Centenary Fastnet turns tactical after halfway point
With the Fastnet Rock now behind the frontrunners, the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race has entered its decisive phase. Multihull leaders have begun their charge towards Cherbourg, navigating a patchwork of breeze across the Celtic Sea. Monohull leaders are just making the Fastnet pass now. Among the Admiral’s Cup fleet, triple points are on the line, with Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand crews all still in contention.
Holding the lead at halfway
First to round the Fastnet Rock was SVR-Lazartigue, the Tom Laperche-skippered foiling Ultim trimaran, at 15:22 BST on Sunday. Her time—1 day, 4 hours, 2 minutes—was far from record-breaking, but she holds a slender lead over Banque Populaire and Actual Ultim 4 as they begin the downwind dash to Cherbourg.
© James Tomlinson/RORC
In the multihull battle just behind, MOD70 Zoulou and Argo continue their fierce duel, with Ocean Fifty Inter Invest also in the mix.
Among monohulls, SHK Scallywag is currently in the line honours lead, followed closely by Black Jack 100 and Leopard. Pyewacket 70, Roy Disney’s Volvo 70 on her final Fastnet, rounded the Rock fourth overall in line honours. Whisper, Imagine, and Varuna 7 remain prominent on IRC Zero standings, with Whisper currently leading on corrected time. In IRC One and IRC Two, the JPK and Swan fleets remain tightly packed.
How the race has shaped up so far
The 2025 Rolex Fastnet began with light southwesterlies and a clean, dramatic send-off from Cowes. The Admiral’s Cup fleet powered out of the Solent under the eyes of the Princess Royal and the Red Arrows, with Monaco’s Jolt 3 and Jolt 6 initially taking control in AC1 and AC2 respectively. Zen (CYCA), Beau Geste (RHKYC), and Caro (RNZYS) were close behind.
Tactical gambles started early. Zen hugged the inshore route at Portland Bill and surged back into contention. At Land’s End, most of the fleet split to the west side of the TSS, but Back 2 Black (CYCA) took an eastern gamble. Meanwhile, the bigger boats began to fan out; Black Pearl going furthest north, Beau Geste further offshore.
As the fleet entered the Celtic Sea, conditions remained light. Some teams favoured the north for potential breeze and tide relief, while others stuck to the rhumb line. These tactical splits are beginning to show dividends—or costs—on the run back from the Rock.
Multihulls have suffered variable speeds: SVR-Lazartigue was foiling at 35 knots post-rounding, but others like Zoulou reported “snakes and ladders” conditions at under 10 knots. IMOCAs, led by Association Petits Princes-Queguiner, Charal, and Initiatives Coeur, also faced a shutdown crossing, with under 12 knots of wind and constant sail trimming needed to stay in the game.
Among the IRC and Admiral’s Cup boats, the big tidal gate at Portland and the complex weather models around the Scilly Isles have dictated gains and losses. The fast JPK 1180s in AC2—Django, Garm, Sunrise IV—have begun their classic charge after struggling early. In AC1, the tight battle continues between Jolt 3, Zen, Caro, and Beau Geste, with corrected-time margins measured in minutes.
While conditions have been light, they’ve also been relatively kind: only a few retirements have occurred so far. Most notable was Canada Ocean Racing, who withdrew just before midnight on Sunday due to a hydraulic control failure. The IMOCA team, focused on The Ocean Race Europe, is now safely heading to Cherbourg for repairs.
New Zealand team update
New Zealand’s Caro lies 30th in Fastnet monohull line honours at halfway but is second in Admiral’s Cup Class 1, just behind Zen (CYCA) and ahead of Van Uden (Amsterdam). Callisto is 39th in Fastnet line honours and sits sixth in AC2, behind Django, Abracadabra, Garm, Sunrise IV, and Jolt 6. Beau Ideal, which includes Kiwi sailors Nick Egnot-Johnson, Dave Sweet, and Ryan Houston, is seventh in AC2. Beau Geste, with Bex Gmuer Hornell aboard, is fifth in AC1.
Pyewacket update
Pyewacket 70, racing in her final Fastnet under Roy Disney’s ownership, continues to hold her own in an elite pack. At time of writing, she sits fourth in monohull line honours, trading tacks with fellow Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 and the 100-footers Scallywag and Black Jack.
There is more to come
With the early fleet now starting to head past Fastnet Rock, the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race enters its most demanding stretch. Light and patchy breezes across the Celtic Sea and English Channel will test every tactical call, every sail change, and every moment of crew concentration. For the Admiral’s Cup teams, triple points are on the line—and the leaderboard could still shift dramatically before Cherbourg. For the rest of the fleet, from seasoned pros to Corinthian crews, the Rock may be behind them—but the finish line is still a long way off. This race is far from decided.
