North Sails in the Rolex Fastnet Race: #NSVictoryList: Fastnet first to finish

by North Sails 5 Aug 2019 23:00 PDT

2019 Rolex Fastnet Race © North Sails

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#NSVictoryList: Fastnet First To Finish
North Powers Early Success Into Plymouth

Records have fallen fast at this year's Rolex Fastnet Race and North Sails is proud to be a part of our client’s success in the 2019 edition of the historic event. First-to-finish were North powered boats, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and Rambler 88 who now hold three new race records between them.

Co-skippers Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier sailed their North 3Di powered Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild to record-smashing success, claiming both the overall race record and the multihull record to Fastnet Rock. The French duo completed the 605-mile race in 1 day, 4 hours 2 minutes and 26 seconds, breaking the previous multihull record by 4 hours, 45 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cammas and Caudrelier had their work cut out for them in a marathon match race with MACIF, also powered by North 3Di and co-skippered by François Gabart and Jimmy Spithill. “It was a true match race with MACIF", explained Cammas. “We were within 3.5 miles of them, and in sight of each other the whole race. It was so exciting to be able to race this style in very fast giant multihulls. It was intense and the whole crew had to be totally focused. We pushed to the max, and we didn’t get much sleep.”

Images © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi

Rambler 88 was first to finish amongst the monohulls. Owner George David and crew beat a fleet stacked with heavy competition in the 48th edition of this race. Rambler 88 arrived into Plymouth with an elapsed time of 1d 19h 55m 2s, just 1 hour, 16 minutes shy of the monohull race record set by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in 2011.

They came short of the overall race record, but Rambler 88 did set a new monohull record to Fastnet Rock. This is the second time one of David’s race boats has broken that record, rounding the Rock in 2011 at record pace just prior to losing the keel and miraculously having the entire 21-person crew rescued. With the Rock safely behind them, the team was hopeful of an overall race record, but the weather was not in their favor. “Our route plan at the Rock was we would finish at six or seven this morning, which would have been ahead of the record,” explained David. “The problem was we turned the corner at the Scillies and came down the Channel and it was VMG the whole way. We sailed probably an extra 40 to 50 miles. That extra distance sailed added maybe another two or three hours on to our time.”

Seeing our clients squeeze every ounce of performance from their equipment motivates all of us at North Sails to build sails that are fast and stand up to whatever Mother Nature serves up. You can track the remaining Fastnet finishers on the Official Race Tracker.