Registration opened on the dot of 10:00 UTC Tuesday for this summer’s Rolex Fastnet Race and speedily sold out.
Within three minutes more than 200 entries had signed on before the system became overloaded. Once it had sorted itself out, the tally was up to 370 within thirty minutes.
Within an hour an unprecedented 400 boats had entered the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s flagship event, which this year will follow a route finishing for the first time in France.
The first entry, which managed to sign up in a finger-flying sub-two second time after registration opened was Eva Herman’s J/122 Juliett Romeo from the Netherlands.
The first British entry followed after 26 seconds in Katherine Cope’s Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist.
The first French entry was 30 seconds into the process in Christian Maby’s Sun Fast 3300 3 Spoutnik.
Just a split second later, Conor Dillon’s Dehler 34 Big Deal, the first entry from Ireland and Tomasz Nagas’ Fast Forward first from the USA.
Whilst the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race is at record levels, RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone stresses that those keen to participate should still apply as there will always be an opportunity to enter the race as people’s circumstances change.
