Rolex Fastnet Race: the course records
First sailed in 1925, the Rolex Fastnet Race starts from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, rounds the Fastnet lighthouse off Ireland and, since 2021, finishes in Cherbourg after 695 miles. The race keeps two separate records, one for multihulls and one for monohulls.
The multihull record: SVR-Lazartigue, 2023
On 23 July 2023, François Gabart and the Ultim SVR-Lazartigue completed the course in 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes and 27 seconds. They beat the time set in 2021 by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild by 36 minutes and 27 seconds (official race site).
The monohull record: Abu Dhabi, 2011
For monohulls, the record dates from 2011: 1 day 18 hours and 39 minutes for Ian Walker's Volvo 70 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which beat ICAP Leopard's time (official site, 2011 archive). It was set on the old course finishing in Plymouth, shorter than today's finish in Cherbourg.
The 2025 centenary
The 2025 edition marked 100 years of the race with 444 entries, making it the world's largest offshore race. The records held: SVR-Lazartigue, now skippered by Tom Laperche, took multihull line honours in 1 day 17 hours 18 minutes, and Black Jack 100 monohull line honours in 2 days 12 hours 31 minutes (RORC).
The overall IRC winner, the prize that really counts at the Fastnet, was a small boat: the JPK 1050 Léon, sailed two-handed by Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert (official site).
Further reading
The track and marks are on the Rolex Fastnet Race page of the globe. The fleet mixes Ultims, IMOCAs and IRC boats; the next edition is in the 2027 calendar. On the other side of the world, the Sydney Hobart record has stood since 2017.