Poole JOG 2011

Eight crew members gathered at Port Hamble Marina in the sunshine on Friday evening. We were mostly new to J/109s so Richard (owner and skipper) gave us a detailed tour of the deck introducing the bowsprit and demonstrating a hoist of the snuffed kite and bucket. The failing light and the rumbling noises from our stomachs indicated it was time to head or some food. We enjoyed some carbo-loading pasta dishes at Banana Wharf before getting our heads down to ensure we were fully rested for the early start in the morning.

We pushed off the pontoon at 7am, and headed across to the start area off Egypt Point near Cowes, our ears keenly tuned to the weather forecast. The conditions were on the wild side, Force 8 had been mentioned, but we were all game for the trip to Poole so there were a few disappointed faces when the race officer announced the red flag was flying which meant we were staying in the Solent. When the details of the course were announced, it transpired we were indeed heading for Poole, just wasting a bit of time rounding marks in the Solent until the worst of the weather and tide had passed. Smiles all round!

There was a strong south-westerly, and it was a downwind start, so we prepped the number 4 kite following almost to the letter our marina-bound lesson from the evening before. A slick launch was slightly delayed,  while we sorted the tack from the clew, but we managed to get it up for a few hundred metres before we reached the first mark. The kite was then stashed safely for the rest of the day as we would be beating upwind for the rest of the race.

Crew on the rail going upwind to Poole

We zig-zagged close inshore up the Western Solent to keep out of the flooding tide, watching the depth carefully to leave our tacks as late as possible. After coming through the Hurst narrows we kept north, leaving North Head to port as the course demanded. There was a decent swell and we were all sat on the rail taking frequent salty showers – I'm sure our grinders appreciated a shower to cool them down after building up quite a sweat doing a great job with all those tacks!

We passed Christchurch and headed straight for the squall between us and the finish line in Studland Bay – a tactical decision which left us drenched but rewarded us with 6th place!

Safely moored up in Poole we turned the boat into a washing line and debriefed while crunching on salt-and-vinegar discos (appreciated more by some than others). Post-showers we gathered in a cosy pub for some peas (mostly served with fish and chips) and then another early night.

Sunday morning brought more rain – nevermind, none of our kit had dried overnight anyway – but with it some fantastic skies decorated with pretty rainbows. Once the nasty stuff had blown through we were treated to a pleasant run all the way home.

Sunday morning - Emily on foredeck ready for the launch

The course was the reverse of the outward leg, leaving North Head to starboard on our way back into the Solent, which gave us plenty of opportunity to learn the dos and don’ts of both inside and outside gybes with the J/109’s asymmetric spinnaker.

Back in Hamble we stripped Jangada Too of her sails (she is dry sailed), briefly using the main as a bivouac, as yet more rain (hail even) came down on us. A fitting end to a fantastic, if slightly wet, weekend!

Many thanks to Richard for allowing us on board Jangada Too, for skippering two great races and for all his patient tuition (especially on rope tidying!).


Emily

Home At Last

Sitting writing this while looking out of the window at a vista of greenery the last few days seem a little surreal. This being Britain it should be no surprise that in a few days we'd experience everything from a perfect force 4 to a sleigh ride through waves big enough to catch one very surprised garfish unawares, when it was flung bodily into the cockpit in the early hours of Tuesday morning. And then back again to end up drifting in a flat calm with the rays of the setting sun over the headland at Plymouth.

It was very frustrating having the relatively small but significant technical problems that put us out of the race after weathering the storm rather literally, but such is sailing. Shortly after we arrived at Plymouth on Thursday evening something like a third of the fleet arrived in a very short space of time. They'd been becalmed for hours not far offshore and then the wind arrived and swept them up all together, giving the race officers a very busy night. You can read all about it on the RORC site http://fastnet.rorc.org/.

We spent some time recovering and "rehydrating" courtesy of the 24 hour beer tent (it'd be mean to close it to those arriving after last orders), then spent Friday sorting out various things, eating and wandering around Plymouth, which was looking fantastic in the summer sun, particularly the view from the Hoe.

The prize giving was held in the Citadel up on the Hoe in the evening. Blue Juice is going back to Southampton today, with a stop en route as no water pump equals no engine equals no battery charge and hence no lights! The crew, meanwhile have scattered onto trains, into cars and some even onto other boats.

