their reasons for wanting to abandon their boats.
Aboard Grimalkin during the night we had discussed whether we should abandon ship and considered the issue of whether we should send out a Mayday. Neither debate drew a consensus. My father was reluctant. He certainly did not want to abandon the boat and neither did he feel at that moment that a Mayday was warranted.
Leaving the boat had never cropped up in our discussions during our preparations for the race other than to check that the liferaft was in date. But when it came to sending out a distress call, he knew precisely what was involved.
Grimalkin shortly before Nick Ward and Gerry Winks were airlifted off by helicopter. Photo: Royal Navy
Being a methodical man who left nothing to chance, he had run through the procedure several times at home. I still have the four hand-written pages of A4 he used as revision notes. He knew what a Mayday was for and despite our uncomfortable plight, questioned whether at this point there was imminent risk to life.
But as we continued to take a hammering through the night and into the dawn it was becoming clearer that several of our crew were in a seriously bad way. In particular, Gerry Winks, a sailing friend of several years from our former club at Queen Mary reservoir, was suffering badly from hypothermia and struggling to stay conscious. Nick Ward was struggling too.
As the pounding continued and with the boat flooded, a rapidly deteriorating crew and another debate as to our predicament, we decided it was time to call for some help and at around 0600 my father and I went below to send out a Mayday.
Racing yachts of the day were never designed with knockdowns in mind, let alone full 360° rolls. Few are today. Had they been, general stowage would have been in secure lockers rather than open stowage under pipecot-type bunks.
As we were repeatedly hurled around the ocean, food, equipment, internal ballast and even joinery started to fly around the cabin, making the accommodation a seriously dangerous place to be.
Six years later I would experience similar conditions in the 1985 Fastnet aboard a three-quarter tonner and witness the skipper spending his off-watch nailing down locker lids with screws, or ‘Manchester nails’ as he liked to call them. According to him, we were taking no risks. If we didn’t need it, or it couldn’t be fastened down and it presented a risk, it was over the side.
But in 1979 the lesson was only just being learnt and we were about to have a practical demonstration that I believe contributed to my father’s death.
Chaos below decks
As I stood by the chart table listening to my father make contact with the yacht Morningtown, which was relaying our message to Land’s End Radio, I heard an awful deep rumble outside, another wave was bearing down directly upwind of us.
A quick glance through the port hand coachroof window revealed a monster breaking wave, careering towards us. I remember bracing myself before the noise and chaos erupted below decks as we were rolled yet again through 360°.
As the boat came upright, the water, gear and general debris rained down onto the cabin sole. My father lay slumped over the chart table, unconscious and bleeding from the head. He had been hit by a tin of food and had a bad gash on his head and a deep skull fracture. We had to get out of the cabin.
I grabbed the first aid kit and called for help to drag him up on deck where we tried to attend to his wound. I was sitting in the cockpit cradling my father’s head as he mumbled incoherently and he winced as I sprayed plastic skin onto the gash. It was the last definite response I got from him.
Deep-rooted fear
From here on, time stretches and compresses as the combination of hypothermia, stress, anxiety and deep-rooted fear distorted proceedings. The VHF antenna had broken in the last 360° roll rendering the radio useless. I remember a Nimrod making two swooping passes overhead as it dropped green flares. I remember that we fired what few flares we had after several had been swept away as a wave washed across the deck.
The winchman from a Sea King rescue helicopter of 706 Squadron RNAS Culdrose picks up a survivor from the sinking yacht Hestrul II. Photo: Royal Navy
We could make none of them operate properly and they either skimmed along the tops of the waves, or buried themselves in the water just yards from us. I suspect we were not firing them off correctly rather than any fault with the flares and mention this only to highlight our mental plight at the time. Our ability to save ourselves was becoming dangerously compromised.
Desperate to display our distress we hoisted a square over a circle, but looking back, clearly a battle flag and a lifebelt were not the best items to hoist up the mast. The increased windage, to say nothing of the foolishness of hoisting a lifebelt were clear indications of a crew in mental meltdown. We were becoming incapable of thinking rationally and were physically spent.
Slumped in the cockpit, holding onto my barely conscious father, I remember hearing the familiar roar of yet another aquatic avalanche behind my head. We were hit hard in the back as if shunted from behind on the motorway. Then nothing.
Nothing, until I found myself trapped under the upturned side deck of the boat.
Drowning
I could see the name of the boat on the side, a bold written script in royal blue, but upside-down. I could see the keel and the rudder pointing skywards – a familiar and frustrating sight when sailing my National 12, but this was clearly wrong.
As I swung in and out from under the gunwale and struggled to break free I could feel something between my legs which I realised was a head – Nick Ward’s, I recognised the blue collar on his jacket.
I grabbed his head and tried to pull him out, but he was jammed. There was no motion from him either, no thrashing of arms, no twisting of the head.
Matthew retold his experience of the 1979 Fastnet disaster in the August 2009 edition of Yachting World
Quickly I realised that I too was in serious trouble. I hadn’t managed to get clear of the boat and couldn’t breathe or indeed get my head above the water.
Only occasionally was I able to take gasps of air as the boat rose and fell over the waves that continued to sweep through.
With my life harness line running under the upper guardwire before it went back to the cockpit, the line simply wasn’t long enough to get my head clear.
I was being pinned down. Our safety lines only had hooks on one end and were spliced to the harness, making it impossible to release. A blessing in some ways – had I been able to release the line at my end, I suspect there would have been nothing to hold onto and I would have been swept away.
As a child I had been late to learn to swim and lacked the level of confidence you might expect of someone who lived for sailing. Consequently, a fear of drowning was at the top of my list of phobias. Yet when faced with this outcome for real, as I struggled in vain to free myself, I was amazed to discover that irritation, anger and bitterness rather than blind panic and abject terror were the overwhelming emotions.
The calmness of the situation struck me as a huge relief, yet being forced to say goodbye at 17 years old, when the world was just starting to open up, seemed fiercely unjust.
To drown when we had survived so much during the night also seemed so unfair.
Whether the several gasps of air that I did manage to grasp accelerated the hallucinations I do not know, but I saw my family, friends, car and drum kit all neatly lined up on green rolling hills atop chalk white cliffs less than a mile away, which was both comforting and cruel.
Yet while my mind played tricks, my body appeared to be continuing its struggle to survive. The only way to get my head above water was to take off my inflated lifejacket in order to remove the separate safety harness underneath. Somehow I managed this, looping one arm through the discarded lifejacket for support. As I surfaced I spun around to see Dave Wheeler pop up alongside me at the aft quarter.
Until that moment I had assumed I was the only one to be thrown clear. I was elated to see him. As I shouted to him that we should climb on the upturned hull, gunwale started to rise above the water’s surface. Suddenly the entire deck opened up in front of me and a broken mast allowed Grimalkin to right in an instant. Indeed, so fast did she come up that I was launched into the boat, hauled by the harness line that I had not fully removed.
I landed on top of Gerry and Nick. They looked desperate. At 17 I had only seen one person die, a weekend sailor at Queen Mary who had had a heart attack on the pontoon after stepping out of his dinghy on a breezy day. But that was at a distance; this was face to face. Both my crewmates were motionless in the bottom of the cockpit, which was swilling with water. Nick’s face and lips were blue, Gerry had a facial injury.
As I scrambled to my feet I was looking upwind and saw a body face down in the water 50ft or so upwind. I knew instantly who it was. I knew too that he had drowned. Fit men don’t lie face down in the water, the arms outstretched unless they’re doing front crawl. My father was blind in one eye, wore glasses and could only swim breaststroke. As kids we teased him that he couldn’t go underwater like us and while he tried to laugh it off, it was clear he couldn’t.
A snap second later I turned around to help Dave Wheeler back aboard and together we stumbled across the cockpit to the high side to see a pair of hands gripping the pulpit stanchion. It was Mike Doyle, clinging to the back of the boat. Together we just about managed to haul Mike back aboard.
Alan Tabor’s painting of the rescue of Griffin captures the sheer terror and chaos of the Fastnet disaster
I stood up, looked to windward and watched us drift further away from my father, as we were pushed by the wind and the waves. I was numb, exhausted, in shock and bewildered. My brain was in neutral, my body freewheeling, I felt like an empty shell. Only the yelling behind me snapped me out of my trance.
“Come on, we’ve got to get off the boat, she’s sinking!” screamed Mike. “The rig’s down and will go through the hull. Come on, come on, she’s sinking!”
As he yelled at us he was scrambling towards the aft leeward quarter. The liferaft was already afloat, removed from under the cockpit floor some time earlier and prepared in case we had to deploy it in a hurry. After the boat had inverted, the raft dropped into the sea. All Mike needed to do was to pull the ripcord. As he did so the liferaft inflated, but in the 50-60 knot winds it started flaying around behind the boat. My God, he was serious, he was climbing in. Dave was following too.
My instinct was to stay on the boat. My father and I had frequently repeated the quip we had heard about stepping up to the liferaft from the masthead. But this was for real and it felt so wrong.
I was standing in the middle of the cockpit, my drowned father to windward, two motionless bodies at my feet, a seriously disabled, dismasted boat and the only two people who were conscious in a liferaft holding onto the pulpit and asking me whether I was coming or staying. I don’t know if the naivety of being just 17 helped or hindered in such a situation
The right response?
Thirty years on, I still don’t know how I’d react given the same set of circumstances. What I do know is that it’s damned easy to be wise after the event and make decisions that seem clear-cut from a warm secure room on terra firma after hours, weeks or years of deliberation.
My instinct at the time might have told me that staying with the boat was the right thing to do, but the sequence of events that followed can and have been argued to be precisely the right response by many, including sea survival experts.
Mike did what he believed was right at the time, so did Dave and I have always respected that. Nothing has and will change this. The terror of being trapped under the upturned hull is one that even now I can’t bear to imagine. Mike, a strong swimmer, describes the fear he felt and the conviction he had that the boat was going down.
A lifeboat arrives to rescue the crew of the 44ft Casse Tete, which had broken her rudder. Photo: Ambrose Greenway
I don’t blame him for one second for wanting to get off that boat as soon as she righted, something he had helped to achieve by climbing the hull. Had my father remained with the boat and conscious, his fear of water and enclosed spaces would have sent him into a blind panic, as indeed it did when the boat was upside-down.
Mike had cut my father free, something I will always be grateful for. He did what he felt was right at the time and I would defend fiercely any criticism of his actions.
A respect for both the men who died and the people who tried to save them is why during the last 30 years I have deliberately avoided certain issues to do with the past few minutes of my father’s and Gerry’s lives. It’s easy to make snap decisions when you’re not there, and sometimes hard to live with them when you were.
All three of us have been criticised for leaving two crewmembers aboard the boat, most recently in Nick Ward’s book Left for Dead, and before that in John Rousmaniere’s book Fastnet Force 10 where, in the inaccurate chapters that refer to our plight, the author suggests that: ‘A close look convinced them [myself, Dave and Mike] that if Winks and Ward were not dead, they soon would be.’
I have always found that statement and the intimation that we made a casual and callous assessment deeply offensive. The author and others who have made such one-sided judgements without having asked any of the three of us for our side of the story also forget that we were leaving three people behind. Among them was my father and, while his plight looked desperate, I hadn’t given up.
What I will admit to is simply not having the strength to lift or move two adult bodies, especially as they were caught up in a cat’s cradle of ropes.
Survival is not simply a battle of wills, a set of rights and wrongs that make for a convenient flow chart for success. Saving oneself to fetch help for others is not an unusual strategy. Sometimes it’s simply an instinct. I believe that the chain of events that followed, while far from being a strategy at the time, demonstrate this.
Salvation, confusion, success
When compared with the terrifying hours in a spinning, flooded and unstable liferaft, the stress we had experienced aboard Grimalkin during the night was a walk in the park. This alone would make me think doubly hard in the future about climbing into a liferaft, but it still wouldn’t necessarily make for the right answer.
When we were finally picked up by a Sea King helicopter at around 1030, I was the first to be plucked to safety. On entering the helicopter I was asked which boat I was from. “Grimalkin,” I replied. “Are you sure?” asked one of the crew, shouting over the roar of the engine and rotors. “We’ve had no report of her here.”
“Grimalkin, Grimalkin, she’s upwind from here, you have to go back, there are two people on board and one in the water,” I stressed, as the recovery of Mike and Dave continued below us. “We must go back, we must go back,” I continued, anxious that my message wasn’t getting through.
Trophy was rolled and dismasted around midnight on 14 August. The crew took to the liferaft which, after repeated capsizes, tore in two. Two crewmen were washed away and one died and drifted off. One crew left in the bottom half of the raft was spotted in the water by a helicopter crew and rescued. On this same sortie, he and skipper Alan Bartlett were joined by Matthew Sheahan, Mike Doyle and Dave Wheeler from Grimalkin.
Lying back against the fuselage of the helicopter were other sailors, the first inkling I’d had that others were in trouble too. A weak smile greeted me from one of the crew from Trophy.
With Mike and Dave now aboard, I continued my plea for the helicopter to go to Grimalkin. I can’t remember who told me, but it was made clear that they didn’t have enough fuel to continue a search and had to head back to shore, but I was not to worry. They would radio ahead the position and inform the rescue services; another helicopter would be back out.
Partially relieved, but still concerned about the plight of the other three, I hadn’t begun to appreciate the havoc the storm had caused. As we flew over, boat after boat, more liferafts than I’d seen at a boat show, waves, spume and chaos lay below.
Recently, I met up with one of the pilots who flew us back to safety, Keith Thompson, who today runs a successful helicopter sales and charter business in Cornwall called Castle Air. He described to me how the rescue plan was developing more quickly than the services could sort out and how rescues were being prioritised.
“We were the second Sea King airborne that day. As we took off, we thought we were rescuing just one boat, but by the time we had reached the Scillies on the way out I had filled up my kneepad note board with the names of boats that we were being asked to search for and was starting to write the names on the windscreen,” he explained.
“We weren’t sure whether we were looking for boats, liferafts or people. People in the water were our priority. Next came liferafts. At one point we lowered our man down onto a liferaft to see if the crew were OK. They said they were, so we said we’d pick them up later.”
This was a staggering indication of the scale of the drama that had unfolded and the unconventional approach that was required in the extraordinary circumstances. The fact that we had been picked up at all suggested that we had been part of this prioritisation. That, and luck.
“We headed back after four hours’ flying to refuel and went straight back out as there was no one to take over,” continued Thompson, whose working day finished after 8 hours and 20 minutes of flying in seriously challenging conditions.
