100 foot limit relaxed for 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race

Next summer's pinnacle of offshore racing, the Rolex Fastnet Race is likely to be an even greater spectacle, with the event being opened up to yachts larger than the 100ft Leopard and Comanche (seen here at the start of the 2015 record-breaking race) © Rolex / Kurt Arrig

The Royal Ocean Racing Club, organisers of the Rolex Fastnet Race starting on Sunday 6th August 2017, has relaxed the limit of a maximum monohull length of 100ft (30.48m).

The biennial event is the world's biggest offshore race and the last edition attracted a record-sized fleet of 356 starters. The 47th race is expected to be no different, with a diverse fleet of yachts from around the world eager to secure a spot when the online entry system opens at midday (UTC) on 9th January 2017. Such is the draw of this classic 600-mile race, it was oversubscribed in under 24 minutes last time round!

The Fastnet Rock captured byCarlo Borlenghi. Held biennially, the Rolex Fastnet Race has taken place since 1925, drawing competitors by the history and sporting lure of Europe's oldest and greatest offshore contest - photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi

Following interest from a number of superyacht owners and skippers wishing to take part in this classic offshore race, the RORC Race Committee has elected to lift the 100ft (30.48m) monohull limit opening the race up to the new breed of fast and agile cruiser/racer designs such as Peter Harrison's beautiful Farr designed ketch Sojana, the new Swan 115's and Baltic 115's, to name but a few. These yachts are regularly seen on the superyacht race circuit and have always been eligible to race in another RORC classic 600-miler, the annual RORC Caribbean 600 from Antigua.

In the last Rolex Fastnet Race there were two monohulls at this upper limit of 100ft: Mike Slade's British Farr 100, Leopard who was competing in his 5th consecutive race and from the United States, Jim and Kristy Hinze Clark's Maxi Comanche. The 100ft Comanche was the fastest monohull finisher in 2015, but narrowly missed the chance to break Ian Walker's VO70's 2011 monohull race record of 42 hours 39 minutes.

For more information on the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race starting on 6th August, please go to: fastnet.rorc.org