Plymouth Fastnet 500 Race

The Plymouth Fastnet 500 returns to Plymouth Sound on Sunday 16 August, another edition of the offshore yacht race that's become a proper fixture on the sailing calendar. It's organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club, who've been running ocean racing for over 65 years, and the whole thing starts and finishes right here in the Sound.

The race covers roughly 500 nautical miles, and the route is what really sets it apart. It's designed to avoid the tricky tidal gates at Hurst Castle, Portland and Start Point, which are usually the biggest headaches for anyone racing around the south coast. Instead, the fleet heads out from Plymouth, rounds the Fastnet rock, and passes the Scilly Isles before turning back. The whole course is broken into four segments, and because it's a loop, the boats start and finish in the same place. Sailors call it a 'navigator's dream' for exactly that reason: the course is direct and the logistics are easy, since you don't have to worry about getting your boat to a different port after the finish.

It's an open event, too. Entries are welcome for boats from 27 to 70 feet, both monohulls and multihulls, and there's a wide range of classes to fit different setups: MOCRA, Class40, Mini Transat, IRC, Solo, two-handed (one or two crew), and full crew. Whether you're out there on your own or with a whole team, there's a category that works.

If you're not racing, it's still worth heading down to the water to see the fleet head out and come back in. The start and finish are both in Plymouth Sound, and the Royal Western Yacht Club is the club behind it all. The race kicks off on 16 August.