Dry land
Landing at RNAS Culdrose, we hobbled across the apron and were transported to the Naval hospital. My recollection of our arrival is a blur. Confused, anxious and disorientated, on the one hand I was relieved to be ashore, on the other, numbed by the shock of the previous few hours and the worry and distress at having left my father and two crewmembers behind.
A member of the Trophy crew is helped ashore at RNAS Culdrose. Photo: Royal Navy
I do remember trying to find someone to ask whether another helicopter had gone back to the boat and whether they had found the crew.
I still hadn’t given up hope, but I started to feel sick inside as the prospect of having to phone home to break the news to my mother, brother and sister began to occupy my thoughts.
I had already started to hear dramatic stories on the ward of boats going down with all hands and, while these were unconfirmed (and fortunately, as it turned out later, untrue), it was becoming clear that this was a major disaster.
I needed to tell my mother that three of us were safe, but three were not. How could I tell her what had happened to Dad? Should I continue to keep her hopes up, or was it better to face the likelihood that he had drowned? I couldn’t think how I would tell her either way.
Nick Ward and Gerry Winks were not recovered from the boat until later that evening and even then were only stumbled across by the rescue services, despite my repeated requests to get help to them. What had happened as a result of the Nimrod fly by, my comments in the helicopter and my efforts once ashore?
Once again, it would be easy to start pointing fingers, but in my opinion, very wrong. Such an extraordinary event relied on an extraordinary response and people were forced to make decisions as they went along, many of them heroic. Sometimes there simply are no guidelines and goodwill and instinct take over.
When I did discover that Nick had been recovered alive, I was relieved and delighted. Thank God. Suddenly the effort spent nagging people about going back to the boat seemed worth it after a day in which I had spent plenty of time doubting myself questioning and whether others knew more than they were prepared to tell me. Yet the good news came with bad. Gerry was dead and there was no report of my father. His body was never found.
Although in my heart I knew he had gone, for the next few years I couldn’t help thinking that maybe, somehow, he had survived. Whenever I saw a story in the national newspapers, no matter how small, regarding a body that had been found, my heart raced. Was it him? Or perhaps by some miracle he had survived? Thirty years later I’m just about over it, but it doesn’t stop me wondering what might have been.
Life after ’79
Returning to our flat in Hamble was tough. Our life was in turmoil and continued that way for many months. Aside from the distress and practical implications following the loss of two crewmembers from our boat, my father was one of the founding partners and the financial director of a large London- based company. Because his body had not yet been found, a death certificate could not be issued and the family’s assets and estate was frozen. The company had suddenly been thrown into a difficult situation too.
Our minds were in many places and again I found myself responding to situations rather than controlling them. While we had never anticipated anything like this, the turmoil and distress wasn’t surprising.
What was alarming, though, was the broadside we took when John Rousmaniere’s book Fastnet Force 10 was published the following year. Included in the various stories of the storm was a detailed account of our assessment during those critical five minutes on 14 August, the actions that followed and the suggestion that the three of us were wrong to leave the boat – all of which was written and published without the author ever asking me, Dave or Mike.
I felt betrayed. I also felt confused. If nothing else, one of the pictures in the book taken from the helicopter shortly before Nick was airlifted off the deck shows Gerry in precisely the same position as I remembered leaving him.
Mike Doyle was helmsman and back-up navigator on Grimalkin. Photo: Matthew Sheahan
As part of the process that followed the loss of two lives from Grimalkin, Mike Doyle and I had to attend and give evidence at the inquest into the death of Gerry held in Truro on 17 October 1979. The purpose was also to provide evidence so that a death certificate could be issued for my father.
The pathologist’s evidence as to the cause of Gerry’s death had been given when the inquest was opened on 16 August and death was due to drowning. The Coroner added that his drowning had been quick. In his view, Gerry had been dead at the time the boat was abandoned.
The helicopter observer, Petty Officer Glover, who lowered winchman Peter Harrison down onto the deck to recover Nick and Gerry also gave evidence. He said that Harrison had found Gerry tangled in various sheets and cables and was aboard the boat for about five minutes to untangle his body.
Moving Gerry and Nick seemed impossible to us at the time. Now it seemed that a fit and healthy helicopter crewman had a similar problem.
In the heat of the moment we believed the two crew were dead. Thankfully one of them wasn’t and was recovered. According to the findings at the inquest, it appeared that the other one was.
Even back in 1979 it was clear that the issue as to whether or not Gerry was dead when we left would be contentious. Nick has his recollections, I have mine. What I did know for sure and what hasn’t changed since is that, at the time, everyone did what they felt was correct given the circumstances – whether on board the deck of our boat, in the pilot seat of a helicopter, in the admissions department of the Culdrose sick bay or in the search and rescue co-ordination centre. The ’79 Fastnet was an extraordinary storm, which led to an unprecedented sailing disaster.
Sympathy
I still have the greatest sympathy for Nick’s terrifying ordeal, coming to on board the boat with four of his crewmates missing.
I cannot begin to imagine how I would have coped. Yet it saddens me that, terrifying though his ordeal was, little regard has been paid to the sensitivities of what others might have been going through and how they have coped since. To analyse people’s response is one thing, to criticise their best efforts in the circumstances quite another.
In recounting my experiences in this race, on TV or in the press, I have always tried to consider the feelings of others, particularly those who were involved and their families. Upholding their dignity, respecting their judgement and the stress that such actions may have caused them since was always in my mind. Not everyone was able to get back in the saddle. I did, I was lucky, others less so.
In 2009, Matthew met up with Keith Taylor one of the two helicopter pilots aboard the Sea King that rescued him
But sadly, after 30 years, I feel that our story, in particular, has become one-sided to the point that, if I don’t speak out, what has been published so far will become fact by default. Not only do I feel saddened about the description of what happened aboard the boat, but the suggestion that I shunned Nick following his safe return also upsets me. The suggestion of a pact among the three of us is offensive.
A few days after Nick returned to the Hamble we met and he visited our flat. We went to church. A few weeks later we travelled to Ireland to find the boat and a few weeks after that we went to the liferaft manufacturers RFD in Godalming after they had recovered our raft.
Yes, conversation may have been strained; simply coping with everyday life was hard, let alone rationalising the difficult decision I had had to make. I could have buried my head in the sand, hidden away, but I wanted to show my support and gratitude that he had survived and to face up to what would clearly be a difficult, emotional issue.
I feel disappointed and disheartened that my best efforts at the time are now judged to have been insufficient.
Mike Doyle, who had developed a friendship with Nick during the 1979 season, visited Nick at his home shortly after he was released from hospital. It is unfair to claim, as Nick does, that none of us spoke to him.
But the bottom line was that Nick survived, my father and Gerry didn’t. While it hurts to think of the people who might be affected by this, it hurts even more to think that the biggest decision of my life to date might now be considered, by those who’ve read just one side of the story, to have been a quick and cold-hearted response.
It was anything but.
A memorial to those who died in the 1979 Fastnet Race can be found on Cape Clear Island in Cork. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The anniversary
In truth, 40 years means nothing to me, but 14 August means everything. Whether on the weather rail of race boats or 4,000ft above the English countryside, hopping from thermal to thermal in a gliding championship, 14 August has become for me a big day for reflection, a reminder if nothing else, that keeping a cool head and staying on top of your situation starts with your state of mind. Don’t let the little things slip away from you.
But the days in between each 14 August are pretty important too and there still aren’t many that I don’t have some thought about my father, the race or what I have learnt as a result.
In the 40 years that have passed since that terrible night and for all the distress that it has caused, losing control of the small things is what I fear the most. The more you let things run away from you, the bigger the potential disaster.
Perhaps that’s what this is all about.
Recovering Grimalkin
For reasons that barely seem logical today, on returning to Hamble I was determined to find and recover Grimalkin, convinced that she was still afloat somewhere. Yet my search for our boat, conducted with the kind help of the secretary of the Royal Air Force Yacht Club, drew blank after blank, with coastguards reporting that she had been sunk – until we received a phone call saying that she was sitting in a Customs compound in New Ross, Southern Ireland.
Photo: Matthew Sheahan
A hastily organised visit to Ireland was rewarded with finding her looking in a very sorry state after she had been salvaged by a commercial vessel. Determined to have her repaired and recommissioned, I had the boat shipped back to the UK and rebuilt by her original builders Camper & Nicholsons.
I took delivery of her in spring 1980 and with family and friends sailed her back to her berth on the Hamble. For the next four years I raced and cruised her with friends.
About the author
Matt returned to offshore racing four weeks after the Fastnet in a JOG race to Le Havre aboard the prototype to Grimalkin, Silver Jubilee. He got a part-time job running the boat and the campaign while the owner commuted between Bahrain and Hamble.
In 1981 Silver Jubilee was sold and her owner’s new project was a Half Ton Cup campaign in a new Rob Humphreys design called Zephyros. They competed in the 1981 Fastnet, winning the Clarion Cup for the best-placed British entry on handicap.
Later that season Matt started a course in Yacht Design at Southampton Institute. After qualifying he joined Proctor Masts as a spar designer before moving on to become technical sales manager for the yacht division.
During this period he sat on the RORC’s Technical Committee, the Special Regulations committee and the main committee. In 1985 he competed in another Fastnet Race, this time aboard Robert Bottomley’s SJ35 Fearnought, a breezy race that saw 50 knots on the way back and a spell under bare poles.
In 1992 he joined Yachting World as Technical Editor, a role he held until 2016. Aside from the many miles that he has clocked up since, he has campaigned ceaselessly for improved stability for offshore yachts and to ensure that the data be made publicly available.
Article first published in the August 2009 edition of Yachting World.
Women sailors make up around a tenth of the Rolex Fastnet Fleet, but there are some big players and inspiring stories amongst them. Here are some female skippers and crews to watch in this year's race
The entry list for the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race is shaping up to be just over 10% women sailors. While this is a long way from the level of equality that the sport should be aiming for, it is at least a big improvement from some two decades ago, when female skippers and crew made up less than 5% of the entry.
To date only one female skipper has won the Fastnet Race – French ocean racer Catherine Chabaud on her IMOCA 60 Whirlpool-Europe 2 in 1999. Dona Bertarelli also took line honours in both 2013 and 2015 with her partner Yann Guichard on board the 40m maxi trimaran Spindrift 2.
Here are some of the female sailors to watch in this year’s Fastnet Race:
Sam Davies (GBR), IMOCA 60 Initiative Coeurs
One of the most high profile and accomplished sailors in the race – male or female – is ocean racer Sam Davies, 44. Davies is back for a second Fastnet Race aboard her IMOCA 60Inititiative Coeurs, although she has done many more on other campaigns.
Her IMOCA is newly fitted with new lifting foils in readiness for next year’s Vendée Globe, and she will race doublehanded with Paul Meilhat, winner of the IMOCA 60 class in the last Route du Rhum.
Davies feels there is still a long way to go with increasing women’s participation in the Fastnet, but she opposes requiring boats in the Fastnet Race to sail with a quota of women (as, for example, in the last Volvo Ocean Race).
“It shouldn’t be forced because the Fastnet isn’t any old race and you need to be capable. There is no point in just taking more women for the sake of taking them. It is important that the women who do it are team players in each crew, that they are there on the crew to do their job and do it well.”
The popularity of double-handed sailing is on the rise. This year even Cowes Week ran a double-handed category for the…
When it comes to solo ocean racing, women have historically achieved more success on the same playing field as men compared to any other discipline within sailing. Davies believes this is because it is more a reflection of mental strength and endurance than physical strength.
“If you do a short 24 hour race, it is harder to stay competitive because of all the manoeuvres, but the further you go offshore and longer the race, and the more it is about pushing your body to its limits, the more equal it becomes.
“Your manoeuvres take longer, but it is about your mental strength and doing things at the right time and not getting so tired that your brain stops working. If you are good at the endurance side, you can get your priorities right and you can make big gains.”
While there were no female skippers in the last Vendée Globe, there could be as many as seven in the next race in 2020. Of these three will be British: Davies, Miranda Merron, and Pip Hare, all of whom are competing in the 2019 Fastnet in the IMOCA 60 class. Other female sailors in the IMOCA class are Alexia Barrier racing with Ireland’s Joan Mulloy on board4myplanet; Clarisse Crémer, who is co-skippering Banque Populaire with Vendée Globe winner Armel le Cleac’h, and Isabelle Joschke on MACSF.
Hannah Diamond (GBR), Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 Fastrak XII
Having completed the Volvo Ocean Race last year, Hannah Diamond, 29, will be racing on the brand new Fastrak XII, a Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300. UK Jeanneau importers Sea Ventures has lent the Sun Fast 3200 to Diamond (ex-Vestas 11th Hour Racing) and Henry Bomby, who sailed with Dee Caffari on Turn the Tide on Plastic in the Volvo Ocean Race.
The long-term aim of Diamond and Bomby’s partnership is to campaign for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the new ‘Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat’ class.
The new 3300 is designed by Daniel Andrieu and Guillaume Verdier to be sailed doublehanded with twin rudders as standard, optional twin 200lt water ballast tanks, plus IRC-friendly features such as a fin keel.
“We haven’t had to change it much for the Fastnet,” explains Diamond. “Everything is led back to the cockpit nicely. It has water ballast, which makes a massive difference with only two of you on board. There are lots of different sail configurations and it is very manageable with just two people.”
Diamond recognises that she became involved in the sport at a time when opportunities have been opening up for women sailors. “I have been fortunate with the timing, but I hope I have appreciated the opportunity enough to keep going forwards on my own merit.
“In the Volvo Ocean Race I got to sail thousands of miles with people I would never have otherwise have had the opportunity to sail with, people who I can now call my friends because they were my team mates – that is much bigger in terms of moving forwards with opportunities. Without the Volvo Ocean Race you never would have had the opportunity to sail alongside them and to gain their respect.
“But it is not easy for anyone. It is a privilege to be involved in professional sailing at a top level, regardless of whether you are male or female. It is easy to forget that we are incredibly fortunate that what we grew up doing as a hobby we have been able to turn into our profession.”
Kirsten Harmstorf-Schönwitz (GER), DK46 Tutima
Past Fastnet Races have seen plenty of all-female crews, and this year is no exception with a first from Germany in the DK46 Tutima, skippered by Kirsten Harmstorf-Schönwitz. Kirsten has been leading all-female teams for the last 25 years, predominantly inshore in the ORC fleet.
Dillon believes that one advantage of all-female teams is that it provides the opportunity for women to move around the boat. “They can helm when they might not get the opportunity to do so otherwise. It is a great thing to give people the opportunity to step up into roles they might not otherwise get to do.”
