Knowing what the weather is going to do can be a huge advantage on the race course, and leads into the next part of your pre-race preparation — forming an appropriate strategy.
In the second part of our Winning the Fastnet series, top navigator and meteorological consultant Mike Broughton walks and talks you through the 608-mile course of the Rolex Fastnet Race...
Mike Broughton first did the Fastnet Race as a 17-year-old. It was 1979, the year that severe storms battered the fleet and 15 lives were lost. Like most of the fleet, Mike didn’t reach the Fastnet Rock that year, but he was undeterred and has competed in virtually every Fastnet since then. Mike offers some advice not just on navigation but on the many different areas of preparation that a team should undertake before embarking on the Rolex Fastnet Race. Most of his advice applies to competing safely and successfully in any offshore race.
The central Solent has a reputation as being a complex place in which to sail, but many of the local wind effects are not difficult to figure out. Rupert Holmes looks at Solent Sea Breezes and Norris Nadgers.
A downwind or reaching leg across the tidal stream is sometimes an inevitable part of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week courses which requires a couple of simple techniques to ensure the minimum distance is sailed, as Rupert Holmes reports…
