Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 - A Brutal Start

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10 ай бұрын

A day before the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race and with a forecast for punchy conditions, crews had been putting on a brave face, yet underneath and with the prospect of 450 boats threading their way out of a narrow gap at the end of the Solent many were very apprehensive...and with good reason. The start of the world's biggest offshore race was as brutal as the weather forecast suggested...and there was more to come.
Matt Sheahan reports on the first 24 hours of this legendary race.
He starts from the centre of the action after the start to see the fleet exit the Solent through Hurst Narrows where conditions were wild as the fleet set out on the 689 mile course.

Пікірлер: 95

@malcolmmoy 10 ай бұрын

Congratulations to the sound engineer, getting clear speech in a gale is so hard.

@techsquirrel 7 ай бұрын

Agreed. That is a superb mic job.

@fintanlawton9502 10 ай бұрын

it's the one wave in 50 that drops the cutlery drawer 🤣love it

@TomSnyder--theJaz 10 ай бұрын

Great coverage, Matthew Sheahan. As a current land-lock sailer, I enjoy all your updates. Cheers

@CinematographyLischka 10 ай бұрын

A stunning display of the Fastnet Race's intensity and scale. The contrast between serene practice and race chaos, paired with breathtaking aerial views, underscores the event's raw excitement and challenge. A remarkable race, amplified by its impressive participation.

@Aoi_Fans 10 ай бұрын

Shout out for the real MVP in this upload - Matthews Microphone, great quality lads.

@rg3412 10 ай бұрын

Good luck to Pip from France, she's awesome!

@stefanschneider3681 10 ай бұрын

Great job as always, beautiful footage, and I always like your friendly, interested, competent style of interview. But MAN, at 3:33: I've never seen a boat this big with sails this small, must have been terrifying!

@Parkinson. 10 ай бұрын

@@dr5290 All a part of the strategy. I saw a lot of boats have their mainsails and even headsails get torn clean off the mast because they weren't reefed enough. On the other hand, a lot of the boats looked overpowered but coped just fine, reaching the end with out a hitch. Truly is all about how much risk you want to take.

@garrettkenny5591 10 ай бұрын

Many many thanks for the great content Matt

@songsmith31a 10 ай бұрын

As a landlubber with very limited experience of sailing, I admire the fortitude of all those who take up this sort of challenge, and gain much pleasure in viewing the various yacht designs and how they cope with the conditions that can be met. Thank you.

@BlueWaterTeno 10 ай бұрын

I sai;ed from Tonga to New Zealand on Kialoa II (and we won the Russell Tallships Race that year). Good to see her looking fine. She was the only boat I sailed on with a gimballed shelf next to the galley, very very useful at meal time!

@biggest23 10 ай бұрын

What year was that mate?

@BlueWaterTeno 10 ай бұрын

1998, I think. We stopped at North Minerva Reef for some excellent diving. We had only 3 experienced sailors aboard (rest was family). It was light air, about 5 knots, so we nervously decided to put up the chute. We were reaching, so set up the reaching strut on the after guy. When we finally got it up, and popped the rubberbands, she healed over and took off! We were doing 7 knots in 5 knots of breeze. The moon was out and we kept it up for nearly three days. We could not tell other boats how great we were doing on the radio scheds because they would get jealous. We arrived in Bay of Islands just in time for Thanksgiving. It was the best passage I have ever had. Kialoa II had everything in exactly the right place, and everthing just worked. No jimmy rigging. @@biggest23

@rebstriesit 10 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed this video - didn’t even know this race existed before! Thank you so much for the great and informative coverage!

@user-ux1qv8rw6y 10 ай бұрын

Great footage what a race!. Many many thanks for the great content Matt.

@erikvictor 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the update, hopefully, nobody got hurt in the turmoil. This is not a walk in the park.

@toridavies8397 10 ай бұрын

Sadly a lot of people did. But no-one died, which was great in the conditions!

@freedom35pedrick 10 ай бұрын

Interview with Pip was so good! Thank you

@peterosborn6056 10 ай бұрын

Many thanks for a splendid video especially enjoyed the chat with Ellie Driver

@allanmontile8210 10 ай бұрын

Great coverage, thank you.

@GordonjSmith1 10 ай бұрын

Excellent coverage! Keep safe everyone.

@user-nt9nd7xm5f 10 ай бұрын

Great footage what a race!

@user-pe5te8kf1c 10 ай бұрын

Great footage what a race!. Excellent coverage! Keep safe everyone..

@bown_rw 10 ай бұрын

"drops the cutlery drawer"!🤣

@egeegee7146 10 ай бұрын

And a few cupboard doors and ceiling panels.