So, a mixed and eventful experience, some of which I'd prefer not to repeat (but probably will), and much of which was great fun at the time and can only get better with hindsight. Once thing is certain - it was a lot better than watching Big Brother.

We will try and put together a more organised report in the fullness of time, so watch the CSORC web site www.csorc.org for that and news of the club in general.

A final big thanks to Trev and all the crew.

Nick

The saga continues...

We made reasonable progress until about 4pm, when the water pump on the engine started chattering. Thirty minutes later it finally gave up. Leaving us adrift about 5 miles off Plymouth. With little wind and drinking time dwindling, we have admitted defeat and called Sea Start for a tow to Plymouth. Ho hum...

a night at the admiral's

Thurs 0920
We had a very convivial evening in the Admiral Benbow last night and, although in good mood, had an early night - most turning in by 10ish. We were up bright and early and are now rounding the Lizard on our way to Plymouth, under jib and engine.

Trev

A plan is forming...

Hmmmmm....

Stacking IS allowed

Wed 11:48
We're all enjoying a hearty breakfast at Ye Olde Barbican Tea & Coffee Room - Alan is insisting that we maintain our 3500 kCal per day, even when not racing...

Stocking up

Never wanting for supplies, our trusty crew have received their latest delivery from Ocado, ready to stow aboard in preparation for the trip to Plymouth...

Ow!

Tuesday 0926
Our first injury! We were all tied up and going for a shower - or should I say showers - we've not been to sea THAT long - and Mike grabbed a halyard instead of a shroud as he was stepping ashore and fell over - and nearly into the harbour. The plasters are satin and very becoming...

Pirates of Penzance

Hi all,
We're safely tucked up in Penzance harbour, all well and hearty, just in time for a shower and a good pint or three of St Austell ale. Many thanks to all for the messages - yes, it was very disappointing but we're in good mood and looking forward to joining the party in plymouth on friday. We plan to stay here overnight - the jetty seems well stocked with barrels of beer and Andrex, so we should be fine...

Disaster!!!!

The first inkling of something wrong was when I noticed blue sky from my bunk - a piece of panneling around the mast had fallen away....
A quick - very quick check revealed that three bolts holding a collet supporting the mast at deck level had sheared, leaving the mast waving merrily at the passing waves. We rapidly brought down all sail to prevent a rig collapse and surveyed the damage. Clearly, competitive sailing was out, so sadly, our race was over. We discussed the possibility of a repair at Kinsale, but it looks like a mast-out job and, since the boat is on charter, with the owners on another boat, we were not in a position to get agreement for repair.
So, we are now retired from the race, slowly motoring our way back to plymouth - probably via Penzance to pick up more fuel.
The crew have been brilliant - although everyone is clearly disappointed, spirits are good as we work our way through Emily's cake.
Trev

What a night!

Tuesday 0730

Well, the forecast 20 to 30 knot winds came in with a vengeance last night, along with a crazy, steep sea that challenged the helms - and it kept it up for most of the night. The wind had increased a little earlier in the evening, necessitating a reef. The first foreboding of something bigger came at around 10, so we put a second reef as a precaution - good call!

We stormed along at up to 10 knots, putting us in a geat position to achieve an extremely good result for the race - maybe even finishing as early as thursday morning. Fingers crossed!

Trev

The search for the deckbrush is a success!

Monday 10 am
A bout of illness among some of the crew necessitated a clean-up. This was almost thwarted by our inability to locate the deck brush. Luckily, David volunteered to descend into the bowels of the boat, so saving us the ignominy of arriving with a dirty boat.
Trev

On a Charge

Mon 1430
We're just approaching the Lizard, after a great day's sail. The wind forced us a little south but we're now approaching our turning point for the Scillies in a couple of hours. The crew is well but the boat seems to be objecting to being so far from home - mainly by means of a battery that keeps going flat with alarming regularity - quite literally - with a 12v alarm going off every two or three hours, indicating a re-charge. And now the engine overheat alarm has joined in, even though the engine seems to be running fine, with cooling water running freely. A quick check of the sensor shows it goes off even when disconnected - maybe a short circuit somewhere??? Hope we have enough fuel to keep the electrics running!
Trev

Off Start Point

0530 Monday
We're going well - put a reef in for a while, when the wind got up above 20 knots but shook it out again after about 6 hours. The wind has shifted about a little, but not as much as forecast and has now lightened considerably - maybe time to change headsails??
Trev

Its rush hour!