Felicity ‘Flic’ Gabbay (GBR), Elan 380 Elixir
‘Flic’ Gabbay, 67, proves that you don’t need to start offshore racing in your youth – she got into yacht racing in her 50s but has since competed in the Fastnet Race five times, three on her own Elan 380.
“I bought Elixir specifically just to do three races – the two handed Round Britain and Ireland, the Azores and Back and the Fastnet. But I have gone on racing her!” she says.
One of her Fastnets on Elixir was fully crewed, the other two doublehanded. “They both have their challenges. I think two handed is more challenging in terms of stamina obviously, but less challenging in terms of managing a crew. The reason I raced her in one Fastnet fully crewed, with a scratch crew, some of whom had never raced offshore before, was to prove to myself that I was capable of being an effective and fully responsible, fully crewed skipper.”
Gabbay firmly believes that women’s participation in offshore sailing should be encouraged. “We also need to make sure that people understand that as you get older it doesn’t stop you being able to compete.
“In the AZAB and RB&IR, I was co-skipper two handed with relatively little experience and came fourth overall in both races. I think there are few sports where you can compete at that level as an older woman. I would like people to know that. It is really important and I don’t think there is anything particularly brave or mad about me!”
Andy Rice talks to Vendée Globe and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Jérémie Beyou about how to manage fatigue and avoid exhaustion when racing offshore
Leg 8 from Itajai To Newport. Day 2 on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Ben Piggott asleep. 23 April, 2018.
It’s all very well refining every detail of your boat – re-cutting sails, longboarding your hull – but what is the point of any of that attention to detail if you don’t spend as least as much effort on yourself? Nearly every offshore sailor has a story about when they fell asleep at the wrong moment in a race, or became so tired that they started hallucinating.
Multiple Figaro winner and IMOCA sailor Jérémie Beyou has fallen the wrong side of ‘too tired’ before, but has learnt from experience that it’s not worth the risk, and it’s not the way to win. Here are his five tips for managing fatigue and maintaining peak performance during a long offshore race.
1. Stay warm and dry
Although the newer foiling IMOCAs are much faster when they’re foiling, surprisingly they’re less wet because you’re actually flying above the water. With the older IMOCAs, or particularly the Volvo Ocean 65s, they’re wet across the deck nearly all the time. Whatever kind of boat you sail, it’s vital to stay dry. And I mean stay dry not just from the water, but from your own sweat. I have worn gear that isn’t properly breathable and when you’re working hard and start sweating, there is a risk of the body getting too cold once you stop working and start cooling down again.
On all of my own campaigns I choose Musto; I have tried almost every other brand at some point, but Musto’s ocean trousers are the best on the market for sure. I tend to wear a small and lightweight GoreTex jacket on the new IMOCA because the cockpit is quite well protected so I don’t need the full wet weather gear all the time when I’m on deck. For me, using GoreTex breathable clothing is a must; the body has to breathe, because it will keep you dry and longer term it will make it much less likely for you to pick up skin infections.
Jérémie Beyou training on Charal at Port La Foret in Lorient, Brittany. Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut / ALEA
2. Sleep little and often
You know you’ve been going too long without sleep when you hear strange noises in your ears. For me, it’s a whistling noise, and if I hear that sound, I know I’ve already left it too late. Before you reach the point of hallucination or whistling in your ears, you have to stop. You have to rest.
I actually find it easier to sleep when I’m sailing solo, than when I’m part of a crew in a watch system. When you’re single-handed, you get to choose when you sleep, whereas I find it difficult to adapt to sleeping on my off-watch.
Overall of course, in a watch system on a crewed boat you have more opportunity to sleep. When you’re racing single-handed you grab short naps of 10 to 12 minutes here and there, sleeping in your sailing kit so you’re ready to respond to an emergency. This is why it’s so important to wear clothing that is comfortable, breathable and warm.
As the world’s largest and most notorious offshore, the Rolex Fastnet Race, has gained in popularity, so the competitiveness of the…
3. Take a ‘long’ sleep
Fortunately, the older I get the less sleep I seem to need. Most of the time the key is to grab short sleeps, little and often. But once every two or three days, the body needs a full recharge. The trouble is, if the weather is bad or there’s a lot going on, you can’t always sleep when you want to – not when you’re solo.
So before the start, it’s important to identify a period on the routing where it looks like conditions will be stable and where you can grab the opportunity for a longer sleep lasting around 90 minutes, up to two hours. For these moments, you take off your sailing clothes, go to your bunk, and get some real, deep sleep. It’s a good idea to set an alarm, but usually you wake up before. Getting some deeper sleep every few days is vital for your health and wellbeing.
4. Keep a ‘self-tuning’ log
You can’t afford to start the race tired, because the start is always quick and an important period in the race. So you have to be focused and fully rested beforehand. I have a good understanding of my body’s requirements because I register my sleeping cycle with a doctor every two or three years, to see if my pace has changed or not.
This involves a number of tests of concentration and reflexes, exercises with lights and noises where you push buttons as quick as you can. We do these exercises on a normal day, after sailing, after sport, so we have quite a few numbers and data. This data is useful to make sure my mind and body are on track during the build-up to a race.
5. Lay off the coffee
Don’t drink too much coffee, because while it’s good in the short-term, all stimulants have their after-effect. I’ve never tried caffeine pills or any other kind of drug for keeping me awake, and I don’t intend to start.
The best thing you can do is make sure you start the race not too stressed. I don’t try to get into a different sleep pattern before the race, I simply use my time on shore to get as much good quality sleep as possible. The most important thing is to make sure you are in good shape physically, with normal food intake. Make sure you start the race confident in your boat, and confident in yourself, mentally and physically.
About the expert
Jérémie Beyou is skipper of the foiling IMOCA 60 Charal. The French veteran hopes this will be the boat that powers him to victory in the next Vendée Globe, having finished 3rd in the most recent edition. A three-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro circuit, the 42-year-old has also competed in the Volvo Ocean Race, as part of the victorious crew aboard Dongfeng Race Team last year.
It's too early for a detailed weather forecast for this year's Rolex Fastnet Race, but navigator Ian Moore has crunched some historical data to work out what, statistically, should be the optimum route. And he found some surprising things...
With tricky tides, imposing headlands and the vagaries of the British summer weather to contend with, the Rolex Fastnet Race is as much about tactics as it is about boat speed. Expert navigator Ian Moore takes a detailed look at possible Fastnet routes based on real weather data over five years.
Weather study
Everyone knows that the Fastnet Race is a beat out to the Rock and a run home, but we decided to test the theory with a weather study. Most weather studies – such as those conducted for the Volvo Ocean Race – are compiled using historical weather data and routeing software. This allows you to sail a virtual race thousands of times through weather data that fairly represents real weather features such as fronts, highs and lows, and the intertropical convergence zone.
Ian Moore is a pro navigator
The optimum paths are determined by calculating courses through the moving and evolving weather features in much the same way as an actual race would be sailed.
By making progressive adjustments to a boat’s polar, the designer can compare performance results on literally hundreds of candidate sail and rating combinations in a relatively short time by sailing through all the various weather patterns.
This approach has been used for many years and studies have contributed to significant design breakthroughs in the Volvo Ocean Race, TransPac and Vendée Globe. Many such studies are performed using a software package known as The Router, written and maintained by Michael Richelsen of North Sails.
Richelsen originally developed his package for the Illbruck Challenge campaign, which went on to win the 2001-02 Volvo. Since that time, Richelsen’s work has been used by most of the Volvo teams, paired with historical weather data provided by Sailing Weather Service of the USA.
Using historical data
For our analysis, Chris Bedford, chief meteorologist at Sailing Weather Service, provided us with a subset from their global historical data set which extends back to 1979. Wind data is provided at six-hour intervals on a 0.25° latitude by 0.25° longitude grid – nearly three times the resolution of a commonly used public-domain forecast model, the GFS from the US National Weather Service.
This data is far superior to a forecast model since it uses data and analyses that are not available to forecast models. The finer resolution also allows a truer representation of winds associated with local circulations such as sea and land breezes, and geographic effects.
However, even at this scale, some of the most interesting local effects are too small to be resolved. While retrospective data sets down to 1km resolution are available, the resources needed for such analysis exceeded the capacity of our study.
Lucky – a TP52. Photo: Kurt Arrigo/Rolex
We chose a TP52 and a Bénéteau 40.7 as our two trial horses and for each boat we made ten runs in each year’s data, five days either side of the 2011 start date, a total of 50 runs for each boat. The result produces 100 optimum routes to the Fastnet Rock.
Having crunched the numbers, we found the data supports an earth-shattering conclusion: it’s a beat to the Rock and a run home!
In fact, statistically it’s more likely to be a beat to the Rock than it is to be a run to the finish. Some 77 per cent of the miles sailed on the outward leg had the wind forward of 80° TWA while only 67 per cent of the miles sailed on the return leg were abaft 100° TWA.
This is, of course, because of the predominant westerly wind direction. In the optimum routeing 72 per cent of the miles were sailed in winds between north-west and south-west and only nine per cent between north-east and south-east. This left about ten per cent apiece for a northerly or southerly.
The 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race starts on 3 August, 2019, we take a look at the biggest, the smallest, the fastest and…
Not windy
The good news is – and I can’t believe I’m committing this to paper – that it shouldn’t be that windy, though the study results are mean wind speeds at 10m and don’t include gusts.
What this means in reality is when the model says you will have six knots, then you will probably have about six knots or less. When the model says 22 knots, you are more likely to have 25 knots at the masthead and gusts to 30 are possible.
The study showed 75 per cent of the miles should be between six and 18 knots (at 10m), and only six per cent over 22 knots. The return leg is a fraction windier, with almost eight per cent of the miles over 22 knots, predominantly because all the analyses show the windiest section of the race is the leg across the Celtic Sea to the Rock.
If we compare the distributions for the different boats, they are really quite similar. The outbound legs are identical, but the return leg shows some variation mostly due to the polar performance at reaching angles.
The 40.7 is comparatively slow spinnaker reaching and spends slightly more time reaching at 80-120° (bring a jib top) than the TP52, which prefers the A3 at 120-140° TWA.
The routes themselves are a bit more interesting, in particular the proliferation of offshore routes. Historically, it is just windier in the middle of the Channel than it is along the shore.
None of the routes goes into Lyme Bay. The study highlights this as a black hole, an area of particularly light wind. So there seems little merit in playing this bay.
Between Start Point and the Lizard there are a few more inshore routes as this is more likely to be a sea breeze section of the course, but they are still outnumbered by the rhumb line or offshore routes.
From Land’s End to the Rock there are more optimum routes to the north of the rhumbline than to the south, but there is little to infer from the data. This leg is historically an even racetrack, so go either side for pressure or shift.
The same is true for the leg back to Land’s End, but after Bishop’s Rock we see a great many more routes approaching the finish from offshore than along the coastline.
Weather studies are normally done in the design phase of a new boat or to help design a sail wardrobe, but in this case we are using it to try to understand the racetrack. When it comes to the race itself, we will all make our decisions based not on a weather study, but on the best forecast we have at the time.
However, perhaps this will give you confidence when the navigator insists he wants to go offshore or make you think twice before you tack into Lyme Bay.
Our contributors reveal their favourite summer cruising grounds, from West Sweden and North Brittany to the Isles of Scilly
The River Helford in Cornwall is a great spot for a mini sailing adventure. Photo: Peter Baritt / Alamy
You don’t have to sail to the most distant parts of the world to have a cruising adventure. If you have only a week or two of summer holidays to play with, you plan to thoroughly sea trial yacht and crew before embarking on a longer ocean voyage, or you are after a season of sailing adventure, there are wonderful places right here on our doorstep in northern Europe.
We asked some of our most travelled contributors where they would pick to sail to for a world-class epic sailing adventure within striking distance of their home ports. These were their picks – and they explain why, where you should go, and what to take (or leave behind).
The West Country
Former editor David Glenn grew up sailing in the UK’s West Country and argues it’s still among the world’s finest cruising grounds…
Although Poole might be regarded as the gateway to the West Country, most yachtsmen will want to press on beyond Berry Head. There, I would suggest, cruising proper begins.
David Glenn knows the waters around the West Country better than most
Weymouth has a lot to offer, but when that freeing wind sets in, time your run to five nautical miles off Portland Bill to catch the first of the westgoing ebb and before you know it you’ll have Berry Head on the nose. There, the fishing port of Brixham has done much to improve its once lowly status with an excellent marina and seafood restaurants to die for, thanks to the burgeoning fishing co-operative.
Further west, considerably more beckons. Three spectacular rivers, the Dart, Tamar and Fal, not only divide the West Country into manageable cruising areas, providing staging posts from which smaller harbours and anchorages can be explored, but also offer self-contained pocket cruising grounds in their own right.
They are blessed with everything from safe access and shelter in all weather, picture postcard towns and the sort of tranquillity and unspoilt beauty in their upper reaches which, on a still summer’s evening, epitomise part of what cruising in the West Country is all about.
“If someone has to go to prison, I volunteer,” said new first mate, Neal, with a grin as we sat…
On the Dart, don’t be content with staying in Dartmouth or Dittisham, but take the tide up to the lowest bridging point at Totnes, nine miles from the entrance, returning on the following ebb. The totally unspoilt, steep, oak-lined banks and the twisting course of the river make for a classic West Country adventure.
Alternatively, pick up a mooring off Stoke Gabriel, dinghy up to Sharpham Point, sample some of the excellent Sharpham Vineyard products including cheeses, and then walk to Totnes on the restored pathway.
I have to admit to being put off by Salcombe in peak season as it is packed with its overly fashion-conscious clientele, but the estuary’s beaches dotted along the East Portlemouth side are among the finest on the south coast and an irresistible family attraction. If you’re anchored off, they are literally within a stone’s throw. Rowing ashore in the evening when the crowds have returned to Salcombe is one of the great delights on offer.
Barbecuing fresh-caught fish is one of the delights on offer in Cornwall. Photo: A-Plus Image Bank / Alamy
To be fair, Salcombe has done well to maintain its sanity under the pressure of well-heeled tourism and Island Street has evolved into an attractive artisan-style shopping experience.
The relatively new Salcombe Gin Distillery shouldn’t be missed with its excellent balcony bar and tasting opportunities. If you’re completely weatherbound – and I don’t mean that metaphorically – you can even sign up for a Gin School Lesson.
Sail and walk
As with every anchorage and harbour you visit in the West Country, the South West Coast Path will be close at hand. This magnificent National Trust asset offers the perfect opportunity to stretch your legs. On the East Portlemouth side, your targets should include the traditional and quirky Pig’s Nose pub at East Prawle and the much more modern Gara Rock restaurant which you’ll come across en route. Both are excellent.