@PitStopCrew 10 ай бұрын

Great coverage and clearly demonstrated the conditions which were brutal.

@theelitegamers1235 10 ай бұрын

Great video.

@cbmelanjen4315 10 ай бұрын

thanks Matt better than all readings

@Karma-fp7ho 10 ай бұрын

Such beautiful boats - pushed right to the breaking point.

@jimherbert007 10 ай бұрын

Love it Matt (your old neighbour over the back). Took the V39 to Yarmouth Friday night and the wind over tide then round Bramble Bank was punching up some 2m waves as we all remarked on the Fastnet (came back Saturday morning in blown flat seas)

@cadilacdesert 10 ай бұрын

great coverage! thank you

@chrischamberlaine4160 10 ай бұрын

Hi Matt - check out the Cowes Cork race 1974. We started in Force 8 with wind against tide through Hurst - tacked at the Scillies and,got up a spi a few miles before The Rock - the only sail change. We considered using a flare pistol to drop the spi ! In Battlecry we beat Tabarly by 20 seconds and were gale bound in Cork for a week leaving with DT's. I think that only about ten boats started. Chris Freer.

@spelunkerd 10 ай бұрын

As a sailor, I wish a video of the start would include a wide angle view of the entire start line, with an uncut view beginning at least a minute before til a minute after. I suppose the start is not as critical for long races like this, but everybody wants clean air on the first leg.

@amunderdog 10 ай бұрын

Fastnet Race began in 1925 = 98yrs - best i understood; Turmoil is one of the pillars of the race. A boat needs to be fast, capable, sea worthy. This race tests to whole package.

@stiffywatson2 8 ай бұрын

I did the Fastnet in 2021 and 2023. Great fun

@AlaskanInsights 10 ай бұрын

LOL, went camping in my dinghy last week. smooth as glass... looked like that the next morning, that was a nasty ride.

@johnadams7402 10 ай бұрын

Hope to race in it myself one day. Hat's off to those who have.

@solenngerard9646 10 ай бұрын

hi, any chance you have some video rush where we could see us ? we are "Solenn for Pure Ocean", IRC2, white hull, grey main sail reefed with "Pure Ocean" sticker, and white jib.

@Kerbeygrip 10 ай бұрын

I was there 1979. Lets not have more tragedy.

@kenscrackofdoom599 10 ай бұрын

It was amazing to be in Cowes and watch them go. Inspirational stuff.

@seanmcardle 10 ай бұрын

Hope well see the tally ho in the fastnet race again one day soon

@GaryLaaks1 10 ай бұрын

Trimaran is going to be epic. She is looking real good already.

@questionreality6003 10 ай бұрын

loved the real boat at 4:05

@354sd 10 ай бұрын

They must be crazy

@emptiester 10 ай бұрын

Looks amazing... From under the covers in bed snugggled up with my dog...

@jeffreyhalbert2745 3 ай бұрын

Hart melody is going to cry the entire day

@ml.2770 2 ай бұрын

We all can't wait to see the return of Tally Ho.

@BRMCaptChaos 10 ай бұрын

Pip sounds prescient. She's had a shocker, and hope she salvages some useful experience.

@alexjband 10 ай бұрын

I want to hear so much more. Tell me about the Class 40’s and how the radical scow bow does beating to weather. I want to hear how the IMOCA fleet is doing with the various generations of boats. I want to know what the ratio of fully-crewed to double-handed retirements have been so far. Tell me everything about the double-handed fleet. How does the Sun Fast lineup stack up against the JPK lineup, vs the J-Boats... is there going to be more helicopter/drone footage...

@alamos8 10 ай бұрын

Someone knows where is Club Swan 125 Skorpios?

@deanhankio6304 10 ай бұрын

"ellie driver chili pepper" now that is a name

@tungstenkid2271 10 ай бұрын

As a lubber I'd get seasick at the drop of a hat on a boat, even that vid made me feel queasy..:) As a matter of interest, are sailors immune to seasickness or do they simply get used to it?

@warbon8853 10 ай бұрын

Some are immune whilst other sailors do get seasick but they get used to if after a short while. Some people don't get over it and, well, sailing likely isn't for them.

@mhick3333 4 ай бұрын

I wonder how foil boats would do in a force 10 situation?

@toi_techno 10 ай бұрын

Looks like fun Nothing more tedious than fair weather sailing

@sonomabob 10 ай бұрын

“demasted” Heck of a descriptive word. Whoa.

@sbkenn1 10 ай бұрын

That's British/Irish weather for ya.

