Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

Cowes Classics Week 2018 Day 4 - A cracking Solent breeze

by Cowes Classic Week 26 Jul 2018 12:45 PDT 23-27 July 2018
The 46-strong XOD fleet enjoyed steady breezes for two of the three races on day 4 of Cowes Classics Week © Tim Jeffreys Photography

After yesterday's fluky conditions a stiff and steady easterly set into the Solent today for the penultimate race day of Cowes Classics Week.

Good tactics and playing the tides were two factors key to success in the Cruiser classes which started their fourth day of racing from the Royal London Yacht Club's shore line.

This was certainly the strategy for Andrew Pearson's 10 metre Bojar, built in 1937, which continued her clean sweep of wins in Red Class 2. "We learnt a lot of lessons from watching the fleet in front of us (Red Class 1)", reported tactician Nick Ryley. "We could see that some were struggling to cross the line so we decided to come in on port, managing to cross the rest of the fleet and then tacked out offshore to get the best of the tide. That was our winning tactic, right at the beginning and we managed to hold onto our lead the whole way round." He adds "We are just beginning to understand how to keep this 81 year old, 16 tonne yacht moving in light winds!"

Red Class 2 represents a real spectrum of vintage yachts. Bojar beat 30 square metre Aeolus into second place and cruising 8 metre Charm of Rhu into third.

In the Green class Mike and Barbara Harrison's Contessa 26 Jiminy Cricket scored her third win of the week out of four races, keeping the 44 year old at the top of the leaderboard ahead of William Edwards' 1962 built Mermaid class Annabelle. Also racing in Green is Cynthia a Seaview Mermaid that was built in 1922 and discovered virtually as a wreck by Mike Randall and a number of partners. She was restored over a number of years and the last fitting was fastened hours before the first race in the 2017 edition of Cowes Classics Week. Cynthia returned to Cowes Classics this week for the second time having spent the past year racing with the rest of the Mermaid fleet at Seaview. "We have been enjoying the conditions," says Mike "and we are still learning a lot about the boat."

With a class rating for the Cowes Classics Fleet Cynthia is competing in Green all week. Meanwhile nine other Seaview Mermaids made a one day guest appearance today, keeping up the custom of one-day classes coming along which have included the Squibs and the Victories this week. The Seaview Mermaids sailed to the starting area, and enjoyed constant steady breezes to complete three windward-leeward courses before using their fourth and final race to head back to their home base of Seaview. "The breeze was sufficient that they had to change from their number ones to working jibs," reported Course Race Officer Amanda Harding. "They take that decision as a class."

Sharing the Seaview Mermaids circuit were the Bembridge One Designs, whose identical and gleaming blue hulls make them unmistakable, and the elegant Loch Longs. The wind held steady throughout the day for three races each putting both classes on schedule to complete their full series tomorrow. Jonathan Evans' Tantrum is the Loch Long to watch with four firsts in seven races so far while Russ Fowler in BOD1 continues to lead the Bembridge One Designs going into the final day.

The XOD fleet, numbering 46 boats today, made, as always, for a great spectacle. Course Race Officer Bob Milner set three races today. A general recall for the first race of the morning, not unusual for this class, delayed proceedings but subsequent clean starts kept the schedule going. Race one of the day went to John Tremlett in X80 Lass, while the middle race was claimed by James Meaning and his crew on X156 Gleam. All went well in the steady easterly breeze until race 3 when, minutes after the first six boats had crossed the finish line, the wind shut off, and then proceeded to barely breathe from both east and west. "We had thankfully just shortened the course," says Bob, "but then it was a long wait for the rest of the fleet to struggle to the finish." The final race was also a triumph for Lass which now tops the leaderboard by a slim point over Max Crowe's Clair de Lune.

The five Flying Fifteens and Darings both got steady and close racing on their respective committee boat courses, but almost no one was as close at the finish as Folkboats Eala (Alasdair Maclean) and Njord (Patrick Farrell) which finished within one second of each other after several hours of racing on a fixed Solent mark course. Claire Locke with The Otter still leads the Folkboat series with a fourth win today.

Racing concludes tomorrow, followed by a prizegiving at the Royal London Yacht Club.

The organising club, the Royal London Yacht Club, is supported by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club and Island Sailing Club. The famous RLYC Winkworth tea parties are once again taking place every afternoon and there is a full calendar of evening social events.

Cowes Classics Week is supported by sponsors Charles Stanley Direct, Winkworth, Red Funnel, Cowes Harbour Commission, Kendalls Fine Art, Clare Lallows boatyard, Classic Boat magazine, Zhik clothing and Robert Oatley Fine Wines.

For race information visit www.cowesclassicsweek.org.

Related Articles

Marine Auctions: May Online Auctions
Marina Berths and Vessels, some vessels unreserved Marina Berths and Vessels, some vessels unreserved. The Bidding for the May Online Auction will commence on Thursday 23rd May and will end on Thursday 29th May at 2pm AEST. Posted on 12 May
Special Sunday brunch & learn
Women on the Water: The History of Female Sailors on the Great Lakes On Sunday, May 18, join us for a special Bunch & Learn event, Women on the Water: The History of Female Sailors on the Great Lakes. Posted on 11 May
NMMA testifies in support of Pennsylvania boating
The hearing focused on the economic impact of the recreational marine industry in the Commonwealth On May 6, NMMA Northeast Government Relations Manager, Sam Romano, testified before the Pennsylvania Senate Game and Fisheries Committee in strong support of the state's recreational marine industry. Posted on 10 May
Molabo & Team Malizia 48v Hybrid Propulsion System
A pioneering step toward zero-emission offshore performance Lightweight, fuel-efficient, and safe-to-maintain: A pioneering step toward zero-emission offshore performance. Posted on 9 May
Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode One
Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running Posted on 8 May
Newport International Boat Show gives back
Premier northeast boat show announces support for local nonprofits The Newport International Boat Show, presented by BankNewport announced today it will be giving back to the local community. Posted on 8 May
TowBoatUS Pittsburgh ready to assist boaters
New owners for TowBoatUS Lake Anna, VA The 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters with ties to nationwide fleet of more than 600 towboats has come to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers. Posted on 8 May
MasterCraft reports fiscal 2025 Q3 results
Net sales for the third quarter were $76.0 million, down $8.0 million, or 9.5% MasterCraft Boat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCFT) today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 third quarter ended March 30, 2025. Posted on 8 May
Demand slows as market watches economic indicators
NMMA's Monthly Recreational Boating Industry Data Summary report New data from NMMA's Monthly Recreational Boating Industry Data Summary report paints a complex picture—defined by ongoing retail softness, cautious optimism, and a watchful eye on economic indicators that continue to shape consumer behavior. Posted on 8 May
VMAR files electric marine powertrain patent
For advanced software-based overload protection The patent introduces smart software within the Company's E-Motion™ HV Electric Marine Powertrain that continuously monitors electrical conditions of the cooling-pump motor. Posted on 7 May
Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTERNorth Sails Loft 57 PodcastAllen Dynamic 40 Footer