The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock in Cherbourg.

The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock in Cherbourg.

Having taken part in numerous famous races around the world, 2025 was a first for David Griffith and his JV62 Whisper in the Rolex Fastnet Race. For a great majority of the race, Whisper was leading the IRC 0 division but ran out of breeze on the last morning approaching Cherbourg from the west. Whisper is currently lying 4th in the division. @TheAdmiralsCup

Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock in Cherbourg - information on finished boats including a summary of discussions with the Black Jack 100 team and an update on the leaderboard across the different classes. @rolex fastnet race

In a light sou’wester under a starlit sky Remon Vos’ Black Jack 100 crossed the Fastnet Race finish line inside Cherbourg harbour’s breakwater. She finished the race at 12.21am BST taking the Erivale Trophy for Monohull Line Honours. Skipper Tristan Le Brun talks about the close battle with SHK Scallywag as the two 100 hundred footers approached the Fastnet Rock. We also spoke to the four Aussies on board, Bruce Clark, Liam Woulfe, Andrew ‘Hendo’ Henderson and Harley Spreadbury-Key. @blackjackyachting7093

The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Race Start

@rolex fastnet race

Bedouin, a Swan 53 owned and co-skippered by Linda Goddard has one of the more unusual crew lists – three of her four children are on board as well as an ‘adopted daughter’ of old family friends. The team includes co-skipper Guigelmo Girdano (Italy), navigator Alice Parker (Australia) and a broad mix of crew hailing from Sydney, London, Naples, Majorca and Genoa. Having dabbled in regattas including the Swan Cup in 1922 and the Les Voiles de Saint Tropez regatta in 2022 they then stepped up to the Agean 600 in 2023 as well as the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2024 which served as the qualifier for the Rolex Fastnet Race. Linda’s eldest daughter Indy is not racing this time due to work commitments and their ‘old family friend and adopted daughter’ Zoe Lay from Germany has joined the team. In this interview, recorded the day before the start of the Fastnet Race, Linda talks about life on the boat, her delight at having Alice Parker as her Navigator, changes they make when racing as well as the bond between her and all the children. At time of writing Bedouin Iying first in IRC1 and third in IRC Overall behind Tshuss 2 & Pyewacket 70.

Here is a Bow Caddy compilation of the material supplied by Rolex for media use. We have tried to put in all the Australian content. @rolex fastnet race

The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock in Cherbourg.

Crosbie Lorimer discusses with Alice Parker, the navigator on the 53 Bedouin the differences in navigation required for a cruiser/racer or a Grand Prix racer. @Rolex fastnet race

Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock in Cherbourg. Post Script: Apologies for the mixup in the leaderboard for the 100 footers. It should have been Black Jack leading from Leopard 3 and then SHK Scallywag and all within a three nautical mile radius of each other. David Griffith's Whisper is eighteen miles behind SHK Scallywag. In the AC1s leader on line honours are NYYC entry Black Pearl, followed by HKYC's Beau Geste, RYSN Caro & Jolt 3 from the YCDM and these four are all within three nautical miles of each other. @TheAdmiralsCup @rorcracing

With only one of the Bow Caddy team being given a spot on the media rib, our trusty videographer made her way down to the shore and shot from the pebbly beach. Whilst we were able to get close, seeing through the spectator boats certainly gave it a different perspective. The Australian entries of ZEN (Sail Number 52001 with ‘WHAT A DROP’ on the sail can be seen in various shots, BACK2BLACK is a little harder – she is only visible towards the later part of the video. Her sail number is AUS 1. Our stills photographer came back from the media boat trying not to sound too happy! Good luck to Zen & Back2Black. @TheAdmiralsCup

The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer talks with Sean Langman from Back2Black prior to their dock out. @TheAdmiralsCup

The Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock on race day and catches the Zen Racing before they head to the boat. We hope to catch Sean Langman and the Back2Black team before they dock out.

Two key members of the SHK Scallywag team are crew boss Luke ‘Parko’ Parkinson and North Sails’ Mark “Squark’ Bradford; both have sailed with Witty for many years. In this interview Parko explains the role of a crew boss on a 100 footer, while Squark explains what extended crossovers in sail design does to reduce weight and the frequency of sail changes.

On the first night of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race the 100 footer SHK Scallywag broke her bowsprit and was retired from the race. Skipper David Witt vowed that this would never happen again and, with the endorsement of owner Seng Huang Lee, went about a series of upgrades to the boat. In the ensuing two years, the boat has been campaigned hard in the Med, taking Line Honours in the Middle Sea Race and the Loro Piana Giraglia Race. In this interview Witty talks about the upgrades and how the three 100 footers in the Rolex Fastnet Race will all have their moments to shine in the varied conditions. @TheAdmiralsCup

The Admiral's Cup & Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer talks with renowned meterologist and navigator Will Oxley about the weather forecast for the race and how SHK Scallywag will Apologies for the signal dropout at the beginning of this interview with Will, but it is well worth your while hearing what he has to say about the weather and how SHK Scallywag will tackle the race. @TheAdmiralsCup

The Admiral's Cup & Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer brings you the latest from the dock prior to the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The Admiral's Cup & Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 | Crosbie Lorimer talk with the father & son team of Gordon & Charlie Magure from the CYCA entry Back2Black. @TheAdmiralsCup