With less than two months until the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, interest has been running high and the entry cut-off of 300 has now been reached well before the official closing date for entries.

In consequence, organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), have set up a waiting list. The 608-mile race has long been a favourite of offshore sailors and offers a true test of seamanship, skill and preparation. First contested in 1925 and run biennially since the early 1930s, the 2007 start will be on August 12 from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The Rolex Fastnet Race has always provided a testing ground for old and new designs and technology advances. Once again, the entries reflect the varied fleet usually drawn to such ocean classics, with this year's cast headed by Neville Crichton's 100-foot lightning fast canting-keel super maxi, AlfaRomeo, which last week took line honours at the 2007 Giraglia Rolex Cup race and Mike Slade's brand new Leopard 3, which will make its racing debut at the JP Morgan Round the Island Race this coming weekend.

A dozen or so Open 60 monohulls will ably demonstrate the latest design concepts in monohull ocean racing, and should include Mike Sanderson's latest Pindar designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and now entering its final build phase at Cookson's in New Zealand; whilst the four Orma 60 trimarans expected and that include Lionel Lemonchois' Gitana 11 will put the case for multihulls.

One new trophy this year is the Seahorse Magazine trophy. The RORC, in conjunction with Cowes Combined Clubs, has created a series trophy for any boat of over 14 metres LOA (upto 30m LOA) with a rating of over 1.420, as well as any boat over 14 metres LOA (upto 30M LOA) with a canting keel regardless of rating, taking part in the RORC Channel Race, Skandia Cowes Week IRC Class Zero series and the Rolex Fastnet.

The first signal for the start of the 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race sounds at 0950 on Sunday 12th August. A Skipper's Briefing will be held at 1600 on Saturday 11th August at the Events Centre in Cowes Yacht Haven.

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