Rolex Fastnet Race 2021: "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" around the rock in record time

One day, 9 hours and 15 minutes: In this time, the crew of the "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" led by the skipper duo Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier managed to complete the Fastnet Race, which is around 695 nautical miles long. This is a new record in the world's largest offshore regatta.

"The boat is fantastic - we have developed so much over the last year that we are now very happy with our performance," said Caudrelier after the race. The crew of the 32-metre trimaran were unimpressed by the stormy conditions during the first half of the race off the southern English coast.

With an average speed of 20 knots and a top speed of around 40 knots, they sped ahead right from the start. Less than 24 hours after the start, they were the first ship to round the legendary Fastnet Rock south of the Irish coast. They managed to maintain their lead of several hours after the turning mark until the finish line off the French municipality of Cherbourg.

"We did a good job planning the route. Because we travelled further south than the others, we had a clear advantage. This allowed us to make up more than 32 miles on 'Sodebo' and 'Actual'," said Cammas. Whether this performance will be enough to secure victory in the overall standings is still unclear at this stage.

Russian Dmitry Rybolovlev's brand new ClubSwan 125 "Skorpios" was the first monohull yacht of the race to round the turning mark off the southern Irish coast. However, with a time of 30 hours, 38 minutes and 43 seconds, the crew missed the Fastnet Rock record for monohulls by just under four hours. This had been set by the US American George David in 2019 with his "Rambler 88", who was in third place this morning. The 60-foot Imoca "Apivia" by Charlie Dalin and Paul Meilhat rounded the rock in second place.

Overall, this year's Rolex Fastnet Race characterised by the rough conditions of an Atlantic low, especially in the first half. The wind was blowing from the south-west at 30 knots in places. In combination with an outgoing tide, an unpleasant wave formed, particularly in the Solent and the British part of the English Channel.

It clearly took its toll on the sailors: more than 50 of the 330 or so yachts entered had to retire early from the race - including prominent sailors such as Yannick Bestaven. The Vendée Globe winner's "Maître Coq" was damaged in a collision at the bow during the turmoil at the start.

The race also came to a premature end for Loïck Peyron's crew on the "No Limits", an Outremer 50. The mast broke west of the Isle of Wight on the first night. The same fate befell the crew of Axel Tréhin's Class 40 the next day, which led the fleet for a long time.

Among the German sailors, the crew of the offshore yacht "Varuna" (KER 56) stands out in particular. The team is currently in 16th place in the overall rankings. The sailing group Störtebeker on the Carkeek 47 of the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt and the Volvo Open 70 "Hypr" skippered by Jens Lindner sailed consistently in the top 30. 13 teams from Germany are taking part in the legendary race.

The Fastnet Race is the largest offshore race in the world.Sailors from 31 nations are taking part this year. The majority come from Great Britain (149) and France (111). But there are also crews from Japan, Hong Kong and Mexico.

The preliminary results and a live tracker can be found on the Fastnet Race website.