British sailor Alex Thomson returned to action in the iconic Fastnet Race.

More than 400 boats took to the start line in Cowes to take part in what remains the world’s largest offshore sailing contest.

The 600 nautical mile race takes boats from the Solent, through the English Channel and around the Fastnet Rock, finishing just off the coast of Plymouth.

The event marks Thomson’s tenth Fastnet race, and the skipper’s competitive return to action following his historic second place finish in the Vendée Globe earlier this year.

Joining Thomson on board his record breaking HUGO BOSS IMOCA 60 race boat is Irish sailor Nicholas O’Leary, who will take the role of co-skipper for the double-handed race.

O’Leary, a young talent in short-handed ocean racing, has ambitions to take on the non-stop, solo, round the world Vendée Globe race in the future, and will therefore undoubtedly be utilising the Fastnet as a key opportunity to gain valuable insight and advice from Thomson.

Speaking earlier this week about the race, Thomson said; “I’m excited to be back racing this weekend in the Fastnet and it’s great to see a good turnout of IMOCA boats on the start line, with some new competitors on the circuit. It’s fantastic for the sport to see so many boats on the water.”

The Fastnet is a notoriously testing race, which often sees winds up to gale force in strength. The race is therefore a significant test, even for the most experienced of offshore sailors.

The conditions at the race start today present an event greater challenge for those, like Thomson and O’Leary, racing in the IMOCA class, explains Ross Daniel, Technical Director at Alex Thomson Racing: “With the current upwind forecast, the conditions from the start to the Fastnet Rock are not favourable for the foiling IMOCA’s. The challenge will be staying in contention with the non-foiling IMOCA’s to the Rock, and then the foiling boats will come into their own in the reaching conditions to the finish in Plymouth.”

Five of the nine IMOCAs taking part in the race are foiling boats, meaning they have appendages on either side of their hulls, designed to help lift the boats out of the water to reduce drag and increase speed. Foils were first introduced to the IMOCA class in the build-up to the Vendée Globe 2016, leading to significantly increased top speeds for those boats which had utilised them.

Earlier this week, Thomson – who broke his own record as the fastest Brit to sail solo around the world on a monohull in the 2016/17 Vendee Globe, and holds the world sailing speed 24 hour distance record – was awarded with the Chichester Trophy at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes. The prestigious award was presented by The Princess Royal in recognition of Thomson’s offshore sailing achievements, and has only previously  been presented sixteen  times.  The first sailor to be awarded the trophy was Sir Francis Chichester in 1967 and since then it has been awarded to other sailing legends including Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Dame Ellen MacArthur.

 

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