But the more spectacular walking can be found on Salcombe’s west side. The coast path takes you through remarkable rocky outcrops over Bolt Head en route to Hope Cove offering constant unmatched views.
If, or should I say when, you’re struggling west against that prevailing wind, think Cawsand and Kingsand, the twin villages on the Rame peninsula, as alternatives to Plymouth itself or the tight entrance at Newton Ferrers.
If you’re waiting for a westerly to clear through, the crystal clear waters off Cawsand tucked under the wooded shore offer great shelter and the pubs by the beach are welcoming. Even in a westerly gale it’s like a millpond and you’ll be perfectly poised when the wind direction changes.
A trip up the Tamar takes you past the Devonport Naval Dockyard with its fascinating four-mile river frontage under the two suspension bridges, the railway bridge being one of Brunel’s masterpieces. Then up to Cargreen, well worth a diversion that will deliver you from a harsh urban landscape to unspoiled, soft countryside in a matter of minutes.
Waiting for a fair wind in Weymouth. Photo: David Glenn
Fowey – a convenient place from which to take a taxi to the Eden Project – and Polruan, opposite, are quintessential West Country stops and shouldn’t be missed before visiting Falmouth and the outstanding River Fal.
With its burgeoning university, commercial docks, Pendennis Shipyard, the Maritime Museum and a very colourful high street, Falmouth bustles like no other West Country destination. You can pick up a Falmouth Harbour Commission mooring and hang out off the town and the famous Chain Locker pub (recently redeveloped but with the bar reassembled as original) watching the world go by, including the Falmouth working boats sailing on and off their moorings.
Away from it all
But for a bit more peace, head up river and either anchor in the mouth of Channal Creek beneath the National Trust’s Trelissick Garden or on one of the excellent municipal pontoons further upstream below and above the King Harry Ferry. These are special places on a warm moonlit night – totally unspoilt with only the rising fish disturbing the glassy calm.
Photo: Ian Woolcock / Alamy
Further west, the River Helford is fiendishly crowded with moorings, but there’s plenty of good anchoring space off Durgan, although it can become uncomfortable in an easterly. It’s a great launch pad for an assault on The Lizard and beyond to the Isles of Scilly. In the right conditions – settled with no threat of fog – this mesmeric archipelago is bound to seduce you. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of the pilotage and seek out the more remote anchorages.
For some the Isles of Scilly are considered the Holy Grail of a West Country cruise, but in reality it’s just part of one of the most remarkable cruising grounds in Europe and, arguably, far beyond.
Leave your boat or change crew: Plymouth and Falmouth, both with good rail connections. Falmouth Harbour Commission moorings here are excellent, sheltered, very reasonable and security checked regularly.
Don’t miss: The excellent National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.
Don’t forget: Prawning net, stout mackerel trolling line with planing board, large saucepan for boiling crab/lobster, good pushpit barbecue, fender board for drying out alongside, lead line for use in dinghy, small dinghy anchor, wetsuit, body or surf board, walking boots…
Best adventure: Hire a bike in Plymouth and cycle to Dartmoor. Inter-island pilotage in the Isles of Scilly. Go right to the navigable head of the Tamar.
Totnes on the River Dart. Photo: Kevin Britland / Alamy
River Dart
Top navigator Mike Broughton loves this micro adventure
In summer I live in Dartmouth (Kingswear, to be exact) and my favourite adventurous home waters cruising ground is upriver on the River Dart. It’s the most amazing, picturesque river, hardly spoiled by time or tourists.
In an anchorages three miles up the river at Dittisham you can still find a depth of 16m at low water, thatched ‘smugglers’ cottages’ only accessible by boat, top dining and the ‘proper pub’ Ferry Boat Inn.
Head another two miles up river, you find Bow Creek and now you have to work the tides. Here you can glide along the wooded creek to Tuckenhay, usually not passing another boat, and enjoy more hostelries. It is a magical scene, over half a mile wide in places and is still great for Swallows and Amazons-style camping. Any boat, stand-up paddleboard, or kayak will do.
Aerial view of St Mary’s from the south-west. Photo: Peter Cumberlidge
Isles of Scilly
This other-worldly, miniature archipelago sits out on the edge of the North Atlantic yet, warmed by the Gulf Stream, boasts sub-tropical gardens and turquoise bays over white sand. It is one of columnist and weather expert Chris Tibbs’s favourite cruising grounds.
I love the Scilly Islands. It can be tricky getting there and may involve moving anchorages as the weather changes, but on a good day it is beautiful.
There are beaches that rival the Caribbean and quiet, unspoilt islands with few (if any) cars. Add great sea food and long summer days and it has everything.
Tides are large so it does make for tricky navigation but a different anchorage can be found each night, so it’s well worth the effort. Interestingly, there are often more French boats there than British!
Tresco Abbey Gardens. Photo: Peter Cumberlidge
Don’t miss: Tresco Abbey Gardens, a 19th century creation around the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey that has sub-tropical plants from around the world.
Don’t forget: A good, seaworthy tender for exploring the bays and shore expeditions. Good anchor and ground tackle – don’t rely on getting a mooring buoy.
Double-handed racing is booming in popularity, with both inshore and offshore events introducing double-handed classes. We get expert tips on how to set up your boat and routines for success
Race Start - Redshift Reloaded, Sail No: GBR 419, Class: IRC Three, Owner: Ed Fishwick, Type: Sun Fast 3600
The popularity of double-handed sailing is on the rise. The Rolex Fastnet Race is the perfect case in point – this year there are due to be 63 doublehanded entries, up from 45 in 2013. So why is two-up catching on in such a big way?
Alexis Loison is a professional sailor who competes regularly on the Figaro circuit. He’s also been part of the winning crew in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race. His biggest claim to fame came in 2013 when Alexis and his father Pascal raced their JPK10.10 Night and Day, to become the first double-handed crew ever to win the Fastnet Race; not just in their class, but outright, ahead of all the fully crewed boats.
According to Alexis, it’s partly because the logistics are much easier to organise with just two of you, rather than having to pull together a full crew of seven or more people all with different levels of commitment. Also, autopilot developments have made it much easier to handle a boat shorthanded.
But for Loison the main attraction is that there is never a dull moment. No sitting on the rail for hours at a time. “When you’re sailing doublehanded, you have the helm, you navigate, you are busy during all the manoeuvres. There’s never a dull moment.” So what are Alexis’s five top tips for successful doublehanded racing? Andy Rice found out…
Alexis and his father Pascal at the finish of the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. Photo: ELWJ Photography / Rolex
Forge a partnership
It’s really important to team up with someone who you like and who you respect. You have to have a similar outlook on sailing and on how you approach competition. With my father, I couldn’t find a better co-skipper; he’s the man who knows me the best, and that’s very important.
When you team up with someone for the first time, make sure you have both discussed everything in detail before you go afloat; how you will communicate, how you divide the roles, what weather you expect. It’s all about agreeing the processes in advance, and having your systems in place. Routines are vital.
Night And Day, the JPK 10.10, rounding the Fastnet Rock
Choose the right boat
I love Class 40s, they are fast, powerful boats. But for two-handed racing a two-tonner is not all that much fun. The gear is big, and the boat is maybe too powerful in some ways. It can feel like the boat is in control of you, rather than you being in control.
A 33-footer, like the JPK10.10 that I sail with my father, that’s my favourite size of boat. It’s small enough to make it easy to change a sail; it is what I call a ‘human’ boat! Of course the boat is not the whole answer. Whichever one you choose, it’s important to really know your boat, to have practised all the manoeuvres so there is no hesitation about what to do. When it’s blowing hard in the middle of the night, you have to be ready.
Twin rudders
While we were racing in the Fastnet that we won overall, we found ourselves in a match race with another JPK10.10, pretty much identical to us except it was fully crewed. We were both reaching along in 25 knots of wind, yet despite them having more crew weight on the rail, we were faster in a straight line.
Why? Because our boat has two rudders and theirs only had one. They suffered a number of broaches while we didn’t spin out once.
Two rudders give you so much more stability and control, which is even more important when you consider how reliant we are on the autopilot when racing doublehanded. Two rudders are definitely better than one.
Prepare for the worst
Before a big race we do a lot of weather preparation. We look closely at the GRIB files, we analyse all the currents. We use Adrena, which is a really good tool for helping with your navigation plans. We make up a little route book with key points for different parts of the race.
Also, we talk through worst-case scenarios about what we’ll do if a sail breaks, and so on. Be meticulous about your safety planning, double-check your lifejackets, the liferaft, and so on.
We have a personal AIS system and a small wireless remote control that has two functions. One, we can use it to change the course on the autopilot; and two, if we have a man overboard, the remote automatically registers a MOB situation on the computer.
Double-handed crews mixing it up with fully crewed yachts at the start of the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex
Survive the heavy weather gybe
A heavy wind gybe is the most difficult manoeuvre in two-handed sailing. We always follow the same procedure. Firstly, we use only one pole but we have two sets of sheets (guys and sheets) each side for the spinnaker.
I take the helm and my father handles the No.1. I think it’s safer for me to be steering rather than leaving the boat on autopilot.
Cleat the mainsail traveller in the middle of the track.
Adjust the sheet to the ‘standard position’ marked on the rope. At this point the clew is sitting near the forestay. Barber-haulers are set at an equal distance, in line with the top of the guardwires.
We ease a lot of downhaul on the pole and, once the boat is surfing nicely on a wave, I gybe the boat, with the new sheet in my hand so I am able to adjust the sheet for stability of the spinnaker and the boat. Obviously this is more difficult when the boat is bigger. If there is really strong breeze then my father will help me handle the sheet.
We make sure the boat is stable, and then my father passes the pole to the other side, with no stress because we have guys and sheets. I also keep the sheet in my hand to help him out.
Pascal and Alexis will not be racing together in the 2019 Fastnet Race. “My father has sold Night & Day,” Alexis recently told the Royal Ocean Racing Club. “So this year I am participating in the Rolex Fastnet Race with Jean-Pierre Kelbert (JPK himself) aboard the latest addition to the range, the JPK 10.30.” Meanwhile Pascal is buying a JPK 10.80, but only for cruising.
Alexis, who is also a top Figaro sailor, points out that the 10.30 has been designed to be sailed shorthanded and so, for example, it has water ballast (290lt each side), more optimised for reaching and running. “I am very happy to sail with Jean-Pierre because we are friends,” Loison concludes. Their yacht, Léon, is one of three new JPK 10.30s competing along with Jean-Baptiste Vezin and Yves-Paul Robert on Very Good Trip and Gerard Quentot’s Blue Skies.
As a warm-up they competed in the Cowes-Dinard St Malo finishing second in IRC Two Handed to Francois Moriceau and Christophe Waubant on the JPK 10.10 Mary.
They are part of a powerful group of French doublehanders competing this year, including RORC racing regulars, all aboard JPK 10.80s: Marc Alperovitch on Timeline, Jean-Eudes Renier on Shaitan and Louis-Marie Dussere on Raging-bee.
Matthew Sheahan and James Boyd ask four former winners of the Rolex Fastnet Race for their advice on how to get onto the podium
Ran rounding Fastnet Rock. Photo: Kurt Arrigo/Rolex
As the world’s largest and most notorious offshore, the Rolex Fastnet Race, has gained in popularity, so the competitiveness of the 300+ boat fleet has increased. Some crews may be ticking another item off their bucket list, but the majority of competitors are out to win in some way, whether they be chasing overall victory, a podium in their class, or seeking to settle a friendly wager with rivals.
Diversity within the fleet has also increased. From heavily crewed supermaxis, to short-handed 33-footers, from paid to race to paying to race, the Fastnet continues to draw a huge variety of sailors, boats and teams.
What remains the same, though, is that the 605nm race is famously tricky when it comes to tactics and can be physically challenging when conditions pipe up. So what are the tips and tricks to doing well?
Here four previous Fastnet winners offer their advice on how to get onto the podium.
Seasoned front runner
Gery Trentesaux – Courrier Du Leon JPK 10.80. Overall winner 2015
Frenchman Gery Trentesaux is well known for his long-term success in RORC offshore racing, including leading the French team to victory in the 2006 Commodores’ Cup. The 2017 Fastnet Race was his 14th.
Courrier du Leon. Photo: Jean-Marie Lio
Going into the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race, Trentesaux, aboard his new JPK 10.80 Courrier Du Leon, had won consecutive victories in the RORC’s Cervantes Trophy, Myth of Malham and De Guingand Bowl to place him and his team in the lead in the overall points for the IRC fleet.
It was little surprise then that he is considered a Fastnet Race favourite.
In recent years, French sailors have dominated the overall Rolex Fastnet Race results. In 2013 nine of the top ten finishers (including Trentesaux) were from across the Channel. Trentesaux attributes this to the large number who, over the last four decades, have regularly competed in the Figaro class or the Tour de France à la Voile. On board Courrier du Leon, he and two others are old Figaro hands.
Trentesaux also holds the advantage of having managed to carry a regular crew between his numerous Courrier yachts for several years.
They run no watch system. Instead they adapt their routine to the conditions, with the crew sleeping on the rail. Trentesaux handles the navigation, using both paper charts and PC-based routeing software.
Before the race he studies the course, figuring tide changes with the forecast, creating a ‘roadbook’ of the course (as the Figaro sailors do).
Gery Trentesaux. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex
While they run PC-based routeing and carry an Iridium phone to download the latest forecasts, Trentesaux says a common mistake, in his view, is to place 100 per cent faith in electronic routeing.
“Often the routeing is stupid, so we use the routeing, but we don’t follow it automatically. We choose our course and compare it with the routeing and, if there is a difference, we try to understand why.”
With hindsight, the first clue to who might do well in the 2013 Fastnet came when French father and son team Pascal and Alexis Loison won the RORC Channel Race outright at the end of July. A month later the pair took overall Fastnet victory in their 33ft JPK 1010 Night & Day.
Photo: Kurt Arrigo/Rolex
As well as beating the entire fleet, they had trounced a total of eight JPK 1010s. This was a spectacular result and in many people’s minds, one of the most impressive Fastnet performances ever, particularly as this was also the first time in 88 years that the race had been won by a double-handed crew.
Yet this wasn’t the first time that the Loisons had made their mark in the Fastnet. Aboard their previous Night & Day, a J/105, they won the double-handed class in 2005 and were 2nd overall in IRC Two.
“Since teaching Alexis (31) to sail when he was a child we have sailed together a lot,” says Pascal, 55, a surgeon in Cherbourg. “Now, as a professional sailor on the Figaro circuit where he has raced for the last ten years, he teaches me. Our speciality is in two-handed sailing.”