Sun - 40 mins to go...
Its getting quite busy out here! There arer yachts everywhere, wekre hanging around at the back, waiting for our turn. The AIS is teaming with targets and we're threading our way through them.
Not long now!
Trev

Ready for the off

Sun - 2 hours to the start
Well, we've now registered for the race - time to get these silly sails down and look serious!
T

The last supper

Had a great meal last night - we're a lot happiet than this - honestly!
Trev

A grim find...

Sat eve
How kind of the nice peole who chartered the yacht before us, to leave 3 packs of bread rolls tucked in under the seats, above the water tanks. Unfortunately, that was three weeks ago and they are now a little past their best. Sadly, I fear we will have to chuck them...
Trev

Getting ready...

Sat eve
All getting shipshape - just making sure we can hoist the storm jib and trysail, which RORC require us to use whilst registering tomorrow...then off for a hearty meal at the Royal Southern YC.
Trev

Almost there now!!

Well, only two days to go!!
The preparations are going well, with most of the food bought – Emily has done a superb job of calculating our needs and organising everybody – she should be an army logistician!!
We’re planning to gather at Ocean Village throughout Saturday – some of the crew have very important, pressing commitments, so will not be there until late (enjoy the rugby, Dan!). There is quite a big job-list, prepping the boat and checking all the gear from top to bottom, stem to stern.
Those nice people at MECSail have got Blue Juice in good order for the race – she was one of the boats selected for inspection by RORC and passed with flying colours.
As well as all the expedition meals, we have eight x 2L bottles of water, currently on Cardice, which will keep them at -40C until we sail – they should provide effective freezer-packs in the fridge!
Nick and I go to Cowes on Saturday afternoon, to pick up the “Skipper’s pack”, decals, flags and tracker and hear the briefing from the RORC Race Officer. Then back to the boat to fit the bits, followed by a hearty meal at the Royal Southampton.
Trev

Two Weeks to Go!

There are only two weeks to go til this year's Fastnet and full attention is being given to that most important important aspect of offshore racing - the grub! With ten hungry mouths to feed and not that much space to put it, and of course no fridge-freezer, this needs careful attention. But help is at hand and Emily has a spreadsheet with a column for calories. We're going a bit hi-tech this time as a result of Trevor's experiences on the Round Britain and Ireland race - boil in the bag expedition food will make up a large part of our hot food.

Watch this space.

Nick

Manic Myth

The CSORC Fastnet Crew have now completed their third RORC race of the season on Blue Juice - the Myth of Malham race held over the late May Bank Holiday weekend. We now have sufficient miles under our belt to meet the Fastnet qualifying criteria and what a way to get there. It was easily the most challenging two days of sailing that most of us have experienced.

We prepared for the race in our customary manner; meeting up in Ocean Village on Thursday evening and pre-positioning ourselves in Cowes for the early morning start. On the way across, we made the discovery that the main sail had a small tear on the luff just above the first reefing point. We repaired with tape after arriving in Cowes and, fortunately, it held up to everything the elements threw at us. This left just enough time for a pint and a bite to eat in the Anchor before retiring for the night.

Friday morning arrived with unpromising conditions that proved to be a portent for what was eventually to come - dark grey skies and a fresh NW breeze. After ablutions and breakfast we motored out to register, raised sails and then joined the other yachts jockeying for position at the upwind end of the start line. After a conservative start with one reef in our main, we started the long tack sailing best course to windward all the way to Start Point. This was punctuated by lowering the jib to insert forgotten battens and a makeshift repair to the upper wire of the port guard rail. Equipment failures were to become a recurring theme for the weekend, although the problems we had on Blue Juice were minor compared to some of our competitors. There was one dismasting, one retirement due to a cracked mast, one man overboard - thankfully recovered safely - and several head injuries from swinging booms reported over the VHF as conditions deteriorated on day 2 of the race.

As Friday wore on and we passed Portland Bill the weather improved greatly. The threatened showers did not materialise - except for an impromptu salt water shower for those of us hiking on the windward rail - and by late afternoon we had clear blue skies, albeit with the wind dipping to force 3 Westerly. Our spirits were heartened by Nick's excellent lamb casserole and the magnificent sight of over 60 yachts in our field of view. Start Point was reached around midnight in a freshening breeze, followed by a frustratingly slow beat down to Eddystone in a now choppy sea.