@marie-pascaleleonetti1555 10 ай бұрын

N'importe quel Voilier classique, normal, comme Dieu le veut, n'aurait aucun problème avec 35, 40, 50 nœuds de vent... ces monstres de course sont splendides, mais vulnérables...

@egeegee7146 10 ай бұрын

Fastnet usually throws something at you. It’s not for the faint hearted

@Aerospacedu Ай бұрын

Growl you may...go you must!💨💨💨💨⛵⚓

@AWBepi 10 ай бұрын

Can't to see Pip in the V.G. again.

@RobertPahlavi-ko4gj 3 ай бұрын

🙏 🌊 safety 🦺 #luxor ⌚

@deeniedwyer4998 10 ай бұрын

Can't wait for the orcas to pull up and put in their bid

@danielpaulson3631 10 ай бұрын

There were a lot of highly qualified sailors it would have been nice to have heard from

@jaliljacallen4114 10 ай бұрын

It feels so great to know I’m not alone in my world view! Today’s world is working hard to make me doubt my own sanity by canceling and isolating me.

@odenttraipser5833 10 ай бұрын

Won't be the worst conditions they will face I'll bet.

@billhayward1585 10 ай бұрын

anyone who says this was FUN is full of it!!!

@brianmacadam4793 6 ай бұрын

Pip complains that she and her boat haven't been tested, so don't go until the testes have been passed. Or adjust your sailing plans to account for the weather, the fleet, and the boat.

@knottyboy6086 10 ай бұрын

I think I would have pulled out, instead of taking the chance of smack tarring my boat.

@alistairmills7608 10 ай бұрын

And with a belly full of lunch 😂😂😂

@davidfarmer2049 10 ай бұрын

Dear God.....did you spill the eye-shadow or what?

@mikefitzgerald5571 10 ай бұрын

It is disppointing that so many retired. The conditions were not at all severe and every boat crossing the start line should be capable of dealing with conditions far worse than gusts to 35 - 40 knots. Thank goodness the breeze came in before the fleet got to the western approaches where the seas would have been far steeper. The skippers must understand that they are responsible for preparing the boat and crew - RORC will always start a race and it is up to the skipper to assess the capabilities of boat and crew - it seems in this instance that many skippers unerestimated just what a challenge the Fastnet can be and were caught out by relatively mild heavy weather.

@billybobkingston5604 10 ай бұрын

Great filming, music/noise sucks

@JackFate76 10 ай бұрын

Why don’t more people fall off these boats?

@JackFate76 10 ай бұрын

Thanks. It’s hard to see if you don’t know.

@petedevon4450 8 ай бұрын

Rule 1: do NOT fall off the boat. If you do, you're almost certainly dead. In anything other than a flat calm, a man overboard is out of sight almost immediately and gone before the boat can be turned around. Crews know this and obey rule 1!

@henryD9363 10 ай бұрын

Everybody knows where this race is so there's no point in mentioning it.

@adambooth600 10 ай бұрын

Do u know where u need a mullet?

@ArcFixer 10 ай бұрын

Hi John. The Golden Rule of journalism: Declare who, what, when, where, and how. To not include "where" would be journalistic malpractice. Your assertion that everybody knows where it is is patently absurd on its face. Cheers

@jeanettenorman7052 10 ай бұрын

I used to sail in the bays seas around Victoria Australia. Out in Bass Strait mostly and forget calm and delightful. So stop carrying on about the bloody weather. Sail.

@davidmillar2594 7 ай бұрын

Thank god for the M key to mute that ridiculous "music".

@redeyedmongoose2963 10 ай бұрын

Who really cares

@jefferymcgregor6371 10 ай бұрын

music is pointless and ruins your videos.

@BIBIWCICC 10 ай бұрын

Why are all the British sailors so Ill prepared for this race? There are some fantastic dead British sailors turning in their graves right now! What has happened to the UK, it seems to be the norm there now. Very disappointing. Let’s get the quality back in British.

@PlanetSailOnline 10 ай бұрын

British sailor Sam Goodchild just delivered a thrid place in the highly competitive IMOCA fleet on his first major race with a new boat - Sam Davies finished 5th in Innitiatives Coeur - quality performances from British sailors

@thomaselliott573 10 ай бұрын

40 Knots??? I did that on my own as a novice. These guys are supposed to be sailing boats with some degree of experience. Give it a break. "manage the asset" hahahaha. get a life. 88 retirements within 24 hours. You must be kidding. These clowns are what made 1979 a disaster, while competent crews raced hard. Imagine going offshore on a short race in quite mild conditions and not even lasting 24 hours.