Clearly there is a close relationship between father and son, but Pascal also points to some of the basic set-ups aboard their boat: “I think having two rudders is important for a short-handed boat. It is faster for this type of racing as it is better balanced. Making the right choices about a boat that will suit your sailing is very important too and that starts well before the race.
“When there are just two of you, you have to think carefully about how you sail the boat. If you are fully crewed you can change the sails a lot. But we have a medium headsail that goes from 0-22 knots. We rarely change, but we trim all the time and we trim everything that we can.”
Although a sail wardrobe that includes four spinnakers, including a Code 0 and a Code 5, is important, keeping the boat moving quickly is a priority for the Loisons. Boat speed is at the heart of their performance and that means staying on the ball.
Alexis and Pascal Loisin
“We don’t do watch systems,” explains Pascal. “When one of us is tired we will go for a sleep, but only if doing so doesn’t affect the boat speed.”
But when Pascal says sleep, he is using the French solo sailor’s definition meaning a 15-minute catnap. So how much sleep would they accumulate typically in 24 hours?
“About one to two hours,” he says. “It’s enough, if you have trained for it like the Figaro sailors do. Also, if you are tired you will sleep, but if you have a regular system that you are trying to work to you will not sleep, which is not good for the speed of the boat.”
Such an uncompromising approach to running a boat offshore may not be to everyone’s taste, but then neither is sailing double-handed. And yet with each edition of the race the double-handed fleet grows.
For overall success at least, catnapping around the Fastnet Rock looks like being the way to go.
Results
2017: 1st IRC 4
2017: 1st Two-handed
2015: 2nd Two-handed
2013: 1st IRC overall
2013: 1st Two-handed
2013: 1st IRC 3
2005: 1st Two-handed
2005: 2nd IRC 2
Pay to play
Sailing Logic, Top Sailing School Boat 2005-2013
Sailing Logic was awarded ‘RORC Sailing School Boat of the Year’ for five Fastnet Races in a row. The Southampton-based race charter outfit has fielded multiple yachts made up of mixed experience crews in the race, and has had boats on the podium for every race from 2005-2013.
“People come to us because they want to do well, but we have to be careful with how we manage those expectations,” explains Allie Smith before the 2015 race, then Sailing Logic’s operations and logistics manager.
“We avoid the temptation to load a particular boat with the best experience and instead go to great lengths to set up evenly matched teams with a mixture of abilities. We have found that teams not only gel quicker and more effectively, but achieve better results.”
Planning is vital to the teams’ successes and that starts with the season’s campaign. Smith believes that the balance between offshore and inshore racing, along with day training sessions, is an important factor.
“Our Fastnet campaign seasons involve two training weekends and four RORC offshore races: the Myth of Malham, Morgan Cup, Cowes-St Malo race and the Channel Race,” she says. “Starting with the Myth of Malham race is important. This race rounds the Eddystone lighthouse so it’s a bit like a mini-Fastnet and is long enough to separate the men from the boys.
“We then have our second training weekend after this to give us a chance to work on offshore skills. But we also include a day of inshore racing to help the teams appreciate the importance of being slick with manoeuvres.”
Allie Smith
What do crewmembers need most help with when planning their campaign?
“Mostly it is help with understanding the time and logistical implications of the programme and organising their time to make those commitments,” says Smith. “It’s surprising how many people with high-powered jobs struggle with the personal planning part of the campaign. Given that they, as a team, have decided what their goals are and how hard they want to push, that’s where we can help.”
And what are the things that surprise their clients the most?
“How quickly they gel with team mates,” she says. “That’s very rewarding for us, but is also at the heart of their success.”
Results
2009-2013: Seven podium finishes in IRC Classes 1 & 2
Britain’s Adrian Stead was tactician aboard Rán 2 when Niklas Zennström’s Judel Vrolijk 72 won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2009 and 2011.
Adrian Stead
“I think any well sailed, well prepared, well optimised boat has always got a chance of winning the Fastnet Race,” says Stead.
“It’s about doing your preparation and not giving things away – making sure when the tidal elevators are there, you’re on the fast one and not putting yourself where you’re going to lose miles quickly because you’ve missed out on something.
“If you keep getting those right around the course, gaining ten minutes here, five minutes there, then suddenly you’ve gained yourself an hour at the Rock.”
Boats such as Maxi 72s take the race seriously and, with the Rán campaign, they commissioned their own tidal study of the Lizard in 2011. For the next race navigator Steve Hayles researched the exact position of the Shambles off Portland Bill. As Stead points out: “It just gave you confidence in what you thought was happening.”
Rán
Even though the race is relatively short for a Maxi 72, they run a three-watch system – on, off and standby – with the off watch asleep down below. On Rán 2, Stead and Hayles were out of the watch system.
However, flexibility is also required: “If there’s a really important headland or something that you need to get round, that essentially is a ‘race breaker’. You push yourselves there and if then there’s 15 hours on the wind on starboard, that’s the time when people can get some proper sleep. But you’ve made the jump by having everyone on the game at the key part.
“In 2011, when we got to the Scilly Isles, everyone was totally knackered, but we had to pump the boat to the finish before the wind dropped. That was hard and we did it with energy bars…”
Stead points out that the Traffic Separation Scheme exclusion zones today have a major bearing on the course, particularly off Land’s End, where there remains the possibility of sailing the longer route, leaving this to port.
“If you think the breeze is going to shift right, then although it looks wrong, you know it could be a potential winner.”
Results
2011: 1st IRC overall Rán 2
2009: 1st IRC overall Rán 2
2003: 2nd IRC overall Alfa Romeo
1993: First Fastnet Race on one tonner GBE International
But one boat needed serious crowd control around it – Charal, the aggressively styled foiling design launched just a couple of months earlier. The scale of Charal’s foils alone would have drawn attention, but videos of Beyou test sailing his new boat literally leaping from the water made Charal a hot topic in St Malo. We talked to designer Vincent Lauriot-Prévost of VPLP about the concepts and technology behind it.
Charal is not just the newest IMOCA 60, she marks a ‘next generation’ step for the class because she is the first IMOCA 60 designed entirely around the foils.
Charal’s foils are longer and have a bigger overall surface area than any other IMOCA currently launched. Photo: Charal Sailing Team
Most of the IMOCA 60s carrying foils in the 2016 cycle were retrofitted with them. Even those that were built anew were designed to be competitive without the foils (Alex Thomson’s Vendée Globe 2nd place after shearing the starboard foil less than two weeks into the race proving the sense of this policy). In truth, nobody really knew if the foils would be reliable and effective across enough of the wind ranges experienced in a round the world solo race.
“In the last edition of the Vendée we proved foils on the conventional boats, which were on boats designed for power and righting moment,” explains Vincent Lauriot-Prévost.
The results of the last Vendée Globe: 1st Banque Populaire, 2nd Hugo Boss, Maitre Coq 3rd, all VPLP-Verdier foiling designs, proved conclusively that this was the future of the class. So for Charal, VPLP took a different approach.
Along a three-mile start line off St Malo, 123 boats set off on the 40th Route du Rhum singlehanded transatlantic race…
“We have decided to make the new boat as a pure foiler. Instead of looking for a powerful hull we are looking for a less draggy hull, taking into account that the foils are going to be the element that gives the power.”
This means a big shift from trying to balance weight reduction and power, to working towards a lightweight and minimum drag hull form. One of the challenges has been that the new generation foil packages – longer foils, and casings that are stronger and more complex – come with a weight increase.
“We know that all-in the package of the new foils, including the reinforcement of the hull and so on, are just about half a tonne extra weight [over the last generation foils],” explains Lauriot-Prévost. “So how can we make the boat half a tonne lighter to compensate for this?”
Charal can be up on her foils in just 15 knots of wind. Photo: Damien Meyer / AFP / Getty Images
Hull volume has been reduced wherever possible, retaining it forward and amidships but cutting away great angular sections of bow and topsides, then sloping down to a low transom to create what Lauriot-Prévost describes as ‘a very bumpy sheer’.
Overall, the changes are significant and achieving them while remaining within the IMOCA stability rule was a challenge. “The hull is completely different. It’s a narrower waterline – we don’t want to be a cigar, but we accept to lose 15-20% of righting moment to be within the stability rule,” explains Lauriot-Prévost.
During the design process they discussed with the Charal team whether they wanted the boat to remain competitive even if they lost a foil (as did Thomson). The decision was made that the boat would not be have enough power to be seriously competitive in non-foiling mode – although it would be stable enough to be safe.
Wide load
The scale of Charal’s foils is impressive – they are wider than any other boat’s so far, with a long shaft and tip and an angled elbow. They are also surprisingly thick. The trade-off for the increased foil size and power is that they cannot both be retracted simultaneously.
The size of Charal’s foils mean that they cannot both be raised at the same time
“We accept [we can’t] have them fully up at the same time, because we want them big. We want to create the righting moment as far out of the hull as possible, and we want a foil which creates vertical lift but which creates side force at the same time,” says Lauriot-Prévost. The shaft creates vertical force, while the oversized tip generates lateral and vertical forces.
The other key difference is that these latest generation foils have adjustable rake, using bearings fore and aft, which allow Beyou to alter the angle of attack by 5°.
How frequently the rake will be adjusted remains something to be explored but, says Lauriot-Prévost: “You can imagine maybe that instead of playing with sail sheets you play with the foil controls, and tune the boat to the reaction in the water more than the reaction of the sail forces.”
There is one significant limitation to the power even the latest generation IMOCA 60 can generate: the class-restricted rig. “There is one fuse on the boat, which is the mast,” explains Lauriot-Prévost. “The mast has been designed for [loads of] 32 tonne metres (Tm) and fully foiled, fully canted, fully raked and fully ballasted we are more 43-45Tm.”
Finding the limits
The pedestal grinder is placed right in the centre of the pit area for direct connection to winches
To monitor these loads, Charal is covered with fibreoptic sensors; five per foil with additional sensors in the foil rake adjustment bearings, as well as on the outriggers and backstay.
“During the trials it happened several times that we had alarms, because we were overloaded compared to the designed load,” says Lauriot-Prévost.
Given that potential, the adoption of the IMOCA 60 class by the Volvo Ocean Race will be a serious test of restraint. “That’s a really strong discussion that we had with the Volvo teams, because the Volvo teams have not got the same approach as a single-handed sailor, and when they push, they push!”
The other limiting factor is of course the human on board. As with any IMOCA 60, Charal has been customised around her skipper, the hugely experienced Jérémie Beyou, and his personal preferences.
“One thing which is evident on this boat is that Jérémie doesn’t want to stack the sails inside,” says Lauriot-Prévost. To make moving the sails on deck easier, there is a sloped scoop abaft the cockpit.
The cockpit is sheltered by a fixed cuddy made with Mylar film windows rather than a retractable coachroof – sliding components would be heavier. A pedestal grinder is placed under the cuddy, right in the middle of the pit.
To keep weight low all the lines coming from the bow or mast base are led through two tunnels to the pit area. The pit area has four in-line winches, directly connected to the pedestal for the easiest transmission system possible, with no gearbox or T-junctions necessary. This offers big savings in weight and complexity, but does make for a very compact working area.
The 2018 Route du Rhum was Beyou’s first racing test for Charal – he retired with steering issues. Photo: Charal Sailing Team
“You do end up with a cockpit that is not designed for crewed sailing, at all!” points out Lauriot-Prévost. Down below was out of bounds – the inner workings of Charal’s foil controls are too new to be shared.
Many of the IMOCA skippers have talked about wearing helmets or body armour on the new foiling 60s, so extreme is the motion. Was protecting the skipper a factor in the design?
“It’s going to be the priority before the start of the Vendée,” says Lauriot-Prévost, “But Jérémie needs to find out where it is important to protect. He needs to get a bit bruised first!”
Whether its raising money for charity or giving opportunities to disadvantages youths, several 2019 Fastnet Race entries have a bigger purpose besides the race to the Rock
Crewmembers from Greig City Academy's Project Scaramouche celebrating round the Rock
Among the 300-plus boats in next month’s record-sized Rolex Fastnet Race fleet, many of the 3,000 crew members are competing to fulfil a personal challenge or to tick the world’s largest offshore race off their ‘bucket list’, but several crews are also using the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s premier event to convey a special message, or support a chosen charity.
In the last Fastnet Race, the inner-city school children from the Greig City Academy in the London borough of Haringey won deserved praise for their campaign on board the old Admiral’s Cupper Scaramouche. Such was the respect for this, that among their accolades the team won the RYA Award for Endeavour while helmsman Montel Fagan-Jordan was voted 2017 YJA Young Sailor of the Year.
This year the average age of the next generation of Greig City Academy students racing Scaramouche is even lower, the youngest being 13-year-old Kai Hockley.
With at least two Ultimes set to take on the Fastnet course this year, Loick Peyron’s 2011 course record could…
“The new crew is a step ahead of the 2017 crew – they have taken a much bigger role on our yachts,” says Greig City Academy’s Jon Holt, who set up and runs their pioneering sailing program. “The key players are Azat Utulas and Seun Williams, both from disadvantaged backgrounds, but key leaders of our students.”
Among those joining them will be Christopher-Joel Fredrick and Jaydon Owusu, both 14, who have had their school lives transformed for the better by sailing, says Holt.
A similar message of diversity is being shared by the French Libertalia – Team Jolokia who are campaigning the Laurie Davidson-designed former Djuice Dragons VO60 in what will be their third Fastnet. The aim of the campaign is to represent on board the full range of differences prevalent throughout society.
Sam Davies’ IMOCA 60 Initiatives Coeur raises awareness and money for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, a humanitarian organisation that helps children suffering from heart defects. Photo: Initiatives Coeur
Twelve crew are chosen from a squad of 20, who, “in addition to their potential or their skills, can enrich the team experience,” explains Marion Pennaneac’h, the team’s project manager. “Whether beginner or certified skipper, disabled person, female senior citizen or foreign national, everyone has the chance to embark on this great human adventure.”
Several boats are supporting charities. The most high profile is Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur, which uses IMOCA 60 races as the vehicle to raise awareness and money for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, a humanitarian organisation that helps children suffering from heart defects. Their ‘1 click, 1 heart’ campaign involves the companies Initiatives, K.Line and Vinci Energies donating 1€ whenever the Initiatives Coeur Facebook page attracts an extra fan.
New to the race this year is the charity Ausome, which is providing nine autistic people the opportunity to compete on board Ausome-Lyra of London, a Swan 431 on loan from Miles Delap. The nine will include both experienced yacht sailors and relative novices.
