Slow Sailing in the Fastnet

The Rolex Fastnet Race started from Cowes on the Isle of Wight yesterday afternoon. Lloyd Thornberg’s MOD70 trimaran Phaedo3 led a record pack of 356 boats out the Solent and into the English Channel.

Late in the afternoon (local time) today, the big trimarans made it to the turning mark, Fastnet Rock south of Ireland, and are on their way back to the finish at Plymouth.

Rambler 88 is leading the monohulls and the IRC fleet overall. Fellow maxis Comanche, Leopard and the newly-launched Maxi 72 Momo are free and clear in the Celtic Sea, but all the rest are trapped back by Cornwall in a high-pressure system that is stalling out the breeze. The monohull race record  for the 603-mile course — 42 hours, 39 minutes — set by Ian Walker and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Volvo 70 in 2011 is safe for another two years. Check out everyone’s current positions on the tracker here.