Rolex Fastnet Race Passage Plan – Challenger 3

Challenger 3 Skipper Ricky, looks ahead to the passage plan for the Rolex Fastnet race.

Passage Plan

Challenger 3 is planning to depart Cowes for the start of the Rolex Fastnet 2023 race sometime after 1200 after a smaller yacht and CatZero have moved away from alongside us. We had a great crew meal out in a local curry establishment last night which so far has had no negative gastro effects…

It looks like the forecast gale has decided to come in a little later at about 1900, so we should have a slightly easier start. Our start has also been moved forward to 1400 by the Race Office which should give us an extra tidal push towards Portland Bill which we should hopefully round before the tide sets against us. It will also avoid us having to barge our way through the smaller boats at the Needles Channel.

Current very rough guess for our finish ETA is Thursday afternoon with a return overnight on Saturday and an arrival back to GWQ at 1200 on Sunday. Possibly an overnight in Yarmouth or, more likely Cowes depending on the availability.

All is good aboard Challenger 3. The jobs list has dwindled to a few “nice to get done sometime” jobs and we have tell-tails on our sails, bungie on our cupboards to keep stuff in and most of our food is precooked and in the freezer.

Came across a great Weather Station website which has a vast list of online weather stations. In the interest of sharing and caring, the link is

WeatherFile.com | Hurst Castle | Real Time LIVE Wind Data for Hurst Castle and WeatherFile.com | Hurst Castle | Real Time LIVE Wind Data for the full list of locations. It shows actual weather data, not forecasts.

Have a great race all, Sail Safe, Sail Fast, Have Fun !

https://www.firstclasssailing.com/rolex-fastnet-sailing-race-2025

Posted by: First Class Sailing