The charity Ausome embarked on the epic challenge of giving a crew of autistic people the opportunity to take part in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race. They will compete on the Swan 431 Ausome-Lyra of London. Photo: Ausome
The 22-year-old founder and a trustee of Ausome, Lottie Harland, who is herself autistic, will be skipper. Harland explains: “After a difficult childhood of being bullied through school for being ‘different’, it was sailing that built my confidence and self-esteem and helped me to develop the life and social skills to become an independent and successful young adult.
“I am incredibly grateful to all the organisations and individuals that recognise the huge difficulties autistic people face in making their way in the world and who are helping us so generously to give this crew a chance to show what they can achieve.
“I know each of our team will take something different away from the challenge and we will do all we can to support them in reaching their own personal goals.”
Similarly Northumberland-based retired haematologist Jonathan Wallis and his partner Pippa, a retired GP are returning for their second crack at the race. This time though they are racing in aid of the patient forum for Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, a form of blood cancer.
Aboard Sheevra, their 1969 vintage Swan 36, they won their class in last year’s Yachting Monthly Triangle Race as well as class in the JOG offshore series.
For these five yachts, the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race will have an impact that can resonate far beyond the sport of sailing.
When 303 yachts set off on the 1979 Fastnet Race there was no inkling that a storm was imminent. How did it arrive without warning, asks meteorologist Chris Tibbs, and why did it cause such mayhem?
A Royal Navy helicopter hovers over Camargue. Survivors were asked to jump into the water to be rescued. Photo: Royal Navy / PPL
There was nothing in the forecast at the start of the 1979 Fastnet Race to indicate a storm, but a storm came with devastating effect. How and why did it cause such a catastrophic disaster? Neither the track it followed nor the central pressure of the depression was in itself remarkable. Its speed of close to 45 knots was quick, but not exceptional. It was only when it began to slow down and deepen in the 24 hours between midday Sunday 12 August and Monday 13 that it appeared to develop storm tendencies, deepening eventually to 978mb, a central pressure that would be considered deep in winter and this was the height of summer.
By mid-afternoon on Monday, satellite pictures showed that the depression was more significant than had been thought and was deepening rapidly to a storm. It has been suggested that it was the afternoon satellite picture that prompted the imminent gale warning that unfortunately was broadcast after the shipping forecast. As the shipping forecast was the primary weather information for most yachts in those days, any warnings out side the scheduled time was unlikely to be heard at sea.
Some synoptic charts at the time indicated a trough following behind the cold front. Whether this was the front or a trough behind it, what is important is that there was a large change in wind direction in the region of 90°. This is a significant feature of the storm, with the strongest wind arriving as the pressure rapidly rose after the trough. Gusts contained within the leading edge of squalls can be half as much again (or more) as the average wind speed, making the reported gusts of 80 knots realistic.
Satellite images of how the Fastnet storm actually developed between 13 and 14 August 1979.The first in the sequence shows the position of the cold front, with its abrupt change in wind direction. By the afternoon of 14 August the storm has passed over and you can see that the vicious cold front has already dissipated. Credit: NEODAAS / University of Dundee
Diagrams of wind fields produced by the Met Office show this 90° change in the wind direction and when we read reports from the boats of the conditions experienced, it is the sea state that is the one overriding factor that generated problems for the boats.
Our understanding of waves is not complete. Records from North Sea rigs show that the existence of very high, or rogue waves is much greater than theory would have us believe. In the Fastnet storm the south-westerly wavetrain would still have been large when the north-westerly waves arrived, creating a very short steep sea and, although the inquiry found that, in theory, neither the shallow water nor tidal stream had a significant effect, competitors who were asked reported that they thought it had made a difference.
Although estimating wave heights is very difficult from a yacht, claims of 50ft waves are substantiated by the report from a Nimrod pilot on 14 August of wave heights of ‘50-60ft’. It was the sea state the wind generated that caused the biggest problems, just as it did nearly 20 years later during the 1998 Sydney-Hobart race.
It is so notorious among sailors that you could say the Fastnet Rock is the northern hemisphere’s Cape Horn. Legends…
Advances in forecasting go hand in hand with advances in computing power. It seems amazing new that the first live TV forecast was made in the UK in 1954 and ten years later the first operational cloud pictures from satellites became available. What we can call modern numerical modelling techniques started in the early 1960s in the UK as the Met Office took delivery of its first electronic computer. The new technology enabled observations to be used not only to draw up weather chart 3, but by going back to first principles, mathematical modelling of the atmosphere could be made at a number of different heights.
Nowadays, as we sit on a modern race boat we can have near broadband speed internet connections, download satellite pictures and compare a number of computer models in the middle of an ocean. It is all a long way away from 30 years ago when the principal weather information was the Shipping Forecast on Radio 4.
At the UK Met Office the main model is run with an approximate 40km resolution and 50 levels through the atmosphere, forecasting ahead for six days. In 1979 the area covered, resolution and levels were all significantly less; in the region of 300km resolution with 10 levels. Like a digital picture, the higher the resolution, the greater the detail and the greater the accuracy. As weather is three-dimensional, the increase in levels taken into account increases accuracy.
The passage of the low pressure across the Atlantic and how it intensified. Credit: Ambrose Greenway
The complexity of the models and the forecasts they give has increased immensely and, while there is always the possibility of another Fastnet storm, the forecasting should offer a much longer warning.
Contemporary reports and the 1979 Fastnet Race inquiry made much of the accuracy of the Shipping Forecasts broadcast by the BBC. What has not changed is that the forecasts then and now are still for only 24 hours – 24 hours from the time of issue, which is not necessarily the time of receipt. However accurate the forecast, a yacht can travel only a limited distance to get to shelter. So knowing what the weatherwill be doing in 48 or 72 hours is important for trying to avoid incoming bad weather.
As a group, sailors will often say that the forecast of bad weather occurs more frequently than bad weather itself. This is not necessarily true, but forecasters do look at the worst that is likely to happen rather than the best. So even if a forecast were completely accurate, would sailors take as much notice of it as they should?
This wind diagram shows the wind change. North-westerly waves would have arrived before the windshift, creating a confused sea. Credit: Ambrose Greenway
The forecast for the 2007 Fastnet Race showed a depression of similar central pressure (978mb) as the 1979 Fastnet storm tracking through the Irish Sea at a time when the majority of the fleet would be there. These were coincidences too close for comfort and the start was delayed by 24 hours. In reality, the storm did not generate the wind speeds that it might have done, nor was there the 90° veer in the same place.
Even so, there were a lot or retirements, yachts heading direct to Plymouth with a considerable amount of damage in only moderate conditions. There is no doubt that weather forecasting has become much more accurate over the past 40 years and it is unusual for forecast 3, even at three days, to be wrong. This has, however, increased our expectations. Today, sailors are demanding an accuracy of just a few knots and a precise wind direction.
About the author
Chris Tibbs is a meteorologist and sailor. After three round the world races and 250,000 miles of sailing, he went back to university and gained a Masters degree in meteorology. He works as a forecaster and weather router and has competed in many classic ocean races, including twice in the Fastnet.
First published in the August 2009 edition of Yachting World.
There’s a fine art to using a drone at sea – Terysa Vanderloo explains how to avoid crashing yours into the ocean
Drones can provide spectacular overhead shots while under way. Photo: Andy Schell: 59 North Sailing
With the advent of small, affordable and user-friendly drones, many cruising sailors have adopted them as a way of achieving really impressive and professional-looking photographs and video.
I speak from experience when I say this is far easier said than done, and flying a drone while under sail is a challenging task. However, there are proven techniques and tricks for flying a drone while under way – without it ending up in the drink. I spoke to three drone-piloting experts for their advice.
Andy Schell and his wife Mia run 59° North Sailing, which offers adventure sailing charters on their Swan 48 and Swan 59. They’re also fantastic photographers. Andy uses the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which he believes is the best drone for flying from a boat because of the legs it has on its underside, which provide the perfect handles for catching the drone – without the very real fear of getting fingers caught in the propellers.
An on board reporter flying a Phantom 4 from the stern of a Volvo Ocean Race yacht. Photo: Jesus Renedo
My partner Nick and I have the smaller, compact version, the DJI Mavic Pro, which has no legs for landing: I can attest to the nerve-wracking experience of catching it from a moving boat and agree wholeheartedly that the Phantom would be a better option for flying while under way. The advantage of the Mavic is that it’s far smaller and folds up to an even more compact shape – we live on a 38ft monohull, and so stowage space is at a premium.
Brian Trautman, best known as the skipper of SV Delos on the popular YouTube sailing channel, has been flying drones since 2014. Since then, he and his crew have flown many drones in different conditions.
Brian has both the Phantom and Mavic on board Delos and also recommends the Phantom while flying from the boat as it is far easier to catch, as well as being more powerful, which helps in windy conditions. Their Mavic is used primarily for land-based excursions.
Brian Trautman (centre) prepares to fly a DJI Phantom 4 Pro
Therefore, which drone you choose may come down to whether or not you have the space to store a chunkier model like the DJI Phantom, and whether or not you want a drone that is portable. It’s worth noting that there’s a cost difference between the two: the Phantom is cheaper than the Mavic.
Another model that might be of interest is the DJI Spark, which is even smaller and more compact than the Mavic – not much bigger or heavier than a sunglasses case. Nick and I have successfully flown a Spark from a catamaran in light winds before, although it’s no good for windier days and also doesn’t have 4k capabilities.
I also spoke to Richard Edwards, a professional videographer who was one of the onboard reporters responsible for some of the incredible footage during the last Volvo Ocean Race. He suggests a simple yet ingenious solution to catching a drone such as the Mavic or Spark, which is to glue a light plastic mini tripod to its underside.
Taking off
Once you’ve purchased your drone, the next step is to get used to flying it. Clearly, practising from land is a wise starting point, so you can get used to how it handles as well as hone your skills for catching it.
Brian starts off by flying the drone in circles around trees or houses. “If you can do a complete 360° flying manually around a stationary object while still keeping a constant distance and the object in frame then that is something to be very proud of,” he advises. “Once you’ve mastered this, then it’s time to try the same thing on a boat – which is much harder.”
After you’ve mastered the basics, Andy suggests flying the drone on a breezy day in manual mode with the collision sensors and ‘return to home’ function turned off, since that’s how you’ll have to do it on the boat. He suggests: “Practice launching and catching it by hand – someone on the controls, another person on the launch and catch, ideally wearing sunglasses and thin gloves as safety protection.”
Raymarine’s Axiom UAV app can automate launch, in-flight navigation and return-to-boat for DJI drones
The next logical step is to practice flying the drone from the boat while at anchor to get used to the space you’ll be working with. However, at some point, it will be time to put your skills to the test and fly the drone from the boat while under way.
Andy says: “You need two people: a pilot and a catcher. We launch off the stern quarter, opposite the radar pole; that way, all the pilot has to do is fly straight up. The drone will want to hover in place and the boat will just sail away from it safely. Flying it downwind is far easier on battery life. Upwind, the drone can handle about 20 knots, but it’s harder to land on a heel and the battery won’t last as long.”
Richard also flies from the stern. “To launch, have a person hold it above head height off the back of the boat – it’s irrelevant if it’s downwind or upwind. Power up and immediately ascend to keep clear of rigging, and the boat speed should naturally mean it flies away.”
Flying a drone from a catamaran is generally easier as there is more space to launch and catch it and the boat itself is more stable. The trampolines may provide more room than the stern of the boat, but the disadvantage here is that there is still a danger of the drone colliding with the rigging. Again, choose a launch spot where there is clearance and the boat will be moving away from the drone once it’s in the air.
Drones have really advanced over the past few years, with anyone now able to try their hand at piloting a…
Safe landings
When it comes time to bring the drone back to the boat and catch it, Richard advises already having a plan in place before taking off (this is also where you find out if you turned off the ‘return to home’ function). “Never land anywhere but at the stern of the boat and come in from behind, never from the side or overhead, otherwise you’ll be disorientated and hit the boat.”
Andy and Mia also catch from the stern. Andy says: “It’s easier to land than you think. “We start coming home at 60% battery. You’ve got to fly it in backwards, because the forward vision sensors will stop it from getting close enough to catch. “Keep the boat sailing straight and bring the drone in. If you need to re-do it, just let go of the controls. The drone will stop and hover, and the boat will safely sail away from it. Then bring it in for another try.”
On a catamaran, the trampolines may look tempting as a catching area, however it’s worth considering Andy and Richard’s advice: the safest option is the stern as the drone will be able to approach from behind, it will be clear of all rigging, and the boat is always moving away from the drone, meaning multiple attempts to catch it can more easily be made.
Drones can capture photos and video that were once possible only from a helicopter. Photo: Andy Schell / 59 North Sailing
Brian emphasises how difficult it can be to judge distances between the drone and the boat when both are moving. In fact, Brian usually flies the drone from the dinghy, which deals neatly with the danger of collision with the boat. “Most of the times I’ve crashed the drone have been trying to land while under way. I usually try to avoid this at all costs and prefer to fly from the dinghy. It’s much easier to land without worrying about the rigging.”
For cruising couples who are sailing short-handed this could be a challenge, although Brian and Karin, his wife, have managed it many times when it has just been the two of them on board. “Start simple and focus on simple movements,” Richard advises. “Most of all, have fun, but don’t underestimate the importance of safety and planning.”
Although it’s natural to worry about losing the drone overboard, Andy advises: “You won’t get the amazing shots if you don’t push the limits, so you’ve got to be prepared to lose the drone. If you absolutely cannot afford to lose it, then don’t fly it at sea!”
Drone specs
4k vs 1080?
This refers to the resolution of the image; 4k is actually 3840 x 2160 pixels and 1080 is 1920 x 1080 pixels. 4k is swiftly becoming the industry standard, however if all you want your photos and videos for is your own personal use or to post on social media, 1080 is perfectly fine.
Gimbal or stabilisation software?
Many drones these days will boast either a gimbal or electronic stabilisation. This is especially important for cruisers wanting to take video, however stabilisation will also help produce sharp photographs.
The Rolex Fastnet Race is a notoriously tough one for navigators, with many tidal gates and tactical decisions to make. Pro navigator Libby Greenhalgh reveals how to prepare for the 605-mile epic
Race Start
The interesting thing about the Rolex Fastnet Race is that for an offshore race there are a lot of inshore tactics to consider. Coupled with the start of the race being very intense due to its location and sheer number of boats, this makes it a great spectacle to watch from the shore.
To get the most out of your race, as with all offshore races, there is a significant amount of pre-race navigation and tactical work you can do that will identify the key decision points and help make decision making easier on the course. The four main areas to work on before the race are:
• Tide
• Land influences
• Weather information
• Decision points
Tide versus wind
The Fastnet course covers an area where tidal currents are very significant at different points and often the question is when does the tidal advantage take priority over a shift or pressure gain? There is often not one answer to that question, but good preparation for those moments can be vital in helping you choose how to make your decision.
