Rolex Fastnet Race Articles

Yacht Club de Monaco triumphed in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup

The Campaign: Boats, Skippers & Strategy Monaco’s team sailed two boats: Jolt 3, a TP52 skippered by Peter Harrison (competing in AC1, the larger-boat fleet), and Jolt 6, a Carkeek 42 skippered by Pierre Casiraghi, vice‑president of YCM (racing in AC2, the smaller-boat division) The event incorporated three key phases: A RORC Channel Race (160 nm, coefficient ×2), Six inshore races in the Solent, and The Rolex Fastnet Race (695 nm, triple scoring, non‑discardable)
Yacht Club de Monaco triumphed in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup
© Paul Wyeth

Yacht Club de Monaco triumphed in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup

05-08-2025

Black Pearl First to the Rock as the Rolex Admiral’s Cup Teams Power into the Celtic Sea

Black Pearl First to the Rock as the Rolex Admiral’s Cup Teams Power into the Celtic Sea
© ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi
Leading the Rolex Admiral’s Cup fleet to the Rock was Stefan Jentzsch’s Black Pearl (NYYC). Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste (RHKYC) rounded 30 minutes and 19 seconds later, chased hard by Peter Harrison’s Jolt 3 (YCM), just seven minutes further back. “It’s the first time I’ve seen the Rock without fog—it was pure magic,” said Jentzsch. “It’s a huge milestone, but as any climber knows, the descent can be just as tough.
01-08-2025

Dutch Grit and Gybes: ROST Van Uden Take Command in AC1

Rolex Fastnet Race | Admiral’s Cup Dispatch – July 2025 There’s a new name at the top—and it’s flying the Dutch tricolour. The young guns aboard ROST Van Uden (RMYC) have clawed their way into the AC1 lead on corrected time, and they’ve done it with nerve, timing, and a whole lot of boat speed. With 150nm to go, they’re three hours ahead after IRC correction and showing no sign of blinking.
01-08-2025

Northwesterly to the Rock — but no headbanger, finally

Its started on Saturday 26 July 2025 Veterans of the last two Rolex Fastnet Races are checking the weather with cautious optimism. After two editions that opened with 30-knot headwinds and a battering Channel slog, the long-range forecast for this centenary running looks — dare we say it — gentle.
31-07-2025

Explosive Start to the Rolex Fastnet Race for Admiral’s Cup Fleet

After the cannon roared, the fleet scattered like gulls in a gale. Black Pearl (YCCS), skippered by Stefan Jentzch, wasted no time — tacking straight toward the mainland shore. She sniffed out a lift and took it like a thief in the night, gaining ground fast. But out near the island side, Jolt 3 (YCM) helmed by Peter Harrison, was all business — early leader on the water and staying sticky to the fleet like barnacles on a buoy.
30-07-2025

Record MOCRA Turnout for the Fastnet Centenary

The 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race marks 100 years of hard offshore truth — and the multihull fleet has shown up in force. A record 20 boats are racing in the MOCRA class, all gunning for the coveted Crystal Trophy, a prize that’s older than some of the hulls — and certainly a few of the crews.
25-07-2025

Northwesterly to the Rock — but no headbanger, finally

Its starts on Saturday 26 July 2025 Veterans of the last two Rolex Fastnet Races are checking the weather with cautious optimism. After two editions that opened with 30-knot headwinds and a battering Channel slog, the long-range forecast for this centenary running looks — dare we say it — gentle.
24-07-2025

Could two shiny new JPK 1050s cause trouble in IRC Two?

Wouldn’t be the first time a Jean-Pierre Kelbert design came in sideways and stole the silverware. His initials are stamped on the transom — literally — and his boats have a reputation for upsetting the pecking order in offshore racing. The 34-foot JPK 1050 might just be the sharpest new weapon in a fleet of 73, and it’s already shown a flash of brilliance.
20-07-2025

The return of one of sailing’s most iconic regattas

Revived by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) for its centenary year and to be held biennially thereafter, the 2025 edition promises high-performance racing, intense offshore challenges, and a celebration of sailing heritage.
18-07-2025

Record-breaking offshore classics set to race in IRC Zero

IRC Zero has a rich seam of ocean-going history running through it. While French round the world race legend Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (aka VDH) isn’t competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race, two of his former steeds will be on the IRC Zero start line.
10-07-2025

Could a maxi yacht achieve the Rolex Fastnet Race triple?

The fight to claim the prestigious monohull line honours prize in the centenary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race is lining up to be a tough one between the world’s fastest 100ft maxi yachts. The winner of the Erivale Trophy for monohull line honours will follow a long line of the most significant offshore racing yachts of all time, such as Rambler 88, Comanche, ICAP Leopard 3, Alfa Romeo, Stealth, Steinlager 2, Congere, Nirvana, Condor, American Eagle, Gitana IV, Stormvogel, Latifa, among many others.
03-07-2025

Record-sized fleet

Less than two months now remain until the start of the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, this year coinciding with the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centenary. Another huge fleet has entered. While 2023’s 50th edition of the event, that back in 1925 caused the RORC to be founded, saw a record 430 boats set sail, the 2025 entry list indicates that even this figure may be exceeded when the race starts from Cowes on 26 July, bound for Cherbourg-en-Cotentin via the famous Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland.
03-06-2025

The Admiral’s Cup

The Admiral’s Cup stands as one of the most storied and prestigious events in the world of offshore yacht racing, a competition that has long been regarded as the unofficial world championship of the sport.
28-05-2025