Tom Dolan returns to home waters aboard IMOCA Charal for Rolex Fastnet Centenary
by Tom Dolan Racing 25 Jul 22:42 AEST
Tom Dolan returns to home waters aboard IMOCA Charal for Rolex Fastnet Centenary © Marin Le Roux / PolaRYSE
Irish sailor Tom Dolan will once again join offshore racing legend Jérémie Beyou aboard IMOCA Charal for the 100th anniversary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most historic and demanding offshore races in the world.
On Saturday, 26th July, a fleet of over 400 boats will depart Cowes, UK, charting a 695-nautical-mile course to the Fastnet Rock, the iconic Irish lighthouse and on to the finish line in Cherbourg, France. For Dolan, it will mark his second passage of the Fastnet this season, with another to follow during La Solitaire du Figaro.
This leg of the race holds special meaning for Dolan, not only as part of his professional journey but as a return to the waters of West Cork, where he once trained in Baltimore before launching his Mini Transat campaign in France. Now, sailing past the same coastline aboard one of the fastest offshore monohulls, a cutting-edge IMOCA 60, is a powerful reminder of how far he has come.
"It's a dream come true to be sailing around the Fastnet in one of the fastest monohulls in the fleet," says Dolan. "For the first half of the race, we're especially quick upwind, so we're quietly confident going in. It's definitely a mental boost knowing the conditions play to our boat's strengths. And any chance I get to sail past Baltimore and see the Beacon brings on a wave of nostalgia."
Now based in Brittany, Dolan has spent the last 15 years building his reputation in the ultra-competitive French solo sailing scene, becoming one of the few non-French sailors to achieve consistent success in events like the Figaro. His rise through the ranks has earned him a place alongside Beyou in the IMOCA Globe Series, where the pair continue to compete at the highest level of offshore racing.
They will race in this Fastnet edition with much of the same crew from the Course des Caps, including Lou Berthomé but with the addition of Morgan Lagravière, a former Fastnet winner aboard the multihull Gitana.
Having already raced extensively this season along the south coast of England and the north coast of France, the team has built up a solid bank of local knowledge and weather notes, an advantage that could prove crucial in the light wind conditions forecasted for this year's race.
The preparation also feeds directly into Dolan's next major challenge: defending his title in the Solitaire du Figaro with the Figaro 3 Kingspan, whose opening leg takes a similarly symbolic course, once again rounding Fastnet Rock. For Tom Dolan, the Fastnet isn't just a turning mark, it's a compass point that connects his past, present, and future in the sport.
Follow Tom on the IMOCA Charal via the race tracker: yb.tl/fastnet2025