One of the first things to do is to examine the tidal situation on its own, without considering any wind effects, and identify the potential key tidal points, particularly where you’d like to be on your ideal course to maximise tidal gain or minimise the loss of an adverse tide. From this you’ll establish points on the course where you know you do not want to be under any circumstances, regardless of the wind conditions. As a minimum I’d go through this process for the following locations:
• The Solent: everyone should have a high-resolution tidal atlas of this area. Yes, the Fastnet race starts with favourable tide but the Solent has significant tidal differences across it that are key to your positioning, and can give you some great early gains – as well as a psychological advantage by busting out of the Solent in front of your rivals.
• St Alban’s Head: the overfalls here create a tough sea state but also significant tidal gains/losses to be aware of.
The overfalls at St Alban’s Head offer significant tidal gains – or losses – early in the race
• Portland Bill: the decision whether to go inside or outside needs to be made significantly before you get there, so understanding your timing windows is key. You need to be able to mentally walk back through the race course to make the decision early enough.
• Start Point: again, overfalls can create a difficult sea state as well as setting up tidal gains/losses to be made.
• Lizard Point: this point often proves critical, and even more so on the final approach to Plymouth. It’s renowned for developing quite a change of sea state, which can influence what manoeuvres and sail changes you choose.
The huge fleet leaving the western Solent
• Land’s End: there is often a split created by the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), depending on the timing of tide.
• Isles of Scilly: especially on the return leg you need to do some tidal prep to help decide how you might weave around the TSS, and especially how to pick your laylines.
• Fastnet Rock: the key thing here is to identify whether you will turn the corner sharply, coming inside the smaller rock to the north, and if so to understand your track. There is a 0.1-mile gap that has enough depth at all points of tide at 11.6m.
If you are running navigational routing software a very visual way to see this is to run a route with a fixed wind direction and speed – I would use a course average of a south-westerly breeze of 240° SW at 14 knots.
Running this from several different start times to cover the tidal period will very quickly show you the key tidal gates, influences and the time-critical aspect of them. If you have time on your hands it would be worthwhile to also run the routing for a series of different wind directions as well, even if typically the race is referred to as upwind to the rock and downwind home!
There are three major headlands on the Rolex Fastnet Race route that are key to the success or otherwise of your…
Land influences
Due to the significant gains or loss that can be made from utilising the tide in the race you’ll often find yourself very close to land. Inshore tactics dominate the first one to four hours of this race as you leave the Solent. Being able to step up the intensity and make slick manoeuvres on the approaches to the key Fastnet headlands will give you an opportunity to make significant gains.
The majority of the tidal gates are also headlands so there is always an additional opportunity to make gains by using wind bends and wind shadows as you approach.
The bigger boats often arrive at Portland Bill in ebb tide with a back eddy forming in West Bay, so it pays to be just outside Shambles Bank
Again, I would take some time to assess the following headlands and think about how the wind will bend around them, where the land effects will cause acceleration and where there may well be wind shadows: Durlston Head; St Alban’s Head; Portland Bill; Start Point; Lizard Point; Land’s End.
Wind will generally prefer to go around, rather than over, land. Especially where the land is steep and high, you can get very pronounced wind bends that can create some good opportunities to make a gain by being inside the shift.
The goal is to approach just below the point where the land is at its widest relative to the wind direction, as that is where the most significant wind bend will occur. It will also be a bigger shift closer to the land, so you always have to dig in – and often do more than one manoeuvre as you sail into it.
Two hours later the tidal gate has closed so it pays to get offshore. Up to three miles offshore there will be 3-5 knots of tide against you
Weather information
Identify where you can get good real-time information from, and remember to always keep one eye on reality and check it against the forecast.
Take time to read the forecast service providers’ websites to learn more about your weather data, particularly the temporal and spatial resolution. Many software programs will happily interpolate between data points in both time and space, falsely leading you to believe there is more detailed information available than there actually is.
Set up a schedule of when you are able to get new weather data, and at what times the data you will be using is updated. Also, it’s easy to forget to download before leaving a shoreline if you are using a mobile data connection – the obvious spots where you are going to lose connectivity is going across Lyme Bay, leaving Land’s End and leaving the Fastnet Rock.
As soon as you start pressing offshore, antennae-dependant mobile signal will be quick to fade. Network coverage is less extensive generally as you head further south-west along the coast.
Start Point
Key decision points
From the preparation work you have done you should be able to identify where the key decisions you will need to be make are, and will have information available to make those decisions. These will be periods of increased intensity for all the crew, so you need to be confident in how you are going to take those decisions and when you need to start actioning them – which could be a couple of hours before.
Using a checklist can help keep you on track:
• What is the decision? For example, on the approach to Portland Bill where should we be positioned relative to the tidal situation?
• What is our action? What manoeuvres do we need to make – what sail changes, what are our timings, is the crew ready?
• Have we got all the information? What is wind strength at Portland, for example, what is the tidal window in which we need to be making our approach, where is the rest of our fleet, and what can the boats in front tell us (from the tracker)?
• How confident are we? If we are slower or faster by an hour what would be the potential outcome? If the wind direction changes what would it need to be to change our positional decision?
• When is the next key decision and when do we need to think about it?
About the author
Libby Greenhalgh was meteorologist for the British Olympic Sailing Team, navigator onboard Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag and SCA in the Volvo Ocean Race and raced in the RORC Fastnet, Transatlantic, and Caribbean 600.
Fastnet Races have been won and lost at the key tidal gates of the race. Professional navigator Ian Moore explains why St Alban's Ledge, Portland Bill and The Lizard are so important, and how to handle them
Lizard Lighthouse and Lizard Point. Jason Hawkes/CORBIS
There are three major headlands on the Rolex Fastnet Race route that are key to the success or otherwise of your race. Navigator Ian Moore looks at how to tackle these vital tidal gates to gain a winning advantage:
Gate 1: St Alban’s Ledge
I’m not an expert on the geology of St Alban’s ledge, but it presents as an area of shallower, but navigable water extending about 3.5 miles to the south-west of St Alban’s Head. It is clearly marked on the chart, along with lots of overfall symbols!
Because the ledge has relatively deep water either side of it, there is a squeezing of the flow over the ledge, causing the tide to accelerate locally to almost double the free stream tidal speed.
In a typical Fastnet, when beating to the west, this often presents the opportunity to use this flow by tacking onto starboard just shy of the ledge, thus staying in the rip along its full length. The increased current will also cause a temporary right shift, enhancing the gain further.
This gain does come with a price tag. The overfalls can be extremely unpleasant in this wind-against-tide situation and although there are no grounding hazards, being swamped is a real possibility. The sea state also means you will not be sailing at 100 per cent of polar, but done properly this could net a quarter to half-mile gain over going straight through.
Gate 2: Portland Bill
Portland is probably the most iconic tidal gate of the race. The Fastnet normally starts two hours before HW Portsmouth (which is slack tide in the Solent) and the tide turns properly foul at Portland at approx LW Portsmouth, eight hours later. The bigger boats usually have no problem covering the 48 intervening miles and should be approaching on the last couple of hours of ebb.
The tide generally turns first along the shore as the back eddy in West Bay starts to sneak around the point, so approaching in fair tide it usually pays to be just outside the Shambles Bank. This means you are approaching in the best tide between St Albans and The Shambles in 25-30m of water and are lining up the best current two-three miles off the Bill.
Two hours later at Start +8, the gate has closed and up to three miles offshore the tide will be against you at three to five knots. Five miles offshore the tide is only 1.5 knots against and eight miles offshore, although it’s building, it should be less than a knot against.
I would suggest that, once you think you are marginal for this tidal gate, you should start to hedge offshore where, although there is little shelter from the current, it shouldn’t be a total show stopper. Don’t forget that if the wind is westerly as the tide turns, the wind strength will be dropping by up to four knots, which may exacerbate your problems.
There is a back eddy at Portland, but to make use of it you need to be very brave. Approaching inside the point is the easy part in a weak 0.5 knot eddy. Once at the point you need to be almost aground to avoid the four to five-knot current which pushes you offshore into the strongest foul current. I have never made it work for me.
It is so notorious among sailors that you could say the Fastnet Rock is the northern hemisphere’s Cape Horn. Legends…
Gate 3: The Lizard
You won’t have much control over the state of the current at the Lizard and if the current is against you, it may not be an option to go offshore if your routeing wants you to head straight to the Fastnet or north of the rhumb line. Close inshore and in the tidal race, the current turns foul 1h 45m after HW Dover and fair again 3h 45m before HW Dover. Further offshore the tide turns over an hour later.
If you are approaching in foul tide, there is some relief by being inside the point as the worst tide is on about the 30m line. You can also avoid the worst of the overfalls by being closer inshore in a corridor of relatively flat water.
However, there are a series of drying rocks lying due south of the lighthouse. The outermost of these are the Dales and Menhir Rock, which dries to 4m and should be visible or breaking in most tides. The gap between these rocks and the overfalls should be about 400m and provide ample room for you to sneak round inside the worst of the waves and current.
Ironically, the fair tide approach is probably fairly similar, staying just inside the worst of the overfalls in 20-30m of water. Don’t forget, if you are approaching on the end of the fair tide, that it will be turning an hour early on the beach. Consider if you can afford to be a mile or so offshore.
From cutting-edge radical new launches to vintage designs, all generations of the IMOCA 60 class will be represented in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race – which will also give us a tantalising preview of which skippers might be the ones to watch for the 2020 Vendée Globe
After achieving third place in the 2017 Fastnet race, Boris Hermann will be back with the older foil-assisted Malizia. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot
One of the largest – and most intriguing – fleets of IMOCA 60s ever gathered is due to set off from Cowes for this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race (August 3). An incredible line-up of 29 of the boats, best known for their use in the Vendée Globe singlehanded non-stop round-the-world race, will assemble on the start line of the Royal Ocean Racing Club offshore – 26 competing in the IMOCA class, with another three racing in the main IRC fleet.
This line-up is the third biggest in IMOCA history, after the 2016-17 and 2008-09 Vendée Globes, and is due to the 2019 Fastnet being a qualifier for the 2020 Vendée. “However,” adds Antoine Mermod, President of IMOCA, “the race means a lot and is important to French sailors because it is so historic. It also has a very nice course.”
The IMOCA class is also now under the microscope internationally after its selection as one of the two classes for the next edition of The Ocean Race (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race). Newer IMOCA 60s incorporate the latest foiling technology.
This has transformed their performance, reducing displacement and drag thanks to their foils partly, or at times fully, elevating them from the water. Since the last Vendée Globe in 2016-17 when this technology featured on a few top boats, second generation foils are being fitted to all the latest launches.
Charal’s foils are longer and have a bigger overall surface area than any other IMOCA currently launched. Photo: Charal Sailing Team
“At the best angle and boat speed the foils give a 15% jump in performance – it’s huge,” explains Mermod. “You sail at 13 knots and then when you start foiling the speed jumps to 18. You never do 15 knots!”
Eight new foilers are set to be on the start line of next year’s Vendée Globe. Two are currently entered in the Fastnet Race – Jérémie Beyou’s Charal, launched last year, and Sebastien Simon’s Arkea-Paprec, a brand new design from Juan Kouyoumdjian launched earlier this month.
The very newest IMOCA to be launched, the latest Arkea-Paprec (right) next to its predecessor shows the evolution of the class Photo: Yann Riou/polaRYSE
Simon, winner of last year’s La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, will be sailing with 2004-05 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou, who also won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2015 aboard PRB. (PRB is also competing, but with new skipper Kevin Escoffier, who sailed Dongfeng Racing Team to victory in the last Volvo Ocean Race, alongside Jérémie Beyou).
With at least two Ultimes set to take on the Fastnet course this year, Loick Peyron’s 2011 course record could…
Among the older foil-assisted boats are Bureau Vallée 2, formerly the 2016 Vendée Globe winner Banque Populaire, now skippered by Louis Burton. German skipper Boris Herrmann returns with Malizia (ex-Edmond de Rothschild), which he sailed to third place in the 2017 Fastnet Race. He’s been joined by Will Harris, a British Figaro sailor.
Italian ex-Mini sailor Giancarlo Pedote has acquired the former St Michel Virbac previously campaigned by Jean-Pierre Dick and Yann Eliès.
Britain’s Sam Davies is back on Initiatives Coeur (originally Michel Desjoyeaux’s 2008-9 Vendée Globe winner Foncia), having taken over this campaign from Tanguy de Lamotte, with whom she claimed 4th place in the last Fastnet Race. This time Davies is sailing with Paul Meilhat, winner of the 2018 Route du Rhum and the 2017 Fastnet Race.
Sam Davies will compete with past winner Paul Meilhat on Initiatives Coeur. Photo: Vincent Curutchet / Initiatives Coeur
With the next Vendée Globe now 18 months away, many skippers have acquired boats that are new to them and are using this season to trial sails and systems.
Having sold their 2016-17 Vendée Globe winning IMOCA 60 to Louis Burton, Banque Populaire is back in the class having acquired the former MACIF/SMA, originally Francois Gabart’s 2012-13 Vendée Globe winner.
For their latest programme they have recruited 29-year-old Clarisse Crémer, following her second place in the 2017 Mini-Transat La Boulangère’s Series class. On board for the Fastnet race with Crémer will be the team’s principal skipper, 2016-17 Vendée Globe winner Armel le Cleac’h, as he awaits the launch of his new replacement Ultime maxi-trimaran.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Fastnet Race’s mighty IMOCA line-up are the seven female skippers, three of which are British. In addition to Clarisse Crémer and Sam Davies is former Mini sailor Pip Hare, who has acquired Superbigou, the boat on which Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm won the 2002-3 Around Alone and subsequent 2006-7 Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world races.
Miranda Merron also makes a welcome return to the IMOCA 60 after a long tenure in the Class 40 with her latest Campagne de France – the former Temenos/Great American IV.
“I have been around the Fastnet Rock countless times in the RORC’s races or otherwise, but it is still the same mythical place with the amazing lighthouse,” she recently told the Royal Ocean Racing Club. “It is always a pleasure to round it.” She is racing with her partner and IMOCA coach, French offshore sailing legend Halvard Mabire.
Moving up to the IMOCA class, Miranda Merron will be racing with Halvard Mabire on Campagne de France. Photo: Olivier Blanchet / GPO / Defi Atlantique 2019
Other female skippers competing are Ireland’s Joan Mulloy, on Mike Golding’s former Gamesa, France’s Alexia Barrier on 4myplanet and Franco-German skipper Isabelle Joschke on MACSF.
