The far southeastern tip of Ireland is the gruesomely sawtooth-ed Fastnet Rock, which is home to the iconic Fastnet Light. Because it was the last sight of land of Irish emigrants during the mass migration of the 1800s, and of course because of its location, Fastnet Rock is sometimes called the “Teardrop of Ireland”.
To sailors, Fastnet is probably the most well known racing mark on the planet, as it’s the turning point for the eponymous biennial race. The racecourse starts off the clubhouse of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes off the Isle of Wight and stretches 695 nautical miles out of the English Channel, along the southern Ireland coast, and around Fastnet Rock before finishing in Cherbourg in France, just south of the starting point. The most recent Fastnet in 2023 was the 50th in the race’s history, and over that time turnout has swelled from 7 boats in 1925 to more than 400 boats in the 2023 edition.
The race’s history is dotted with triumph and disaster, the latter most prominently in 1979 when nearly a quarter of the fleet capsized in a strong storm, and 15 souls were lost at sea, as documented in the classic sailing book, Fastnet, Force 10.
Unlike racing sailors who face a sometimes uncertain forecast in the rapidly changing conditions of the Celtic Sea, cruising sailors like us can often pick our weather. So when a clear and warm morning dawned, Oso pointed her bow for the short 7nm journey out to Fastnet.
Our reward was conditions that were the polar opposite of what most sailors envision when they hear the name Fastnet – sunlight reflecting off of glassy-calm waters, puffins scattered on the water around the rock, dolphins cavorting in our bow wake, and even a lone minke whale feeding in the current.