We rounded Eddystone at 06:30 and began the long run home under white sails whilst we got accustomed to the change in conditions and with every intention of raising the spinnaker after gybing round Start Point. The following waves proved to be tricky and wearying for the helm and, by the time we arrived at Start Point the wind had risen to force 6 before eventually peak at force 7 gusting force 8. Discretion prevailed at this point and the kite was returned to the forepeak - a decision that many others arrived at very soon after us.

Arrival at Start Point also demanded a tactical decision; stand on into Lyme Bay to avoid the worst of the opposing tide or gybe out and ride the bigger waves. We went for the Lyme Bay option, gybing when east of Torquay.

Notwithstanding this, we were still proceeding with gritted teeth in very tough conditions and helms were changed regularly as exhaustion took its toll. Special note must go to Trevor for achieving a top speed of 16 knots when surfing a particularly large wave and Brian (pictured top) for dipping the end of the boom into the drink without broaching the boat.

Swanage was passed in early evening and, after gybing into shelter, we fortified our constitutions with some beef stew that had very nearly ended up all over the saloon during preparation. We were all delighted and relieved to reach the finish line at 21:17 in a creditable 85th place out of 113 finishers and sparing a thought for the 11 Did Not Finish entrants.

Andy (bottom picture - awake)

De Guingand Bowl - Greenwich LV and Back

Crew: Trevor Drew, Nick Bowles, Alan Voysey, Andy Lapsley, Dan Groves, David Balding, Emily Shrosbree, Jonathan Law.

Friday evening saw us gathering excitedly at Ocean Village for our second race with Blue Juice. We headed across to East Cowes to berth for the night, around which we chased some wild geese for a good half hour before finally locating some chop suey and chips. Perhaps not the most nourishing of pre-race suppers, but very welcome nonetheless.

Saturday morning brought sunshine and a modest force 4 for our 08:40 start. We headed west out of the Solent and rounded Bridge, witnessing some very slick spinnaker hoists from our competition [Bob and Tonnere de Breskens!].

We experimented with our own novel spinnaker-hoisting technique (sideways), but soon resorted to more conventional methods and successfully managed our first gybe as a crew. Things then got a bit fruity and having witnessed several boats getting into difficulties we decided it was best to get the jib up and the kite down before we got into any trouble. Not quite soon enough though, as we broached and had to rescue the kite from the water.

Once things had settled down, we dug into some exotic elk meat salami and some rather less exotic regulation ham and cheese rolls to soak up the adrenalin. We continued to keep good pace under white sails, surfing along in beautiful seas to the tune of a planing hull. We rounded the Greenwich Light Ship in lovely evening light, briefly dipping our toes into the eastern hemisphere before starting the long overnight upwind leg.

Two AM saw us bathing in dramatic yellow moonlight as we zig-zagged west towards the entrance to the Solent coming in between No Man's Land and Horse Sand forts. We crossed the line just in time for breakfast, with a further 170 qualifying miles under our lifebelts and a 43^rd placing overall in IRC – a great race!

