Keep packing passport for Fastnet Race

It was 2019 when the shocker news hit that the Fastnet Race, one of the famous 600-mile offshore classics, was changing. Seven boats competed in the inaugural 1925 race, but increasing participation had host Royal Ocean Racing Club move the finish location for the 2021 and 2023 editions from Plymouth, UK to the larger port of Cherbourg, France.

Aside from the final leg now extending across the English Channel, and the overall length increasing from 603nm to 695nm, the biennial race was now binational. The move was not wholly supported, but time fades the memory, and the RORC has confirmed the 2025 and 2027 will continue to finish in Cherbourg.

The 2023 race attracted a record 430 boats, and the 2025 edition is expected to be even larger due to the 100th anniversary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the return of the Admiral’s Cup. So, while the Newport Bermuda Race continues to finish in Bermuda, and the Sydney Hobart Race is making no changes, Fastnet racers will continue to pack their passport for the near future.