Peter Burling was among the crew aboard SVR Lazartigue when the 32-metre blue trimaran claimed Multihull Line Honours in the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, stopping the clock at 1 day, 17 hours, 18 minutes, and 4 seconds over the 695 nautical mile course from Cowes to Cherbourg via the Fastnet Rock.
Skippered by French offshore rising star Tom Laperche, SVR Lazartigue carried a crew that also included Amélie Grassi, Antoine Gautier, Emilien Lavigne, and the highly experienced Franck Cammas. Their precision across every gybe, foil adjustment, and sail change showed in the margin carved out over the chasing fleet.
Less than an hour separated first and second at the finish. Banque Populaire, helmed by Armel Le Cléac'h alongside Thierry Chabagny and a crew of five, crossed in 1d 18h 03m 52s. The French-flagged Ultim showed strong pace through the western approaches but could not overhaul SVR Lazartigue in the final sprint to Cherbourg.
Anthony Marchand brought Actual Ultim 4 home third in 1d 20h 46m 39s, with a crew that included Alan Roberts, Laurane Mettraux, and Ronan Gladu. Thomas Coville, no stranger to solo and crewed ocean records, steered Sodebo Ultim 3 to fourth in 1d 21h 49m 43s, the gap to the leaders growing during the closing stages despite a competitive run to that point.
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With those four Ultims docked in Cherbourg, attention turned to the fleet still at sea. Zoulou, another French Ultim, had 81 nautical miles remaining to the finish as of Monday morning. Her final time was unlikely to trouble the leading quartet, though her progress continued the Ultim class's dominance throughout this centenary edition.
In the monohull fleet, Black Jack 100 held the line honours lead, with SHK Scallywag, Leopard 3, and Pyewacket 70 all in pursuit. The corrected-time picture was telling a different story, with Tschüss 2, a Botin 52, sitting atop the IRC Overall standings on handicap, a pointed reminder that outright speed and adjusted results rarely agree in offshore racing.
The Admiral's Cup contest was generating its own drama. Stefan Jentzch's Botin 56 Black Pearl became the first Admiral's Cup boat to round Fastnet Rock, reaching the turning mark at 06:54 BST on Monday morning. On corrected time, however, the standings looked quite different. In the AC1 fleet, Beau Geste from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club had moved into the handicap lead, while in AC2, Django JPK from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda held the advantage on corrected time despite Garm, representing RORC Red, leading on the water.
The Yacht Club de Monaco, fielding Jolt 3 (a Botin 52 IRC) and Jolt 6 (a Carkeek 40 Mk2 GP MOD LH), appeared well placed to take the overall Admiral's Cup lead as the race progressed.
The 100th Rolex Fastnet Race has brought together some of the fastest multihulls in the world, fiercely competitive monohull fleets, and an Admiral's Cup rivalry playing out across a 444-strong fleet. With the fastest boats already celebrating in Cherbourg and the bulk of the fleet pressing toward the finish, the questions remaining are which yacht will top the IRC overall leaderboard and which two-boat national team will ultimately lift the Admiral's Cup.
