Rolex Fastnet Race 2017 – Highlights

On 6 August, a record fleet of 362 yachts gathered off Cowes for the world’s largest ocean race. French yachtsman Didier Gaudoux was among the 2,700 sailors who took part in the 603-nautical-mile offshore adventure over the following days. He had been dreaming of winning the Rolex Fastnet Race since the late 1970s, when he first discovered his passion for offshore racing. It inspired him to ask design studio Joubert & Nivelt to build a yacht to “win the Rolex Fastnet Race”. That ambition became reality when Gaudoux’s Lann Ael 2, crewed with family and friends, was confirmed as the overall winner of the 47th Rolex Fastnet Race. His reward came in the form of the Fastnet Challenge Cup and a Rolex timepiece awarded during the final prize-giving.