2017 Rolex Fastnet Race

This morning we continued towards the southern approaches of the Isles of Scilly just as the sun was coming up. Winds were light and led to several sail changes as the the morning wore on. Thankfully the winds began building around 1300, and once they passed the 11KT threshold, Triple Lindy hit her stride. By mid afternoon we were nearing the final turn off of Lizard Point. The English countryside was absolutely gorgeous, and we had a close up view…

After rounding Fastnet early Wednesday, we turned back across the Celtic Sea under spinnaker. Sunshine meant we could finally dry our gear and clothing. A flattish boat meant a cooked breakfast of bacon and egg muffins (thanks Sean). And the constant company of dolphins kept us amused – actually it would be harder to be more amused than sailing with this crew! Dawn Thursday and we are rounding the south side of the scillies, then we’ll be on the final…

Triple Lindy family and friends, today was truly memorable. We pushed hard to get the most out of the last segment of the more than 350nm upwind portion of the race. After clearing the Scilly Islands, we played the winds and currents throughout the night, keeping the Lindy driving into the chop that was riding atop larger swells in the Celtic Sea. The winds came in strong from the northwest, testing each watch’s skills to maintain drive and keep the…

Greetings family and friends, the crew is enjoying a challenging race that started with the spectacle of nearly 400 boats gathering off Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The start maneuvering was tricky, with loads of boats cued up for their class’s gun from the race committee, all the while trying not to be swept down the Solent by the 2.7knot tidal current passing through the area. Triple Lindy had a good start and moved out quickly down the favored…

After 2 days of working on the boat in the marina and dodging rain squalls, we finally headed out into the Solent to get sails up and calibrate the instruments. The compass, speed were spot on, and the wind instruments confirmed it was blowy. Crew were a bit slow to get going after the long evening yesterday, some considering they were suffering from food poisoning- an unlikely theory. Rolex stickers now on the boat, food on board, save for Shelagh’s…

Day 2 of boat prep is underway in driving rain and 35 knots of breeze. The sun briefly showed so we got our battle flag launched for a brief test.    The prod is on to make our Swan 44 become a Swan 50. Pete proudly leans on it. We probably stripped 1000lbs of gear off the boat so really hoping we don’t need spares during the race. All else is good and our router Paul spent a few hours…