Gary Aldington and Anton Modin powered to victory in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race on Sunday (30th August), as adverse weather forced organisers to switch the weekend’s headline powerboat racing to a shortened rough weather course.
The GoGPS Cowes International Powerboat Festival saw competitors take to the Solent for the iconic Cowes-Torquay-Cowes (CTC) and Cowes-Poole-Cowes (CPC) races.
Up to 40 boats had been expected to participate across the 2 races, with some of the fastest craft capable of more than 90 knots.
However, the weather played a major part in proceedings. With adverse conditions and challenging seas forecast, organisers confirmed that the rough weather course would be used for both races.
The revised Cowes-Torquay-Cowes course covered 56.74 nautical miles, with Aldington and Modin taking 1-88 Double Trouble to overall victory in 49 minutes and 35 seconds. They averaged 68.66 knots – 79.01mph – to secure the top spot.
Harry Thomas and Dean Stoneman finished 2nd aboard Lightning Strikes, while Alex Welham and Neil Raven took 3rd in Sixty Nine Offshore.
Organisers congratulated the winners on social media, saying the sport remains particularly vulnerable to the conditions and that the right decision had been made to run the shortened course.
They also welcomed the return of international competitors to the Isle of Wight for an event which has attracted some of offshore racing’s biggest names over the years.
In the Cowes-Poole-Cowes race, run over 32.31 nautical miles, Daniel Bentley, Shaun Bentley, Tom Yaldren and Dave Flewin claimed overall victory aboard Double 2 Shirts in 34 minutes and 19 seconds.
Charlie Three Five, driven by Elliott Holman and Jonathan Gray, finished 2nd, with Murray MacGregor and James Dodds taking Just Add Water to 3rd place.
The racing had originally been scheduled to take competitors considerably further afield, but the rough weather arrangements kept both contests within the Solent.
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Photos by Clive Blount
