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The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Sailing-French trimaran takes line honours in 100th anniversary Fastnet Race
(Reuters) -SVR Lazartigue surged to line honours in the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race on Monday, the sleek blue trimaran slicing through the darkness to become the first of a record-breaking 444-strong fleet to reach Cherbourg, France. Skippered by 28-year-old Tom Laperche and packed with ocean-racing royalty — Franck Cammas, Peter Burling and Amelie Grassi among them — the 32-metre foiling Ultim completed the 695-nautical mile course in one day, 17 hours and 18 minutes. That was short of her own record of one day, 8 hours, 38 minutes from 2023, but still more than enough to comfortably seal victory. In offshore racing, line honours go to the first boat to finish the course — typically the fastest, most technologically advanced yacht in the fleet. But the overall winner of the Fastnet Race is awarded the Fastnet Challenge Cup, based on corrected time under the International Rating Certificate (IRC) handicap system. The IRC system levels the playing field across different boat sizes and designs, meaning a well-sailed 12-metre yacht can beat a 30-metre racing machine once handicaps are applied. SVR Lazartigue crossed the line just before 0538 CET (0338 GMT) on Monday, more than 50 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire. Actual Ultim 4 came home third among the Ultim class, nearly three and a half hours behind the winner. With two Ultims still racing and the bulk of the monohull fleet spread across the Channel, the battle again showcased the blistering speed and cutting-edge design of offshore trimarans. Monohull line honours, awarded to the first monohull to finish regardless of rating, are still to be decided. The Rolex Fastnet Race has tested sailors' skill and endurance for a century. First held in 1925 with seven boats, the biennial contest now draws hundreds of yachts from around the globe, setting off from Cowes on England's Isle of Wight and tracing a 695-nautical mile course around the famous Fastnet Rock off Ireland's south coast before finishing in Cherbourg. (Reporting by Ossian Shine, editing by Ed Osmond)
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
French trimaran takes line honours in 100th anniversary Fastnet Race
SVR Lazartigue surged to line honours in the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race on Monday, the sleek blue trimaran slicing through the darkness to become the first of a record-breaking 444-strong fleet to reach Cherbourg, France. Skippered by 28-year-old Tom Laperche and packed with ocean-racing royalty — Franck Cammas, Peter Burling and Amelie Grassi among them — the 32-metre foiling Ultim completed the 695-nautical mile course in one day, 17 hours and 18 minutes. That was short of her own record of one day, 8 hours, 38 minutes from 2023, but still more than enough to comfortably seal victory. In offshore racing, line honours go to the first boat to finish the course — typically the fastest, most technologically advanced yacht in the fleet. But the overall winner of the Fastnet Race is awarded the Fastnet Challenge Cup, based on corrected time under the International Rating Certificate (IRC) handicap system. The IRC system levels the playing field across different boat sizes and designs, meaning a well-sailed 12-metre yacht can beat a 30-metre racing machine once handicaps are applied. SVR Lazartigue crossed the line just before 0538 CET (0338 GMT) on Monday, more than 50 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire. Actual Ultim 4 came home third among the Ultim class, nearly three and a half hours behind the winner. With two Ultims still racing and the bulk of the monohull fleet spread across the Channel, the battle again showcased the blistering speed and cutting-edge design of offshore trimarans. Monohull line honours, awarded to the first monohull to finish regardless of rating, are still to be decided. The Rolex Fastnet Race has tested sailors' skill and endurance for a century. First held in 1925 with seven boats, the biennial contest now draws hundreds of yachts from around the globe, setting off from Cowes on England's Isle of Wight and tracing a 695-nautical mile course around the famous Fastnet Rock off Ireland's south coast before finishing in Cherbourg. REUTERS
Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Global armada primed for yacht racing's greatest epic as Fastnet turns 100
PORTSMOUTH, England - The world's largest offshore yacht race turns 100 on Saturday, with a record-breaking fleet of more than 450 yachts from 26 countries lining up in Cowes on Britain's Isle of Wight for the Rolex Fastnet Race's centenary edition. This milestone race offers a fascinating clash between sailing's fastest technology and amateur passion, with the fleet set to cover 695 nautical miles, rounding Fastnet Rock about 13 kilometres southwest of Cape Clear Island, off the southern coast of Ireland, and finishing in Cherbourg, France. At the front, four giant 32-metre Ultim trimarans capable of 50 knots — more than 90 km/h -- will set the pace, led by last year's record-holder SVR-Lazartigue and an all-star crew of Frenchman Tom Laperche, Franck Cammas and New Zealander Peter Burling. They face serious challenges from Actual Ultim 4, the in-form Maxi Banque Populaire XI, and Thomas Coville's Sodebo Ultim 3, all eager to better the benchmark time of 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes. The IMOCA 60 class brings its own intrigue. Double Fastnet winner Charlie Dalin is absent, opening the door for rivals like Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea. This year, all eight IMOCAs feature female crew, and three have female skippers - an important milestone for the class. The MOCRA multihull division is also at full strength, with 20 entries and a highlight battle between the MOD70s Argo and Zoulou. But the real backbone of the Fastnet is the diverse IRC fleet, where 385 monohulls of every shape and vintage race together under a common International Rating Certificate (IRC) rating rule handicap. IRC Four, the slowest class, has nearly 100 boats - including family crews like Richard and Sophie Palmer on Jangada, and Turkey's First 35 Express, racing to inspire at home. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore LTA seeks tailored solutions to improve Bukit Panjang LRT's maintenance inspections Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Opinion Singapore's vaping crisis lays bare the drug addiction nightmare for parents Opinion With Shatec cutting back operations, what's next for the hospitality sector? Opinion Sumiko at 61: 7 facts about facial skin ageing, and skincare ingredients that actually work Life Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies by drowning at 54 Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region World UK, France and 23 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of civilians Last year's monohull line honours - awarded to the first monohull to finish, regardless of handicap - went to MACIF IMOCA, skippered by Dalin in two days, seven hours, 16 minutes and 26 seconds. The Fastnet Challenge Cup, for the best corrected time under IRC, was claimed by Caro, a Botin 52 skippered by Max Klink. Whether chasing records, redemption, or just the satisfaction of rounding Fastnet Rock, this centenary fleet is ready to add another chapter to the history of offshore racing when the cannon fires in Cowes. REUTERS