Emily

Rock 'n roll to Le Havre

RORC Cervantes Trophy 2011

Crew: Trevor Drew, Nick Bowles, Alan Voysey, Andy Lapsley, Dan Groves, David Balding, Emily Shrosbree, Jane Harris, Jonathan Law, Mike Yogarajah.
It was with some trepidation that the crew assembled at Ocean Village on Friday afternoon, to prepare for the first race of the season, which, for some, was their first offshore race and for others, their first race ever!!
The forecast didn’t do much to allay any anxieties, with strong easterly winds on Saturday, building over the next few days. Accordingly, we made sure everything was ship-shape and set off for Cowes, where we were to spend the night, as we’ve all found it easier to get up at 6am than 4am. A modest libation and a meal at the Anchor was the scene for the major decision of the campaign – what names to give to the two watches. Given the day, it was a no-brainer – I led William Watch and Nick led Kate Watch!
The race course was straightforward, taking us out through the Needles, around the fairway buoy, then easterly beat to the Nab tower and straight to Le Havre. Saturday morning was much as forecast with strong easterlies. This presented two challenges to the relatively novice crew – a spinnaker start and a beat along the southern coast of the island. Given a large fleet of 110 boats, we decided to start on the outer end of the line, which was less populated. And, since the crew had hardly ever flown a spinnaker, we elected to start with the jib and put the spinnaker up later. This, and short confusion as to whether we were OCS, did not give us the best of starts!
But we settled down and led the back of the fleet to the Needles.
Again, with our precautionary approach in the F5-6 winds, we dropped the spinny off Yarmouth and rounded the Fairway buoy without problems and onto the long beat to the Nab against the building ebb. This was hard work, with only a couple of Challenger yachts for company, but we made reasonable time and were fortunate in completing the eastern half of the island on a single beat. We rounded the Nab with some relief, bringing the long beat to an end.
We made our way south, dodging a number of large ships in the process, on one occasion having to pass ahead of one and immediately duck behind another running in parallel. A spectacular thunderstorm announced our safe passage across the channel, but we nipped out under the clouds before the rain fell and the early morning found us off Le Havre. We had to tack a few times to make the finishing line, crossing at 06:34 on Sunday.
The forecast predicted even stronger winds on Monday, so we did a quick U-turn and headed home, filling ourselves with hot chilli and pasta – yum! The early part of the return journey was pretty benign (see pic), but it got windier and lumpier as we got closer to the British coast and, by all accounts, those who stayed in La Havre had a pretty hairy journey back.
Our placing, last in IRC2 and 90th IRC overall might seem a little disappointing, but given the crew’s lack of any spinnaker experience and the strong winds, also coming in only two hours after the leading First 40.7, I’m not disappointed. We came home safe and uninjured, and the race has given the crew a real sense of what they might experience in the Fastnet itself, also giving us something to build on in the future. Thanks to all the crew for their sterling efforts!
Trev

Cervantes Trophy is filled

We have a full crew list for the RORC Cervantes Trophy race to Le Havre:
Trevor Drew (Skipper); Nick Bowles (1st Mate); David Balding; Dan Groves; Jane Harris; Andy Lapsley; Jonathan Law; Alan Voysey; Michael Yogarajah; Emily Shrosbree.
The race starts on Saturday morning at 07:50 off Cowes - our boat, Blue Juice, is berthed in Ocean Village, Southampton, so we'll go to Cowes on Friday night (Note to self - buy nurofen).
I think Jonathan has volunteered to bring a cooked meal down, so we should be in fine fettle for the race the following morning.
The list of starters is not huge, with 109 boats currently registered - but a very good turnout for the first race of the season. And there are some big boys among them - including the fabulous Farr 52, "Bob" and all four Challenger yachts. Within our Class 2 fleet of 25 yachts, there are four other First 40.7s, along with three Reflex 38s and two Prima 38s - so there will be some pretty close racing. Can't wait!
Trev

Fastnet Campaign - Race training weekend

We all met up on the Friday night for an early start...well, almost! [Sorry ... Nick] This was the first opportunity for most of the crew to see the boat that we would be racing. We spent a couple of hours crawling over her, getting to know the nooks and crannies, as well as stowing gear and finding out what all the ropes do. And, of course, a nice meal. We spent the Saturday in the eastern Solent, learning the art of fast tacking and spinnaker launches and drops, along with practising knots and sail trimming. Mooring overnight in Cowes Yacht Haven, we enjoyed an excellent Thai meal, followed by a fair few beers in the Island Sailing Club. On Sunday, we went West, getting used to gybing and a lot more spinnaker work, also practicing man-overboard drill and even trying out the emergency tiller (it worked!). So, we're now all set for our first race to Le Havre!

Trev

And what lovely weather for a first sail of the year. Keep on hiking, guys!

Nick

Wet behind the ears?

Well, we completed our ISAF Offshore Safety course. The course was held over two days at Hamble School of Yachting and is a mixture of lectures and practicals on all aspects of yacht safety, emergency drills and survival techniques. We had lots of fun letting off flares and fire extinguishers, as well as “wet work” – involving towing each other up and down the swimming pool, inflating a liferaft, righting it and all piling in - a very efficient way for us all to get to know one another!
Although the ISAF requirements only require a third of the crew to do the course, it is CSORC policy for all to complete it. We are grateful to CSSA for providing a grant for half the cost, which is matched by CSORC, so the course was free to the crew.

Trev

Party!!

