Mega-tris Duel off Fastnet Rock
Less than two weeks after its re-launch, the world’s largest racing trimaran, Spindrift 2, (formerly Banque Populaire Maxi) notched its first major victory, completing the 605-mile Rolex Fastnet Race in 38 hours 53 minutes, to take line honors in the 336-boat fleet.
Despite its massive size, the 131-foot boat—which is just now setting out on the multiyear campaign that will culminate in a round-the-world attempt in 2015-16—struggled to overcome the 103-foot maxi-tri Banque Populaire VII (in the background, formerly Groupama 3) due to the light winds that dominated this year’s race. In fact, it was nearly passed just two miles short of the finish in Plymouth when the wind shut down and the smaller boat brought in a fresh wind from astern.
Winning this year’s Rolex Fastnet on corrected time was the French father-and-son team of Pascal and Alexis Loison aboard the JPK 10.10 Night and Day. This marks the first time in the race’s 88-year history that a doublehanded entry has come out on top. For complete results, visit fastnet.rorc.org
Photos courtesy of Rolex Kurt/Arrigo
