Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 –
The experience of a lifetime for only £3,200!
The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the most iconic races in the world attracting many entrants from around the globe. This 695nm race is the highlight of the sailing calendar and is one of the most demanding offshore races. Crossing the Celtic Sea to round the Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland, the race finishes in Cherbourg, France.
Twice Round the World Skipper Danny Watson and his experienced team will guide the crew throughout the training and the race. This will be the 8th consecutive race that CatZero have participated in. Participants will join the CatZero yacht on Thursday 20th 2023 at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth for inductions, kitting up and boat familiarisation. A training sail will take place on Friday 21st July across to the Cowes Yacht Haven, Isle of Wight, ready for 6 days of action-packed racing, which commences on Saturday 22nd July 2023.
The race starts just outside Cowes at the Royal Yacht Squadron start line. The fleet head west to Lands End, before heading over to the Fastnet Rock near the south-west corner of Ireland, before sailing back around the Isles of Scilly eventually finishing in Cherbourg, France (see map of course below). After celebrating the race finish, you will head back to Portsmouth for Sunday 30th July.
The CatZero Fastnet 2023 package includes:-
Training Session One: 5-7 May 2023 (Join 5 May)
Weekend on board CatZero (Hull Marina), for boat familiarisation and training on River Humber/North Sea.
Training Session Two/North Sea Race 2023: 18-22 May 2023 (Join 18 May)
Join the CatZero Yacht at Ipswich in readiness for the North Sea Race to start from Harwich on Friday 19th May. The race then finishes in Scheveningen on Saturday 20th and the evening can be spent taking in the atmosphere and relaxing before you make a steady sail back to the Humber on Monday 22nd May.
Fastnet Race 2023: 20-30 July 2023 (Join 20 July)
Join the CatZero Yacht in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth before sailing across to Cowes Yacht Haven ready for racing which commences on Saturday 22nd July. The race will finish in Cherbourg and hopefully there will be time for celebrations on shore before you then head back to Portsmouth for Sunday 30th July.
- All meals and refreshments on board
- All wet weather gear and safety equipment
- CatZero Polo Shirt
We recommend that everyone take part in the ISAF/World Sailing Offshore Safety (1 day online) course and the RYA Sea Survival course (1 day), though these are not prerequisites for taking part in the race.
Please click on the link below to the RORC website with more information about the Fastnet Race 2023.
Places are limited! For a place or further details please email [email protected] for an application form. For any further information please do not hesitate to contact Danny on 07920 553976 or email [email protected].
Round the Island Race 2023 £635
The annual Round the Island Race is a one day yacht race around the Isle of Wight. The race regularly attracts over 1,400 boats and around 15,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the World. Competitors come from all over the UK, Europe and as far away as the USA to follow the 50nm round the Isle of Wight. Starting at the famous Royal Yacht Squadran line in Cowes, the fleet races westabout, to the Needles, round St Catherine’s point and Bembridge Ledge buoy, and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.
You will join the CatZero yacht in Southampton or Portsmouth (tbc) on the evening of Thursday 29th June 2023. Following familiarisation of the boat and a night on board we will set sail for a training day, finishing in Cowes, Isle of Wight on the 30th June. After breakfast the next morning, we will then take part in the Round the Island Race on July 1st, arriving later in the day back at Cowes for a celebratory meal, leading on to the festivities in the Race Village.
On the Sunday morning, after breakfast, we will sail back across to Southampton/Portsmouth arriving late afternoon, when you will be able to disembark and start your journey home.
All wet weather clothing, safety kit, meals and refreshments whilst on board the yacht are provided. There are only 12 places available on this sail. Please book early to avoid disappointment as these places will go!
Course information: http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/web/code/php/main_c.php?map=rir19&ui=rir5&style=std&override=§ion=race&page=course
Sail with us
The bedrock of CatZero has always been sailing. The unique opportunities we provide for our course participants is truly life-changing – and you can have that experience too. Our organisation offers a whole variety of individual and corporate packages for you to enjoy, while learning life-skills that will stay with you and your teams forever. All the money from our private and corporate sails is invested back into our programmes. You are helping to change people’s lives.
Corporate Team Building (Sea & Land)
Great teamwork is key to all success and CatZero offers a unique opportunity to challenge, motivate and bond teams – and you take part knowing that you are supporting the work of this vital and unique charity. Tailored to individual needs, we offer management team days, teamwork and leadership challenges, reward and incentive packages and corporate hospitality.
“We are a communications company and as a team we have never communicated better than we did today,” an employee at the end of a day sail activity. For more details and to discuss your individual needs, contact us.
School sails and bespoke opportunities
CatZero offers great individual sails for schools, with highly competitive rates depending on the size of the party and the length of the trip. All clothing and food is included, and all staff and volunteers have enhanced DBS checks. There is a free teacher place for every sail, with no hidden costs.
Meanwhile we offer a variety of bespoke sailing opportunities for all groups or organisations. No request is too much and will try our best to accommodate requests for private charters, especially out of season when the yacht is not used for programmes. Join us on a sail and help us to make a lasting difference, contact us today.
Sailing and our programmes
Those who sail will appreciate all the skills that a person requires to successfully take part in such an adventure. On board, they need to be a team, working together and helping each other. They are also challenged and must overcome fear and trepidation – in short, the experience builds self-esteem and confidence, in an environment that takes them away from the peer pressure and confines of everyday life back at home.
Our programmes combine this experience – offering both short and long sails – alongside the true challenges our delegates are facing to overcome the obstacles that have so far prevented them from turning their lives around. They are certainly outside their comfort zone as they take part in everything – from being the galley chef, to the engineer and the navigator! Indeed, participants recall overcoming dreadful sea sickness, to cook full meals for their fellow crew members!
We use sailing to underpin the values that people learn on our programmes – we help them find ways to help themselves, and this new-found confidence is put into practice on our sails.
History of the Yacht
CatZero (formerly known as One Hull) is a 72-foot Challenge Round the World Racing Yacht. The vessel is insurance Category Zero, hence her name and means she can sail anywhere in the world in all conditions. We take this intrepid, adventurous attitude into our work with young people. Purchased using capital funds from NHS Hull, the yacht is primarily used with groups of young people and adults as a tool to build self-confidence, teamwork and co-operation. In addition, the CatZero yacht has now successfully been able to develop a number of exciting racing and other challenging adventures throughout the year.