From the RORC Website:

In an effort to absorb the large waiting list for the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Royal Ocean Racing Club have decided to increase the number of places available to IRC yachts by removing the 'professionally' sailed classes from the 300 entry limit. The Volvo Ocean 70s, IMOCA 60s, Class 40s and Multihulls, who will race under their own class rules, will be counted over and above the previous 300 entry limit.
The Rolex Fastnet Race reached its entry limit 10 days after opening and over 130 boats are on the waiting list. "We were staggered at the speed with which people signed up," said RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine. "We had to do something to satisfy the huge interest, and taking the non IRC yachts out of the total is a fair solution allowing more loyal RORC racers to get their boats into the race."Removing the non-IRC classes will add about 50 more places to the total. "We are delighted that the Volvo's and IMOCA's want to compete in the race and that the Class 40's are coming en-masse," said RORC Chief Executive, Eddie Warden Owen. "It shows the popularity of the Rolex Fastnet that these professionally sailed boats want to join the race. However without this initiative, they would be taking valuable places away from less experienced offshore racers who view this race as a great personal challenge - their 'Everest' of sailing."
Sutton Harbour increase berthing capacity
To cater for the number of boats arriving in Plymouth, Sutton Harbour Marina has increased the amount of space by making the whole of the berthing area adjacent to West Pier and the Barbican available to the Rolex Fastnet fleet. Sutton Harbour has also become the official berth provider for the race and Chief Executive Nigel Godfroy is pleased to be associated with the race. "Sutton Harbour Marina welcomes the return of this world famous race," said Nigel. "We are very proud of the quality of facilities we have here in Sutton Harbour and being selected as the official berthing provider for the Rolex Fastnet Race. We look forward to welcoming the extra large fleet in August this year."
To accommodate the increased number of entries, space has been booked in Queen Anne's Battery, adjacent to Sutton Harbour and in Plymouth Yacht Haven in the Cattewater, where a water taxi service will be set up to connect competitors with the race office based at Sutton Harbour. The 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race starts in Cowes, Isle of Wight on Sunday 14 August.

Looks like the party's just got bigger!

Trev

Fastnet 2011 Training Weekend is looming

It's two weeks until our first training session - two days studying for our ISAF certificates. This will be partly in the classroom, learning first aid, along with some practical bits like letting off flares and chopping up bits of shroud - or trying to, anyway. We'll also have a session in the pool, righting liferafts and trying to get in them. And, of course, it will be our first chance to get to know each other.

Meanwhile, Blue Juice, our First 40.7, chartered from those nice people at MECSail, is out of the water, having her bottom cleaned and some maintenance to the underwater bits. Then, the week after our shore training, we'll be out on the water for the first time, learning more about the boat and how to sail her.

Trev

RORC Rolex Fastnet 2011

The entry list for the Fastnet opened at midnight on 9th January. Our entry was in the following morning and by the 15th we had submitted crew details and all the other paperwork. We are provisionally accepted - provisional, that is, on our completing training and qualifying races. So, game on, as I believe they say these days. First stop, ISAF Offshore Safety Course.

From the RORC web site:

"Entry for one of the world's most popular yacht races opened at midnight on Sunday 9 January and by midday Monday, nearly 100 entries had signed up, with an unprecedented number doing so in the early hours of the morning. The trend continued over the next couple of days when the halfway mark of 150 boats was reached for the race which has a maximum entry of 300 boats. Within a week, 250 boats had entered!

"We expected an initial rush of interest because people were registering the details about their boat on our REMUS on-line entry system over Christmas," commented the RORC Racing Manager Ian Loffhagen. "However nothing had prepared us for this unprecedented amount of interest in the race. We are obviously delighted at how popular the race has become with entries from all over the world."

Of the high profile race boats entered, the two canting keel 100 footers, ICAP Leopard and Rambler 100 will be the ones battling to take line honours in the Race. Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard and George David's previous Rambler had a huge fight in the 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race, with Leopard taking the silverware. However, this year, George David has chartered the Juan K designed Speedboat, re-named Rambler 100, which will put Mike Slade under a lot of pressure.

There are 15 Class 40's entered so far and the next biggest classes are the Sigma 38 and First 40.7s, with 14 boats each and so far, 14 different countries will be represented in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race. "

The entry list has now apparently reached the limit of 300 boats!