Cathy Brown, whose wise words from the world of sailing normally keep these pages alive, will be setting out from Cowes on Sunday morning to race in the Rolex Fastnet. Throughout 2007 she has been busy training, preparing Brave - her Grand Soleil 40 - for the race, fitting her with all the required safety equipment, and finally filling the fridge with enough quiches to last the duration. But this weekend Cathy - and Brave - will be off and we're going to follow her progress here on TheMainSail.
For those new to the sport, the Fastnet is a race of just over 600 miles, which takes competitors from Cowes out through the Solent and the English Channel to Fastnet rock, off the south west tip of Ireland. The fleet then heads back towards the Isles of Scilly, finishing in Plymouth anywhere between about four and eight days later.
How long will Cathy's boat take? Make your guess in the forum and win yourself a pack of six Skinz, which protect your mobile phone from water.
If you want to keep an eye on Cathy's progress and congratulate yourself on your powers of divination - or perhaps wish you'd plummed for a different finishing time - you can follow the position of every boat taking part in the race on the tracking pages of the RORC Fastnet site. If you don't have that much time on your hands, we'll fill you in too.
For more information about the race, check the RORC website, and if you're interested in the logistics of planning and preparation, take a look at Cathy's blog.
- The first Fastnet race was held in 1925 and began in Ryde, Isle of Wight, rather than the modern-day starting point in Cowes. Seven boats took part.
- Jolie Brise, the winner of the first Fastnet, is still racing today and won the 2000 Tall Ships Race overall.
- The pinnacle of Fastnet Rock stands nearly 100 feet above the low water mark and can be seen from nearly 30 miles away in good conditions.
- The worst season for the Fastnet was in 1979 when a storm system caused 194 retirements from the race. Five boats sank, 24 were abandoned, 136 sailors had to be rescued, and 17 died.
- Restrictions on electronic aids were lifted in 1983.
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