WEYMOUTH sailing couple Kay and Kevin Stibbs are taking on the gruelling Fastnet Race 2013 for a cause close to their hearts.

The duo and their team aboard Draig O’r Mor will be lining up among 380 contenders at the world’s largest offshore yacht race on Sunday.

They will spend at least two days racing non-stop from Cowes, Isle of Wight to Plymouth via the Eddystone Rock.

For the pair, the biennial race is particularly poignant for it was while sailing the 2009 edition that Kay realised “things were not quite right” and on her return home she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.

In 2011, cancer survivor Kay and team took part again to raise funds for Sail 4 Cancer, a charity that provides vital help for families affected by the disease, which they are supporting again this year. Kay has described how “shell-shocked and shabby” her family felt after watching her undergo cancer treatment.

She said the Sail 4 Cancer respite holiday offered to her family in 2010 was a holiday of a lifetime, and just what was needed to pull them all together.

Joining the Stibbs at this year’s Fastnet Race is Mickey Carter, who was part of the original 2009 team, plus Albert De Heer, Robert Horton, Nix Middleton-Stewart and Richard Veale.

The Weymouth sailors completed two qualifying races – The Myth of Malham and the De Guingand – in order to cover the 300 offshore racing miles required to qualify for the Fastnet.

The first qualifier from Cowes, around Eddystone Rock, off Plymouth, and back to Lymington covered 230 miles, much of the Fastnet course, and took the team almost two days.

Kay said: “Light winds prevailed, which is not exactly Draigy’s kind of thing, so we were pleased with a respectable 14th out of 34.”

The second qualifying race – the Guingand – saw a streamlined team of Kay, Kevin, Horton and guest John Poyner sail from Cowes to Guernsey in grim conditions with 30 to 40-knot gusts of wind.

Many boats retired through the night and the Stibbs team were delighted to finish fifth in their class, 32 minutes behind the winning boat, Mefisto.

Now they have great hopes for a good result in the Fastnet, which will see yachts arrive in Plymouth between August 13 and 17.

Kay added: “Fingers crossed for strong winds which are Draigy’s preferred conditions.”

The team will leave Weymouth in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The race starts at 12.30pm on Sunday from Cowes and the fleet will pass Portland Bill in the late afternoon or evening.

Follow the team’s progress on the Race Tracker at fastnet. rorc.org. Make a donation at sail4cancer.org/draig-fastnet-2013.

All are welcome to join Kay and Kevin Stibbs and their Fastnet team for Last Last Supper tonight. Give the team a good send off from Castle Cove Sailing Club, Weymouth. Bring your own barbecue or a takeaway can be ordered. A collection will be made for Sail 4 Cancer.

For more information visit sail4cancer.org