Cowes classics week got underway on Monday with a full day of racing out on the sea.
The event started with a 25 knot rain squall running up the Solent, but this then settled down to a 15 to 20 knot South Westerly enabling 2 races for the classic dayboats and one longer race for the classic yachts.
The largest class, the X One Designs, had 1 windward leeward race out by Hill Head followed by a round the cans race culminating in a long beat to ‘Cowes Harbour’ racing mark inshore of the Gurnard navigation buoy and a sparkling run in a building breeze to finish at ‘Donna’ off Cowes Green. John Tremlett helming Astralita had a 2nd and a 1st winning the day followed by Paul Woodman in Lone Star and Jonathan Clark in Tortoise.
In the Daring metre boats Giles Peckham, last year’s winner in Dauntless, had a 2nd and a 3rd followed by Graham Wilkinson in Doublet and Malcolm Lofts in Streak. The Darings had 2 windward leeward races at the eastern end of the Bramble Bank along with the Mermaids who were won by Richard Rivlin in Bluebell.
The classic yachts had a lively race in the eastern Solent with lots of mark rounding. Division 1 was won by the 1937 Johan Anker designed flush decker Bojar, owned by Mark Dowie followed by Fenton Burgin’s 6mR Sioma and Lawrence Winde’s S&S Sunmaid V.
Division 2 was won by Chris Savage’s Chameleon of Cowes, a Morris 36, Division 3 by Richard Hollis’ H boat Warrior and the Old Gaffers racing as 1 fleet were won by Andrew Hitt’s Plymouth Hooker Spinaway X followed by Richard Haines’ 1898 Essex Oyster Smack Alberta flying a topsail despite the strong wind.
More needless lifeboat call outs. I hope they charge for their services!