A blistering finish for the Ultims
SVR Lazartigue, skippered by French offshore rising star Tom Laperche and featuring New Zealand’s Peter Burling among its elite crew, has stormed to Multihull Line Honours in the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
The 32-metre flying blue rocket stopped the clock after just 1 day, 17 hours, 18 minutes, and 4 seconds, blasting its way down the 695 nautical mile course from Cowes to Cherbourg via the iconic Fastnet Rock.
Joining Laperche and Burling aboard SVR Lazartigue were Amélie Grassi, Antoine Gautier, Emilien Lavigne, and veteran Franck Cammas — a formidable offshore crew whose precision showed in every gybe, foil and sail change.
SVR-Lazartigue: The flying trimaran redefining offshore sailing
Close fight for the podium
Less than an hour behind was Banque Populaire, skippered by Armel Le Cléac’h with Thierry Chabagny and a crew of five, finishing in 1d 18h 03m 52s. The French-flagged Ultim showed strong pace down the western approaches but couldn’t overhaul Lazartigue in the final sprint.
Third across the line was Actual Ultim 4 in 1d 20h 46m 39s, skippered by Anthony Marchand, with a crew that included Alan Roberts, Laurane Mettraux and Ronan Gladu.
Rounding out the Ultim podium was Sodebo Ultim 3, finishing in 1d 21h 49m 43s, helmed by Thomas Coville — no stranger to solo and crewed ocean records. Despite a strong performance, Sodebo fell back in the final push along the Channel.
Zoulou next up, monohulls closing fast
Zoulou, also a French Ultim, is the next closest multihull with 81 nautical miles remaining to the finish as of Monday morning. While her final time won’t threaten the top four, she continues the Ultim dominance in this centenary race.
In the monohull fleet, Black Jack 100 currently leads on Line Honours, with SHK Scallywag, Leopard 3, and the American Pyewacket 70 all in pursuit.
But it’s Tschüss 2, a Botin 52, that’s currently leading the IRC Overall standings on handicap — a reminder that raw speed and corrected time often tell very different stories in offshore racing.
Tschüss 2 dominates the Atlantic in a year of double Transatlantic glory
Admiral’s Cup update: Monaco looking strong
In the Admiral’s Cup division, it’s a battle of pride, points, and pedigree.
Early Monday morning, Stefan Jentzch’s Botin 56 Black Pearl became the first Admiral’s Cup boat to round Fastnet Rock, reaching the turn at 06:54 BST. But the real race is being fought on corrected time.
Currently, Beau Geste (Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club) has moved into the handicap lead in the AC1 fleet, while in AC2, despite Garm (RORC – Red) leading on the water, Django JPK (Yacht Club Costa Smeralda) is in front on corrected time.
The Yacht Club de Monaco team — with Jolt 3 (Botin 52 IRC) and Jolt 6 (Carkeek 40 Mk2 GP MOD LH) — now looks poised to take the overall Admiral’s Cup lead.
A centenary worthy of legends
With four of the world’s fastest multihulls now tied up in Cherbourg and the monohull fleets hurtling down the western Channel, the 100th Rolex Fastnet Race is shaping up as one of the most competitive in recent memory.
The blend of cutting-edge Ultim technology, fierce monohull battles, and passionate Admiral’s Cup rivalry has made this a centenary edition to remember.
As the rest of the 444-strong fleet pushes toward the finish, all eyes are now on who will top the IRC overall leaderboard — and which two-boat national team will raise the coveted Admiral’s Cup.
