A Sailing Success: The Fastnet Boat Race 2005

A huge thank you and congratulations to our supporters, Gordon Applebey and Matthew Windebank, who have successfully completed the 2005 Fastnet Race in aid of CancerBACUP.  Sailing in the 48ft Scarlet Oyster, they completed demanding 600 mile to finish second in their class, just minutes behind the class winner! Their combined fundraising efforts have incredibly raised over £50,000 towards our work in donations and sponsorship, so a big thank you also to all the companies and individuals who supported them.

They called themselves the ‘no hopers’ and flew a flag declaring ‘I am lucky to be here’, referring to the fact that three of their crew have faced serious illness but, with the aid of modern medicine, are doing well. Gordon and Matthew’s personal experiences of cancer led them to CancerBACUP and they wanted to support and raise awareness of the important service CancerBACUP provides for cancer patients, their families and friends.  In Gordon’s words:

‘CancerBACUP provides back up support, information and advice,
not only to the sufferer but also to the family, who in many ways
suffer greater psychological pain.’

This was the 41st Fastnet Race, which has taken place every two years since 1925, with the exception of the war years, 1939- 1945. The race, which begins at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, runs past the Scilly Isles, round Fastnet Rock of the southernmost point of Ireland and finishes at Plymouth, is a challenging and unpredictable course, demanding total commitment from the crews that take part.

On behalf of us all at CancerBACUP, once again, thank you to Gordon and Matthew for all your support and congratulations on this huge achievement.