Assent conquers the Fastnet Rock again
40 years after surviving the 1979 Fastnet Race, the Contessa 32 Assent has made it around the course again.
The yacht, built by boatbuilders Jeremy Rogers Limited, was one of the last boats to finish the Rolex Fastnet Race 2019, with an elapsed time of five days, 14 hours and 52 minutes. In 1979, she was the only yacht to finish in Class Five.
For her recent race, she was crewed by Simon and Kit Rogers, Simon’s daughter Hattie and Kit’s son Jonah.
Kit Rogers bought Assent with his wife Jessie six years ago after her legendary skipper, Willy Ker gave up sailing in 2011. Ker, who recently died, cruised Assent over 100,000 miles, including sailing to Antarctica and Easter Island.
Kit said the Fastnet had always ‘been in the back of our minds especially because of her history in that tragic 1979 race. Of course for Assent completing the Fastnet was really not a big deal compared to the extraordinary trips she and Willy Ker made – but for us, to complete the race on this anniversary was really special.’
Meanwhile, students at London’s Greig City Academy achieved their aim of becoming the first state school to finish back-to-back Rolex Fastnet Races. The crew sailed their Frers 45, Scaramouche to Plymouth in an elapsed time of three days, 22 hours and one minute. The charity Ausome, which provides autism friendly sailing experiences, were not so lucky. Their crew of nine autistic sailors aboard the Swan 431 Ausome Lyra of London was forced to retire at Falmouth.