With a record-breaking fleet of 430 yachts, the celebratory 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race presented a stirring sight as it got underway off Cowes, England.
A strong south-westerly wind combined with an outgoing tide to deliver a tough, early test in this demanding 695 nautical mile offshore race, which finishes in Cherbourg, France.
First held in 1925, the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race is organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Rolex has partnered the event since 2001 and the contest is one of the foundations of the Swiss Watchmaker’s more than six-decade-long association with the sport of yachting.
