Testing conditions at Cowes

SUNSHINE AND SQUALLS IN THE SOLENT

This year’s Lendy Cowes Week began in heatwave temperatures with light sea breezes, and culminated with squalls touching 40 knots across the Solent.

Early days of the regatta saw brilliant sunshine, sea breezes, and a long postponement that left some fleets racing into the early evening. By contrast on the final Friday a series of squally showers was forecast to bring winds topping 25 knots across the Solent.

The smaller dayboat classes were set courses in the shelter of Osborne Bay in the morning, while the larger black group boats raced in the western Solent. For the big boats the final Friday turned into an extreme day with squalls merging to bring sudden but sustained wind speeds of 25-38 knots after midday, and racing for most classes abandoned. One sailor died after falling overboard (see panel, right).

Giovanni Belgrano, who was racing his 1939 Laurent Giles sloop Whooper commented after racing: “It got extreme really quick out there – we spent two hours pushing a lot of water around, by far the worst conditions we ever tried to race in, until it did not feel safe. We decided to head towards the island shore for shelter, we saw a rescue helicopter and shortly after saw the abandoned guns.”

The standout classes at this year’s Cowes Week included the Fast 40+ class, which saw a battle between early leader Girls on Film, helmed by Peter Morton, and the more radical Ràn, Niklas Zennström’s aggressive latest generation Carkeek design. Ràn prevailed in the Fast 40+ series, while Girls on Film continued racing throughout the week to take the Triple Crown big boat trophy.

The Squib class fielded a gigantic fleet of 100 umber-sailed keelboats racing for their 50th anniversary National Championships.

Steve Warren-smith and Stu

Rix’s Aquabat took the title win.

Overall white group winner was Giles Peckham and crew in the Daring Dauntless. They won the Cowes Week small boat series overall for the third time, while Caroline van Beelen and Rutger Krijger in their J/109 Jack Rabbit took the black group overall trophy for the bigger boats.