First… Time… Ever

(August 15, 2013) – History was made at the Rolex Fastnet Race when the doublehanded French team of Pascal and Alexis Loison sailed their 33-foot JPK 1010 Night And Day won the 2013 edition overall title. As father and son, they are the first doublehanded crew ever to do so in the race’s 88-year history.

The fleet of 336 yachts set off Sunday on the legendary 611-nautical mile race from Cowes, Isle of Wight to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock on the southern tip of Ireland.

Arriving in Plymouth at 07:19 BST Thursday morning after four long nights at sea, Night And Day enjoyed a blistering return leg from the Fastnet Rock. In the process the dynamic duo overhauled the corrected times posted by the crews arriving ahead of them and left no room to overtake for those still on the course.

“Nobody said this was impossible to achieve,” reflected Pascal. “It’s extraordinary, like a dream. I am very happy to have won this race with my son. There are so many factors required to make it happen. We simply hoped to win the two-handed class. This is superb.”

“(The Rolex Fastnet) is one of the most prestigious races in the world, with some of the most refined boats there are,” said Alexis, a professional sailor and regular single-handed Figaro competitor. “We competed against over 300 boats, many professional with big crews. Our preparation was really good.”

Victory crowns an already successful season for the two who have only owned the boat since February. “This is our second Rolex Fastnet together,” explained Pascal. “We know the English Channel very well having done a lot of races here. The racecourse is very complicated and fascinating. There is always something to think about at each point, turn, bay.”

Night and Day’s closest rival on the water was fellow French JPK 1010 Foggy Dew which crossed the finish line in Plymouth seven minutes later. “We found ourselves in a battle with them for first place,” reflected Alexis. “They are guys we know well, our friends, who are very experienced and a worthy rival.”

The pair’s only regret is that they did not experience a dramatic view of the Fastnet Rock. “Every time we pass the Fastnet it’s foggy,” joked Alexis. “I’m not sure if it really exists!” “It was raining with 300m of visibility,” added Pascal. “We only saw the beam of the lighthouse. There were boats everywhere, stunning. It wasn’t a great advert for Ireland but a wonderful, quite surreal memory.”

Night And Day’s victory heralds a dominant performance by the over 50-strong French boats in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race. The top five boats and twelve of the current top 15 finishers on corrected time are from across the Channel.

This is a victory that fully captures the spirit and ethos of the Rolex Fastnet Race. “The most important thing is that the race can be won by anyone,” said the Royal Ocean Racing Club CEO Eddie Warden Owen. “Everyone thinks the professional, big boats are going to have an advantage but the 2013 race has just proved what the appeal of the Rolex Fastnet is all about. They are all here because they know they have a chance of winning.”

By 17:40 BST, 244 of the 336-strong international fleet had crossed the finish line in Plymouth. All remaining yachts have rounded the Fastnet Rock, including the last placed Duet and the 100 year-old former winner, Jolie Brise. There have been ten retirements.

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