While it is not yet as internationally diverse as the Class 40, still ten different countries are represented in the IMOCAs, including two from Scandinavia: Norway’s Oliver Korte on Galactic Viking (ex-Solidaire) in the IRC fleet and Finland’s Ari Huusela on Ariel 2 (previously Dee Caffari’s Aviva/GAES).
Eleven of the last Vendée Globe’s 29 skippers (albeit only five finishers) will be racing in the 2019 Fastnet Race. Since that race several have graduated up: Swiss skipper Alan Roura (who sailed Pip Hare’s boat to 12th place) now has Marc Guillemot’s Safran while French skipper Fabrice Amedeo, who came home 11th, has acquired Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back, a first generation foiler from the last race, rechristened Newrest – Art & Fenêtres.
IMOCA history in the form of Jean-Marie Patier’s Le Cigare Rouge competing in the IRC fleet. Photo: Benoit Stichelbaut
As a genre IMOCA 60s date back to the early 1980s when it evolved in singlehanded oceanic races such as the BOC Challenge and OSTAR, however their development accelerated once they were adopted for the first Vendée Globe in 1989.
A piece of IMOCA history is taking part in this year’s Fastnet in the IRC fleet, with Jean-Marie Patier’s Le Cigare Rouge, the narrow lightweight yawl that was runner-up in the second Vendée Globe in the hands of Jean-Luc van den Heede, winner of the recent Golden Globe Race.
Several boats are entered from the 2000 Vendée Globe, the race in which Dame Ellen MacArthur memorably fought Michel Desjoyeaux for the lead all the way up the Atlantic. Most notable of these is Alexia Barrier’s 4myplanet, which in the hands of original owner Catherine Chabaud, won the Fastnet Challenge Cup outright under handicap 20 years ago.
With all these intriguing sub-plots, the IMOCA 60 class will certainly be one to keep a close eye on during the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race.
Andy Rice talks to Volvo Ocean Race winning bowman Jack Bouttell to get his top tips for running the bow offshore
Preparation before the start is Dongfeng bowman Jack Bouttell's key to being successful and safe
British-Aussie pro sailor Jack Bouttell believes that success in his job as bowman comes down to preparation more than anything else. This applies especially to inshore bowmen about to go offshore for a big race: if you try to wing it, and make it up as you go along, you’ll come unstuck.
A good bowman will find out as much as he can about the boat and the systems on board even before he has arrived at the marina. Training time is critical for planning and refining processes, especially working up a system of communications between the crew, as Bouttell found on the multilingual Dongfeng crew, with which he went on to win the Volvo Ocean Race, and on the maxi trimaran Spindrift, where everything is spoken in French.
Here are Bouttell’s five top tips for working the bow offshore:
1. Preparation, preparation, preparation!
Learn the boat inside out. Mark everything: key positions on sheets, halyards, the deck, whatever makes the job repeatable. It may sound basic, but getting the basics right helps you focus on the more complicated parts of the job. If you can talk to people with experience of sailing the boat, ask them. Don’t be shy, and don’t be too proud to ask.
The more you can get your systems organised in daylight, the simpler things become at night. One of the easiest things to mess up at night is halyard storage; it’s normally the easiest thing to get wrong and the hardest one to put right again. Even if you’ve checked the halyards a hundred times, at sunset check them again, just really make sure that everything’s really well sorted.
Make sure you are the only one that touches and stores halyards – or else have a mid-bowman who knows the exact same system as you. Sometimes you have no choice but to go aloft at sea, so work out your handholds in advance.
2. Get the forecast
Talk to the navigator or whoever is most clued up about the weather forecast for the race, so you know what conditions to expect at which point in the race. That way you can make sure the headsails are stacked in the best order for what you’re expecting to use first.
Make sure you can easily identify the sails. These days every single sail often comes in a similar bag; it’s the same shape, the same length, especially on IRC boats when you’ve got five jibs, five kites, etc. So have all the bags and sails properly marked for easy identification.
If you’ve looked at the forecast and you know the first day there’s no wind, then you can probably put the heavy jib on the bottom. But if you know the first day is going to be 30 knots, then put the light wind jib on the bottom.
The biennial Rolex Fastnet Race has developed into a multi-faceted competition with a burgeoning double-handed class as well as fully…
3. Take spare thermals
If you get wet when you’re inshore racing, you’re only wet for a few hours before you get back ashore and can warm up in a hot shower. That’s a luxury you can’t afford offshore, which is why I have spent a lot of time working out a good clothing system, making sure my gaiters fit my boots and that all the neck and wrists seals are the right size.
Take a second set of thermals and practise getting dressed quickly so that if conditions suddenly change for the worst, you’re ready.
4. Sort your comms
I’m not a big talker, so I have worked out a good system of hand signals. These are vital because when you can’t communicate verbally, maybe because it’s too windy and noisy, you can still visually communicate. Obviously that doesn’t work quite as well at night, although you can shine your head torch onto your hand.
Sit down with the key people you’re going to be working with the most – maybe the skipper, navigator and crew boss – and make sure you’ve agreed a system of three or four key signals; these could be: “Good to go!”, “Hold!” and “Stop!”
And make sure you always get a reply back because you can’t afford for there to be doubt or ambiguity.
5. Clip on
Obviously you want to be able to be clipped on for as much of the time as possible. See if you can walk from the shroud to the bow without unclipping because I’ve been on a lot of boats where you can’t do that, which puts you at unnecessary risk.
The time I feel most vulnerable is actually when I’m working on the leeward side of the boat because if you slip there’s nothing to catch you. That’s when I’m really careful about being clipped on. If you were to go overboard, give yourself the best chance of rescue. I carry a personal AIS, knife, personal EPIRB, flare and water dye-marker – have them on you at all times.
About the expert
Jack Bouttell is one of the most in-demand bowmen in the professional racing world. Last summer he was part of the Volvo Ocean Race winning crew on Dongfeng Racing Team, and is part of the Spindrift Racing team planning a round-the-world assault on the Jules Verne Trophy.
As the old saying goes: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Pro sailor Sam Goodchild gives his top tips for prepping your boat for an offshore race
Sam Goodchild and his Netflix-sponsored Class 40 Narcos Mexico competing in the 2018 Route du Rhum. Photo: Alexis Courcoux
Every serious offshore sailor has more than one story to tell about when it all went spectacularly wrong. Sam Goodchild has experienced multiple breakages in the past year, firstly with Spindrift 2, whose mast broke in January 2018 before the giant trimaran had even crossed the start line of her round-the-world record attempt, then more recently in the Route du Rhum in November when his Class 40Narcos Mexico dismasted, and then again with Spindrift when rudder damage ended their second Jules Verne attempt.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Goodchild’s approach to preparation is about thinking ahead through all the possible scenarios, and doing everything within your power to make sure that such a race ending breakage doesn’t happen.
A lot of this approach depends on your goals and ambitions for the project. If it’s win the race at all costs – death or glory – then you may want to leave a few spares and repair options on the dock to keep the boat as light and as uncluttered as possible. But if finishing the race is a victory in itself, then you need a back-up plan for all eventualities.
Before stepping on board a boat that’s not familiar, I always try to speak to someone with inside knowledge, someone you know and can trust. What’s the boat like? Is it a production boat where all the problems are well known or is it a prototype?
It’s worth asking the rigger about the history of the mast and the rigging. PBO has a lifespan, for example, so you want to be sure you are operating within the lifespan of the rigging. If the rigging is stainless steel, it’s good to dye test it for any cracks. Also, it’s good to do a thorough rig check for any possible points of chafing, and to make sure the electronics are all in good order. Get up the rig before you leave the dock to make sure everything is secure and safe. This isn’t a job you want to have to do once you’re at sea.
It’s all very well refining every detail of your boat – re-cutting sails, longboarding your hull – but what is…
2. What’s your goal?
I’m looking to understand two things: what’s the condition of the boat and equipment, and what is the ambition for the race? For example, on the Phaedo3 MOD70 campaign we had very few spares because the boat was very 5 well maintained, but also the aim was only to win races, nothing else. It was all about performance and keeping things to a minimum, so we had a very small, specific tool kit of spares.
On the Transat Jacques Vabres we knew we didn’t have a very high chance of winning, and the aim was really to finish, so we had spares for everything, a spare rudder and so on. If your aim is to finish the race, go down the list of what you believe would be the most likely ‘race enders’.
For example if the engine is your only source of power, then what engine spares will you bring? That’s maybe less important if you have some alternative energy source like a hydrogenerator or a solar panel. If you’re sailing short-handed, what is your back-up for the autopilot? Without it you’re unlikely to finish the race. So run through those ‘what if?’ scenarios and plan accordingly.
3. Rings, rope and lashings
With rings, rope cover and lashings you can fix most running rigging problems. Lashing is like the duck tape of running rigging, and a ring can be used to replace a lightweight block. These three things don’t take much space or weight.
If sails are brand new, you probably don’t need too much repair material, but bring some spinnaker and mainsail repair tape in case you snag something. You can use Sikaflex to stick a sail back together with some large pieces of fabric, whatever the sail is made of. And bring one of every kind of spare sheet, or at least enough rope to make up a new one.
Sam Goodchild is a Brit in demand on the French offshore racing scene. He was part of the Spindrift crew for the trimaran’s most recent Jules Verne record attempts, and campaigned his own Class 40 in the 2018 Route du Rhum when his race was cut short after the rig broke on Narcos Mexico.
4. Heavy forecast? Go heavy on the spares
If it’s a windy race, you don’t mind the boat being heavy. So now you can bring along an extra set of spares, which you might be unlikely to use, but are still useful. They can be good ballast, provided stacking is permitted in your class.
5. Stay dry
The key to going offshore is not getting wet. Once you get wet, you’re never really going to dry out again. It’s easy to think you’ll be warm when doing a race in the tropics like the Caribbean 600, but if you get wet you’ll still get surprisingly cold at night. Don’t let that happen.
I use a Musto MPX dry top, with wrist and neck seals. I also take a spare set of mid-layers and tops. It’s good to have a couple of layers of waterproofness as well, just in case you spring a leak. For cold weather I wear boots with gaiters. In warm weather it’s plastic shoes which don’t absorb water, and you can have some Gore-Tex waterproof socks too if you need the extra warmth.
Skin doesn’t always take kindly to being at sea for days on end, so bring along some talc and some skin repair cream like Cicalfate.
A complex weather pattern could favour the smaller yachts in the 394-boat fleet, in a race that will see a long struggle west capped by a fast finish
Rounding the Rock is on many sailors' bucket lists
One of the most challenging and tactical Fastnet Races of recent years lies ahead for the 394 yachts and 3,000-plus crew beginning the race this Saturday, 3 August.
A complex weather pattern of light winds and a building low pressure will slow the giants of the fleet and may favour the smaller boats, but also mean a fast and wet ride back to the finish in Plymouth.
The 605-mile race from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock is one of the most famous offshore sailing races in the world.
It is infamous for the range of weather conditions competitors must face, and is one of the most tactically demanding, with tidal gates, potential transition zones and local weather variations along the coastal sections.
As such, it attracts many of the world’s top racers including, this year, a huge fleet of 21 super-fast IMOCA 60s whose skippers are competing to accrue mileage and experience to count towards the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race next year.
Among them will be Britain’s Sam Davies, sailing on the foil-equipped Initiatives Coeur – we caught up with her in Cowes earlier today:
The 394 yachts taking part range from the giant 105ft Ultime trimarans Sodebo,MACIF, Actual and Edmond de Rothschild (which have the course record of 32h 48m in their sights), 100ft maxi Scallywag and former monohull line honours winner Rambler 88.
One of the faster monohulls will be Peter Harrison’s Maxi 72 Sorcha. Navigator Steve Hayles says: “For everything to come together for your size of boat, you’ve got to do some serious preparation and everything has to go right.
“These boats [are separated by] several seconds a mile, they are very, very refined inshore boats that are capable of going offshore, but we don’t have powered winches and we are going to have to muscle our way round the course.”
At the other extreme is designer Simon Rogers, sailing Contessa 32 Assent with his brother, Kit, and their respective daughter and son, Hattie and Jonah. With a waterline length of just 24ft, this is the smallest (and smallest rated) yacht in the fleet.
It is also a significant anniversary for Assent, as 40 years ago in the deadly 1979 Fastnet Race she was one of a minority to finish and won her class.
“It will be a long race for us – we will be lucky to be doing 120 miles a day,” admits Rogers. “Because this yacht finished the 1979 Fastnet Race it is a pilgrimage from that point of view and it is also Jonah’s and Hattie’s first Fastnet.”
“It is a bit of a wake-up call sailing on this size of boat,” he adds. “Doing the DeGuignand Bowl [a qualifying race] in 40 knots upwind, two-handed, suddenly makes you realise what they had to go through in 1979.”
“But ultimately what we are looking at is this lovely high pressure is going to slowly give way to a low pressure that is out to the west of the UK and that will bring south-south-westerly or south-westerly winds.
“So there is what we are calling a transition zone where there is not a lot of pressure there, and what you are looking at is do you negotiate it at the shortest distance.
“That also means the faster boats are not going to be able to get away in these first 24 hours, and the south-easterly will continue for the smaller boats.
“Effectively that will be a reasonable gain for the smaller boats and make that transition zone smaller for [them] than the big boats.
“That south-westerly breeze will be building though and some the IRC classes should see 25-30 knots on the way back from the Rock, so it will be for many a wet but fast sleigh ride home.”
We will have regular updates, interviews from the finish and boat walkthroughs on the Yachting World Facebook page.
2019 Rolex Fastnet Race facts
This is the 48th edition of the race. It runs every other year
The first race was held in 1925 and had only seven entries. The winner, the gaff cutter Jolie Brise, took 147 hours to finish
There are entries from 26 countries.
The largest entry is from the UK, with 185 boats, then France, with 98 entries.
The Fastnet Race passes several famous landmarks: The Needles; Portland Bill; The Lizard; the Fastnet Rock, Bishop Rock (Scilly Isles), and Plymouth breakwater.
The Fastnet lighthouse is only six miles from the nearest harbour on the coast of Ireland, Crookhaven.
Before every Fastnet Race a church service is held to remember the 18 sailors who perished in the tragic 1979 Fastnet Race.
Mike Golding is one of the most experienced offshore sailors on the planet. He skippered Group 4 to victory in 1997’s British Steel Challenge, held the solo record for sailing round the world westabout between 1994 and 2000, and has completed three gruelling editions of the Vendée Globe.
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