IN
NUMBERS THEY SAID...per cent of sailors in
the 2019 Rolex Fastnet
Race will be women.
Only one female
skipper has won it –
French sailor Catherine
Chabaud in 1999the average number
of times the top-
10 fi nishers have
competed in La
Solitaire URGO Le
Figaro. Although
this year’s (second
time) winner Yoann
Richomme has done 810
7
“It is a relief it is over. I am sure in a week
I will be missing it. On day two I was
leading and then suddenly you are in
the back of the eet. I was happy to get
the lead as I sailed into it with a tactical
decision, and I am happy I seem to be
fast, but I don’t seem to have had the luck
to pull an overall result. It is hard to keep
up with these good guys!
Will Harris at the conclusion of
a promising campaign on La Solitaire,
which resulted in a 22nd place“In true British
style, with a
sti upper lip
we will put our
disappointment
behind us and
come out
ghting”
Dylan Fletcher, the helmsman
of the SailGP GBR Team
following their capsize“ at was wild.
Probably the wildest
day yachting I have ever
had. It’s quite a tricky, little
race track with some wild pu s and
big breeze. We had moments where our
top speed was 43 knots going into the
bottom mark, which is not very pleasant”
Phil Robertson, China SailGP Team helmsman, after his fi rst day
racing on the Hudson River.“Regrettably, it is no longer nancially
viable for OC Sport to continue running
the series. We have spent many months
exploring the option of a management
buy-out. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach
an agreement which was favourable. e
result is the nal closure of our Extreme
Sailing Series business. Sailing continues
to be a key sport for OC Sport but we are
now focused on the o shore side of the
sport. We will continue to manage our
established o shore events including
the annual La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro,
La Transat AG2R La Mondiale and the
four-yearly Route du Rhum-Destination
Guadeloupe and e Transat.”
Hervé Favre, CEO at OC Sport on the demise of the Extreme
Sailing Serieseditions of Dartmouth
Royal Regatta are
being celebrated in
August (see p32).
Regattas have taken
place in the harbour
since the 1820s,
the current series
starting in 1834175
years of the RS800 are
being celebrated on 7
September with a one-
day Reunion Regatta
aimed at people who
sailed 800s over the
years, followed by a
dinner in Eastbourne.
See our full RS
feature next month20
Retractable keel warning
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a
safety bulletin following the capsize of an RS Venture Connect
sailing boat on Windermere which resulted in the death of
crewman Stephen Hague, 57. The restraining device for the
keel, a Velcro strap designed to secure the keel in the lowered
position, was not in place. In windy conditions on the day, the
boat, similar to that pictured below, was knocked down and
heeled, so that the keel retracted entirely. The assistant
instructor was able to swim clear. The safety boat crew
attended the scene quickly, but could not right the boat in time
to rescue Stephen. Following the incident, the RYA has advised
owners and operators of boats with either a retractable keel or
retractable weighted
centreboard, regardless of
make or model, to ensure
the manufacturer’s
instructions regarding the
securing of the keel or
weighted centreboard have
been followed.
probably about time too, isn’t it? We’ve been second a couple
of times over the years, but the reality is there are some very
good sailors out there and very good boats; you’ve got to be
lucky and get the breaks. Unless you’ve done the preparation
and put yourself in a position to get the breaks, it doesn’t
happen – but you do still have to be lucky.”
Yves Le Blevec’s multihull Actual Leader led for much of the
race, managing to shake o her closest rivals on the water
Jethou, Ino XXX, Lady Mariposa and Mini Y.
“This is now my fourth time competing here but in this boat
it was tricky,” said a delighted Le Blevec. “We stayed in the
same place for two or three hours o Ventnor in no wind,
which was frustrating. Actual is designed as a round the world
boat, not round the island. It is very di cult to manage tacking
or gybing so often, so we are pleased to have done so well
today.”
See our full Round the Island Race report next month.
August 2019 Yachts & Yachting 7