The Ultim trimaran SVR-Lazartigue was the first boat to reach the finish line of the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race. The Ultim giant completed the 695 nautical mile (1,287 km) non-stop route from Cowes on the Isle of Wight via Fastnet Rock to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in 1 day, 17 hours, 18 minutes and 4 seconds.
Rolex Fastnet Race: two victories in a row
However, Les Bleus were unable to match their own record of 2023 after the easy opening conditions this year. The record from two years ago remains at 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes and 27 seconds. The same boat now lacked around eight and a half hours.
Nevertheless, the joy at the finish was exuberant, as "SVR Lazartigue" skipper Tom Laperche and his prominent crew were able to relegate their Ultim rivals on "Banque Populaire" to second place with a lead of around three quarters of an hour. For the "Banque Populaire" team skippered by Armel Le Cléac'h, Sam Goodchild explained the mistake that cost his team the possible victory: "We made the big mistake behind Portland and went offshore. We paid heavily for that, because the boats on the inshore made up a lot of ground on us."
On the victorious "SVR Lazartigue", six sailors propelled the trimaran quickly across the course: In addition to Tom Laperche, it was Amélie Grassi, who will start the Ocean Race Europe off Kiel in a few weeks with Team Biotherm, Antoine Gautier, Emilien Lavigne, sailing mastermind Franck Cammas and America's Cup dominator Peter Burling from New Zealand.
Learning to win from François Gabart
Tom Laperche, who succeeded his teacher and "SVR Lazartigue" mastermind François Gabart as skipper, said after the success: "Two participations in the Rolex Fastnet Race and two victories with the trimaran 'SVR-Lazartigue' - I am thrilled. This race is an important part of sailing history and really means a lot to me, especially this year when there were four Ultim boats at the start."
Tom Laperche also took a look back, saying: "I had great memories of the last edition - we had a real battle with the 'Banque Populaire'. The start in the Solent was very intense back then. I was a bit worried that it might happen again. But this time it was much more tactical - a real regatta. We had a great start, leading out of the Solent. Then the wind was very gusty along the English coast. The Irish Sea was difficult."
The "SVR Lazartigue" crew made faster progress again on the Fastnet rocks. Tom Laperche said: "We had a good push towards Fastnet. It was simply incredible to be the first to round the rounding at 40 knots on board the 'SVR Lazartigue' (Rd.: after 1 day, 4 hours, 2 minutes and 53 seconds). The transition from headwind to tailwind at full speed - that was fantastic!"
Rolex Fastnet Race: a victory for the whole team
The journey back to the French port of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin was a quick one, as Tom Laperche described: "The return journey was mostly downwind, but we had to make strategic decisions to choose the best gybes and keep an eye on our competitors at the same time. The crew did an incredible job - there was a lot of manoeuvring. The boat was only back in the water on 3 July. Therefore, this victory is also a confirmation of all the work that has been done in the MerConcept workshops in Concarneau over the past few months."
Tom Laperche, whose team is still heading towards its annual highlight at the Transat Café L'Or in autumn, was correspondingly happy. "This is very promising for the future, but we will continue to work on getting even better. For me, it's my first win as skipper. François has taught me so much during our four years of sailing together. This transition is just beautiful. It's an incredible story."
The team is now focussing on the upcoming double-handed regattas, where Franck Cammas will support Tom Laperche as co-skipper. On the Transat Café L'Or course from 26 October in Le Havre, the 24H Ultim from 26 to 28 September is still on the programme.
"Varuna 6" and "Rafale" on the podium
While the first winners were celebrating in the Rolex Fastnet Race, the battles for position continued at sea. In IRC Zero, Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 "Varuna 6" and Henri de Bokay's "Rafale" moved further ahead in the battle for a podium place, lying in second and third place after around 500 and 470 nautical miles respectively. The IRC Zero field was led by the American Judel/Vrolijk 60 "Whisper" on Monday afternoon.
In IRC Super Zero, Christian Zugel and Johnny Mordaunt's fast Volvo Open 70 "Tschüss 2" took the lead a little further ahead in the field at the start of the last 200 nautical miles. The US-flagged "Tschüss 2" is being chased by the Farr 30m "Leopard 3" and other super maxis such as "Pyewacket 70", "Black Jack 100", "Wind Whisper" and SHK Scallywag. Click here for all results and intermediate results in the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Another brief and pleasing update from the Admiral's Cup fleet: in the large AC 1 class, the Greifswald TP52 "Imagine" worked its way up to seventh place in its second half of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Daniel Baum's "Elida" was in twelfth place. In AC 2, the three German boats "Ginkgo", "X-Day" and "Edelweiss" were in 12th, 13th and 15th place on Monday afternoon.
Battle for the Admiral's Cup: Kwok crews narrowly in front
In the battle for victory in the Admiral's Cup, Karl Kwok's team "Beau Geste" and "Beau Ideal", sailing for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht, led the team ranking with 36 points before the Fastnet start. The duos from the Yacht Club de Monaco (44 points), the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (59 points) and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron followed in second to fourth place. The top teams in the Rolex Fastne Race are also engaged in an exciting battle for the legendary trophy.
On Monday afternoon, the two Hong Kong boats and the two Monaco boats were placed in phases so that their total score for the Rolex Fastnet Race was the same: "Beau Geste" was the leader in AC 1, Peter Harrison's "Jolt 3" was third. In AC 2, Harrison's "Jolt 6" was in second place and Kwok's "Beau Ideal" in fourth.
That would have meant 15 points each for both teams and would have been enough for the Hong Kong team to win the Admiral's Cup. But the race continues. The top boats in AC 1 were still around 270 nautical miles short of the finish line at the time. The best AC 2 boats still had between 330 and 375 nautical miles to go to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. According to the latest forecasts, they are expected to reach the finish line between 30 and 31 July. Depending on how things progress, it could be very, very exciting until then.
The line honours winners of the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race in conversation:
