Month: July 2023

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Nearly half of the impressive fleet of nearly 90 boats in IRC Three come from the drawing board of three tried and tested designs: Sun Fast 3200, JPK 1010, and J/109. Also in the mix are some of the latest production yachts such as the J/99, as well as historic boats and sailors from years gone by. While the majority of the boats in IRC Three are about 10 meters in length, the sheer size of the armada means that the total waterline length is greater than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa!!
The J/99’s IRC Rating is generally a few points higher than both the Sun Fast 3200 and the JPK 1010, but the more modern hull shape, longer bowsprit, and minimalistic deck layout make the J/99 a real downwind flyer. The J/99 DISKO TROOPER CONTENDER SAILCLOTH (AUS) is definitely on a mission, raced by Jules Hall & Jan Scholten, a pair of Laser sailors from Sydney, Australia. DISKO TROOPER will be racing with over 100 double-handed teams throughout the IRC classes. Note, the pair did not ship their boat from Australia, the duo will be racing Wayne Palmer’s Hamble-based J/99 JAM. This will be DISKO TROOPER’s first big race since winning the inaugural IRC Double-Handed class in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the boat now has a symmetric option for the first time. DISKO TROOPER is one of four J/99s in action, including Emigdio Bedia GORILON (ESP), Phillipe Guennal’s JIN MOTION (FRA), and Mark Kendall & Tom Holloway’s JIRO (GBR).
J/109 Class (within the IRC 3 Division)The J/109 Class has its prize for the Rolex Fastnet Race and twelve of the 35ft (10.67m) bowsprit design are eligible for the J/109 RORC Trophy, as well as class and overall honors under IRC.
Mike & Susie Yates’ JAGO (GBR) competes both fully-crewed inshore and doublehanded offshore. For the Rolex Fastnet Race, Mike Yates will be double-handed with Will Holland, a rigger for Pip Hare’s IMOCA team. For Mike Yates, the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race is to resolve some unfinished business from 2021 when his doublehanded entry had to retire. “We retired for many reasons,” he recalls. “Not least by putting my knee through the oven door which meant no food – kind of important for a doublehanded crew!”
Mike Yates will compete Two-Handed on JAGO with Will Holland © Rick Tomlinson
Wim van Slooten & Jochem Nonhebel will be racing J/109 FIRESTORM (NED). They are a highly experienced double-handed team from Jachtclub Scheveningen. Wim has been competing Two-Handed and this is the fifth Rolex Fastnet Race for Firestorm. Rob Cotterill’s J/109 MOJO RISIN’ (GBR), fully crewed by family and friends, is having a superb season with RORC. MOJO RISIN’ is in third place for the RORC Season’s Points Championship.
The Royal Engineer Yacht Club raced in the first edition in 1925 and the long association continues with J/109 TROJAN (GBR), crewed by servicemen and women from the Royal Engineers YC. The Royal Armoured Corps YC, formed in 1949, will also be racing a J/109 WHITE KNIGHT 7 (GBR). The RACYC has a long history in the Rolex Fastnet Race including the team lying a hull 50 yards from the Fastnet Rock on the tragic 1979 race. They were swept many miles away from the Rock, and then they sailed home unscathed. 
The Royal Engineer Yacht Club’s J/109 TROJAN (GBR) © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi
Experts may agree that the winner of IRC Three may well be the best IRC corrected time, such as a J/109, and only that class victory can secure a chance of winning overall. For the previous five editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race, the elation of overall victory has been enjoyed by a team racing a yacht of less than 40ft, so the dream of lifting the Fastnet Challenge Cup is more than a possibility for the winner of IRC Three.  The 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race starts from Cowes, Isle of Wight on Saturday 22nd July.   For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information.

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Nearly half of the impressive fleet of nearly 90 boats in IRC Three come from the drawing board of three tried and tested designs: Sun Fast 3200, JPK 1010, and J/109. Also in the mix are some of the latest production yachts such as the J/99, as well as historic boats and sailors from years gone by. While the majority of the boats in IRC Three are about 10 meters in length, the sheer size of the armada means that the total waterline length is greater than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa!!
The J/99’s IRC Rating is generally a few points higher than both the Sun Fast 3200 and the JPK 1010, but the more modern hull shape, longer bowsprit, and minimalistic deck layout make the J/99 a real downwind flyer. The J/99 DISKO TROOPER CONTENDER SAILCLOTH (AUS) is definitely on a mission, raced by Jules Hall & Jan Scholten, a pair of Laser sailors from Sydney, Australia. DISKO TROOPER will be racing with over 100 double-handed teams throughout the IRC classes. Note, the pair did not ship their boat from Australia, the duo will be racing Wayne Palmer’s Hamble-based J/99 JAM. This will be DISKO TROOPER’s first big race since winning the inaugural IRC Double-Handed class in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the boat now has a symmetric option for the first time. DISKO TROOPER is one of four J/99s in action, including Emigdio Bedia GORILON (ESP), Phillipe Guennal’s JIN MOTION (FRA), and Mark Kendall & Tom Holloway’s JIRO (GBR).
J/109 Class (within the IRC 3 Division)The J/109 Class has its prize for the Rolex Fastnet Race and twelve of the 35ft (10.67m) bowsprit design are eligible for the J/109 RORC Trophy, as well as class and overall honors under IRC.
Mike & Susie Yates’ JAGO (GBR) competes both fully-crewed inshore and doublehanded offshore. For the Rolex Fastnet Race, Mike Yates will be double-handed with Will Holland, a rigger for Pip Hare’s IMOCA team. For Mike Yates, the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race is to resolve some unfinished business from 2021 when his doublehanded entry had to retire. “We retired for many reasons,” he recalls. “Not least by putting my knee through the oven door which meant no food – kind of important for a doublehanded crew!”
Mike Yates will compete Two-Handed on JAGO with Will Holland © Rick Tomlinson
Wim van Slooten & Jochem Nonhebel will be racing J/109 FIRESTORM (NED). They are a highly experienced double-handed team from Jachtclub Scheveningen. Wim has been competing Two-Handed and this is the fifth Rolex Fastnet Race for Firestorm. Rob Cotterill’s J/109 MOJO RISIN’ (GBR), fully crewed by family and friends, is having a superb season with RORC. MOJO RISIN’ is in third place for the RORC Season’s Points Championship.
The Royal Engineer Yacht Club raced in the first edition in 1925 and the long association continues with J/109 TROJAN (GBR), crewed by servicemen and women from the Royal Engineers YC. The Royal Armoured Corps YC, formed in 1949, will also be racing a J/109 WHITE KNIGHT 7 (GBR). The RACYC has a long history in the Rolex Fastnet Race including the team lying a hull 50 yards from the Fastnet Rock on the tragic 1979 race. They were swept many miles away from the Rock, and then they sailed home unscathed. 
The Royal Engineer Yacht Club’s J/109 TROJAN (GBR) © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi
Experts may agree that the winner of IRC Three may well be the best IRC corrected time, such as a J/109, and only that class victory can secure a chance of winning overall. For the previous five editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race, the elation of overall victory has been enjoyed by a team racing a yacht of less than 40ft, so the dream of lifting the Fastnet Challenge Cup is more than a possibility for the winner of IRC Three.  The 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race starts from Cowes, Isle of Wight on Saturday 22nd July.   For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information.

Sustainability and performance – at first glance, it seems like a contradiction in terms. But, both complement each other with outstanding design in every detail. At Kiel Week 2023, AUDI Chief Designer Marc Lichte, a J/99 owner, provided insights into what connects the design of sailboats and cars.
Watch on YouTube.com now (in German).
Translation of AUDI Chief Designer- Marc Lichte’s commentary is here:”The design is the symbiosis of sustainability and performance.
The sea draws me magically to it. I started sailing as a little boy at the age of six on an inland lake, and I always dreamed to sail on the sea… which then happened for the first time here in Kiel.
So, sailing for me is really a source of inspiration to clear my head, which generates my creativity and inspiration. So, that is the feeling of the sea for me.
There are many parallels between car design and sailing, everything really has to be perfectly separated in terms of performance, and I have my very own passion for the cars that I design.
The basic form I make in the wind tunnel with my team, that means we try to generate the best possible CV (coefficient of drag) in the design.
I believe we create the connection from all these aspects- aerodynamics, efficiency, and sustainability.
I love fast sailboat performance, too. This is also one of the missions of AUDI, and longevity is, too.
The sailboats that I sail are very progressive; they are very fast, very easy to sail, but, they are durable and strong, too.
And, I aim to do the same at AUDI design. We have truly progressive designs, but at the same time, they’re durable and, therefore, sustainable.
The performance of the sailing boat is, of course, significantly influenced by the mast and sails. Of course, first and foremost, the sails are made of carbon membranes. That means they are extremely durable. Therefore, extremely stiff, and generate maximum lift or power. They are made of a special material which is very light, and very strong, and therefore does not yield. Power from the wind is applied to the keel and the rudder, those two foils are perfectly matched together. This generates maximum performance and, therefore, speed.
AUDI has critical Sport Performance details that are similar to good sailboat design. That means the flow of wind around the car body is critical. For me, the absolute highlight of the process is the virtual one- Design, Sustainability, Aerodynamics, and Performance. The sum of the details parallels the overall picture of sailboats, too.
The sea world and the car world can inspire each other. Everyone can learn from the other and that’s exactly what drives me every day when I design cars!”

Sustainability and performance – at first glance, it seems like a contradiction in terms. But, both complement each other with outstanding design in every detail. At Kiel Week 2023, AUDI Chief Designer Marc Lichte, a J/99 owner, provided insights into what connects the design of sailboats and cars.
Watch on YouTube.com now (in German).
Translation of AUDI Chief Designer- Marc Lichte’s commentary is here:”The design is the symbiosis of sustainability and performance.
The sea draws me magically to it. I started sailing as a little boy at the age of six on an inland lake, and I always dreamed to sail on the sea… which then happened for the first time here in Kiel.
So, sailing for me is really a source of inspiration to clear my head, which generates my creativity and inspiration. So, that is the feeling of the sea for me.
There are many parallels between car design and sailing, everything really has to be perfectly separated in terms of performance, and I have my very own passion for the cars that I design.
The basic form I make in the wind tunnel with my team, that means we try to generate the best possible CV (coefficient of drag) in the design.
I believe we create the connection from all these aspects- aerodynamics, efficiency, and sustainability.
I love fast sailboat performance, too. This is also one of the missions of AUDI, and longevity is, too.
The sailboats that I sail are very progressive; they are very fast, very easy to sail, but, they are durable and strong, too.
And, I aim to do the same at AUDI design. We have truly progressive designs, but at the same time, they’re durable and, therefore, sustainable.
The performance of the sailing boat is, of course, significantly influenced by the mast and sails. Of course, first and foremost, the sails are made of carbon membranes. That means they are extremely durable. Therefore, extremely stiff, and generate maximum lift or power. They are made of a special material which is very light, and very strong, and therefore does not yield. Power from the wind is applied to the keel and the rudder, those two foils are perfectly matched together. This generates maximum performance and, therefore, speed.
AUDI has critical Sport Performance details that are similar to good sailboat design. That means the flow of wind around the car body is critical. For me, the absolute highlight of the process is the virtual one- Design, Sustainability, Aerodynamics, and Performance. The sum of the details parallels the overall picture of sailboats, too.
The sea world and the car world can inspire each other. Everyone can learn from the other and that’s exactly what drives me every day when I design cars!”