Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 / Multihull Line Honours Ultim SVR Lazartigue

ROLEX FASTNET RACE OUTRIGHT RECORD FALLS TO SVR LAZARTIGUE

Having been so dramatically pipped at the post by Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild in the last breath of the 2019 race, François Gabart and his team, this time racing the giant 32m long flying trimaran SVR Lazartigue, rectified this wrong by being first home in the 50th anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, winning the Ultim class.

Crossing the line at 21:38:27 BST, SVR Lazartigue also set a new record of 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds, breaking the time set by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild two years ago by 36 minutes 27 seconds.

The 32m long by 23m wide, foil-borne, flying Ultim trimarans are by far the biggest, fastest offshore race boats on the planet. Many believe that their covering 1000 miles in a day is a case of ‘not if, but when.’ Inevitably they are sailed by the best of the best offshore sailors: Gabart and Le Cléac’h, for example, are both Vendée Globe winners (2012 and 2016) respectively.

A key moment in their race came earlier on when heading south across the Channel; SVR Lazartigue tacked to the north of the Casquets TSS, while Banque Populaire held on starboard only tacking once they were off the Cotentin peninsula – just three hours after starting! According to Gabart they were waiting for a right shift coming with the front, but Le Cléac’h’s reasoning was similar. In fact the northern route was shorter, but going south was a little windier. In the event, north of the TSS, SVR Lazartigue did see fractionally less wind (typically around 30 knots) and they sailed with one reef and J4, compared with Banque Populaire XI’s two reefs.

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