With just a few days to go until the 50th anniversary of the Fastnet race, the designs of Sparkman & Stephens remain strong contenders in this historic event.
Excerpt the from Rolex Fastnet Race:
“Rated at the top end of the IRC Two band are some beautiful classics which will bring some latter-day glamour to the fleet. They include Quailo 3, a Nicholson 55 that used to compete in the Admiral’s Cup, the Swan 55 yawl Lulotte, and the US-owned S&S 49 Hiro Maru.
The beautiful classic Swan 55 yawl Lulotte © Rick Tomlinson
Designed by Sparkman & Stephens and launched in 1971, aluminium-hulled Hiro Maru previously raced as Scaramouche when she secured second in the 1972 SORC and won class in the 1977 Transpac under previous owners.
Hiroshi Nakajima's 1971 aluminium-hulled S&S 49 Hiro Maru © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi
Current owner Hiroshi Nakajima has logged over 20,000 miles, competing in the Newport-Bermuda eight times and winning class in the 2019 Transatlantic Race. Nakajima believes the boat is tough enough for most offshore conditions: "This boat is built well (by the Palmer Johnson boatyard). It's a period boat from the late 1960s/early 1970s when they were building rugged aluminium boats.”
Read the full article here:
https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/en/news/1236-irc-two-preview-classics-doubles-and-round-the-world-adventurers