(Cowes, IOW, England)- Since 1826 Cowes Week has played a key part in
the British sporting summer calendar and is one of the UK's longest
running and most successful sporting events. It now stages up to 40
daily races for around 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of
its kind in the world.This year, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, as the event is now known, offers a great mix of competitive sailing and social activities from August 11th to 18th. The 8,500 competitors range from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors. In excess of 100,000 spectators come to watch the sailing, enjoy the parties and live entertainment, and to experience the unique atmosphere. It is genuinely a one-of-a-kind event.
Traditionally, Cowes Week takes place after Glorious Goodwood and before the Glorious Twelfth (the first day of the grouse shooting season) - occasionally the traditional dates are changed to ensure optimum racing, taking account of the tides. Over the years the event has attracted British and foreign royalty, and many famous faces.
The
first race was for a Gold Cup of the Value of £100, held in 1826 for
just seven yachts under the flag of the Royal Yacht Club (which later
became the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1833). The next year King George IV
indicated his approval of the event by presenting a cup (the King's Cup,
presented at every subsequent event until 1939) to mark the occasion,
and the event became known as Cowes Regatta. This was run as a
three-day, then a four-day, event and quickly became part of the social
calendar.It was not until 1964 that, on the suggestion of HRH Prince Philip (a regular competitor and Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron), Cowes Combined Clubs was formed to run and organise the regatta. This body represented the seven clubs involved in managing the racing (Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal London Yacht Club, Royal Thames Yacht Club, Royal Southampton Yacht Club, Royal Southern Yacht Club, Island Sailing Club and Royal Ocean Racing Club) and Cowes Town Regatta Committee. The Royal Yacht Squadron line became the universal start line and there was one set of sailing instructions and racing marks for the Week-- it was a brilliant suggestion by the Prince as since the regatta has mushroomed in popularity.
Over
the course of time, J/Boats sailors have found the Cowes Week to their
liking, enjoying the fabulous on-shore festivities along with the
equally challenging sailing up and down the capricious tidal river known
as "the Solent". Participating in this year's events will be
one-design fleets of J/109s and J/80s as well as fleets of J/111s,
J/122s, J/97s sailing within various IRC classes. Thirty-one of 180 IRC
entries are J/Teams, about 17% of the fleet, quite a good show again
and the dominant brand in IRC class sailing-- twice as many as Beneteau
or X-Yachts participants in each brand!Again leading the charge as biggest one-design keelboat fleet at Cowes are the twenty-five J/109s and what amounts to a changing of the guard amongst the top of the fleet will be in the making as last year's top boats are all gone. Amongst the leaders could be ME JULIE (Dominique Monkhouse), David Mcleman's OFFBEAT and the RAF Sailing Team on their familiar RED ARROW. It will be an fascinating fleet to watch as the pecking order gets jumbled rapidly race to race!
The
J/Sprit class may again include a selection of J/92, J/97 and J/105
designs. In 2011, there was keen competition for the top spot, the class
winner being the J/92s J'RONIMO (David Greenhalgh & John Taylor)
followed by Nick and Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE, third was Andy Howe
& Annie Kelly's J/92 BLACKJACK. All three competitors are sailing
again and will have to contend with two top J/105s, NEILSON REDEYE (Pip
& Pete Tyler) and KING LOUIE sailed by Fiona and Malcolm Thorpe.
Then, the rest of the fleet are no less intimidating, including several
J/92s like WHO'S TO NO (Richard Sparrow), BOJANGLES (Richard Sainsbury),
HULLABALOO (Andrew Dallas); and a gaggle of fast J/97s like MCFLY (Tony
Mack), JACKAROO (Jim and Stephen Dick), JET (James Owen), the champion
JIKA-JIKA (Mike & Jamie Holmes) and another champion FEVER
GLENFIDDICH (Grant Gordon).The J/80s recently had their J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth and, as expected, the run-up to that event would have an impact on the large twenty-four boat attendance the J/80s enjoyed last year. This year it looks like there will be a competitive coterie of nine boats with some familiar top boats in the fray, including JAMMY DODGER, AQUA J and the RAF Sailors on SPITFIRE.
Sure
to be a factor will be the six J/111s, starting with David & Kirsty
Apthorp's new J/DREAM, winner of this year's IRC Class in the Round
Island Race. Then you have SHMOKING JOE (Duncan McDonald and Phil
Thomas- past IRC Class winners in the Round Island Race). Newcomers
include MOJITO from Hong Kong sailed by Simon & Michele Blore,
previous owners of successful J/92s of the same name; DJINN from Belgium
sailed by Sebastien de Liedekerke, a former J/109 owner; JEEZ LOUISE
(James Arnell); and ICARUS sailed by Charles Rolls and Andrew Christie.
If the performance of the 111s in recent offshore events with any
amount of breeze is indicative of the possible outcome in IRC2 Class,
their friendly J competitors will have a tough time handling them.
Included in this group are the J/122s.The four powerful J/122s JINJA (Ian Matthews), GHOST (Ken Lowes), THE SISTERHOOD (Susan Glenny), MINT JULEP and JOULOU (Ivan Trotman) will keep everyone honest and perhaps win a race or two and take a podium finish!
Two well-sailed J/133s- JUMP (Ian Dewhirst) and MADJUST (Richard Huges) have proven their capabilities to win races both around-the-cans and offshore may possibly end up in IRC1 or IRC2, in any event they will have their hands full as they strategize how to get around the Solent as cleverly as possible. Sailing Photo Credits- Beken of Cowes/ Tim Wright-Photoaction.com. For more Cowes Week sailing information
