(Cowes, England)- Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week is a key part of
the British sporting calendar taking place from August 2nd to 9th this
year. These dates result from early traditions when the great and the
good came to Cowes between “Goodwood” and the “Glorious Twelfth” – day
one of the Grouse Shooting Season. The event is a great mix of
competitive sailing and a vibrant social scene and has evolved
enormously since the early days; it now attracts up to 1,000 competing
boats, around 8,500 competitors and at least 100,000 visitors.Since 1826, Cowes Week has played a key part in the British social summer calendar and is one of the UK's longest running and most successful sporting events. It now stages up to 40 daily races and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. Although the regatta is over 180 years old, it is only in recent times that the Week has become an integrated series of races organized by a single body; today the Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC) of ten member clubs run the racing as a single organization- and the principal starting line is the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line pointed approximately due north of the “castle on the rocks”.
As one of the largest regattas in the world, it’s not surprising that Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week acts as a magnet for international competitors keen to experience the thrills of big fleet racing. It also has the added appeal of being a quintessentially British event with a strong competitive focus. This year there are entries from far and wide including Antigua, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, and the USA.
Tides for this year’s event are predominately “neaps”, so streams are relatively weak in Solent terms. However, they will still play the most critical function in any race winning strategy, and are likely to play a big factor in the start of races from the Squadron line as the regatta progresses. On the opening day, low water is just over an hour and a half before the first start, so the stream will be east-going for the entire start sequence. However, as the week progresses and low water moves progressively later, the eddies close inshore will become ever more important for boats starting to the west on the Squadron line.
Amongst the masses will be several dozen J/Teams participating in this classic summertime event. While the J/111s will be sailing their Europeans (see below), the balance of J/Crews include a combination of one-design fleets like J/70s, J80s and J/109s. In addition, there are IRC Handicap fleets that have J sailors in IRC 3, 4, 5, 6 and Cruiser A!
Starting
with the J/70s, a twelve-boat fleet with international representation
will be enjoying the reachy courses typical of the event. Visiting
teams include Wouter Kollmann’s PLAJ from the Netherlands (a former J/22
European Champion) as well as Dario Levi’s Italian team sailing FREMITO
D’ARJA. Top local teams familiar with Solent waters have to be Wing
Commander Simon Ling’s gang on RAF SPITFIRE Powered by SLAM; Ian
Wilson’s WILSON COVERS; Simon Cavey’s JUST 4 PLAY; Dave Atkinson’s
JAWBREAKER; and Charlie Esse’s DARWIN PROPERTY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT. The twenty-boat J/80 fleet has many of the leading suspects in play for their event, a “de facto” J/80 UK Nationals. Ladbrokes and other betting parlors would have a tough time handicapping this crowd due to their “chutes & ladders” performances over the past year, even for the top teams. Nevertheless, contenders no doubt include Jon Powell’s BETTY; Ben Richards & Andrew Dallas’ BOYSTEROUS; Douglass Neville-Jones’ JASMINE; Kevin Sproul’s JAT (Mr Ultimate Sailing himself); and Geoff Payne’s SURF & TURF.
The J/109s are showing up in force with a 22-boat class that sees a nice combination of familiar top teams participating as well as a number of newcomers to the fleet. Amongst the veterans are the British Army’s WHITE KNIGHT 7 skippered by Capt Robert Hammond, INSPARA (Tor McLaren), J’TAIME (Chris Palmer), JUMPING JELLYFISH (Arthur Gallagher), JYNNAN TONNYX (Owain Franks and Jean Lockett), ME JULIE (Hedley Aylott), OFFBEAT (David McLeman), and SARDONYX IX (William Edwards). Some of the new faces in the crowd include THE SIRENS (Susan Glenny), ARGENT KING’S CROSS (Jim Prower), and BOO (Neil McGrigor).
The
world of IRC handicap racing starts with IRC 1 Class for the J/Teams; a
combination of two duos of J/122s and J/133s. In their nineteen-boat
fleet, the J/133s (Herman Bergshaven’s MADJUS and Ian Dewhirt’s JUMP)
are up against two J/122s (David Cule’s MINT JULEP and Sergey
Senchenko’s JOLOU). Given the mix of Solent conditions, these four
boats should fair well against their diverse group of competitors.The IRC 3 fleet may have one of the most bizarre combinations of boats yet seen in Cowes IRC handicap divisions. The fleet ranges from a Swan 46 and Nicholson 55 (ancient technologies) down to a J/88 (the smallest, newest boat). Perhaps the IRC world needs to take some serious smelling salts. Nevertheless, Terry Rowe’s J/122 ASSARAIN III is the top J followed by the twin J/88s- Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR and Paul Ward & Andrew Penman’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT.
If IRC 3 is a bit of an eclectic mixture, perhaps IRC 4 fleet takes the proverbial cake. Ranging from an Ocean 60 schooner down to a J/92 one knows exactly how to bet a reaching race in about 8-12 kts TWS- certainly not the little boat! Yes, Ladbrokes (or the bettors) would have a field day on this one. Whatever happens on a class basis, no question the boat to beat is Fiona & Malcolm Thorpe’s J/105 KING LOUIE. While they’re well-known for better than average performances, the other J/105s like Natalie Jobling’s MOSTLY HARMLESS, Roger Williams’ JOS OF HAMBLE, and William Edgerley’s JIN TONIC will be looking to dethrone them sooner than later. Plus, Robin & Jaap Stevenson’s J/92 UPSTART will be dreaming of doing just that— upset the King’s Mostly Harmless Hamble Apple Cart!
The twenty-five boat IRC 5 fleet also has an equally unusual mix of boats that ranges from an old Oyster 41 down to an Elan 31. Smack in the middle of the class are a range of J’s from J/92s to a J/110. Within that range are four J/97s that include a rogue’s gallery of assassins in the sailing world, such as James & John Owen’s JET, Nick & Adam Munday’s INDULJENCE, Rob and Matt Paski Orr’s JACKAROO and Chaz Ivill’s ETB TYRES JUST LIKE THAT— all champions in past regattas of various sorts. Good Lord, who would want to face that quartet of gangsters!? On the other side of their muzzles are the J/110 SHADES OF BLUE 2 (Ed Holton), the J/32 DOMAINE (Chris Burbridge) and the twin J/92s- WIZARD (John Greenway) and J’RONIMO (Libby & David Greenhalgh). As a betting man, it would be safe to say that a bet on a “J/team” here is winner, perhaps even a sweep of the class!
As the upholders of all things “classic”, the J/24s in IRC 6 will have their work cut out for them sailing against some famous British sailors like Jo Richards on his old H-Boat, or Giovanno Belgrano’s very ancient Laurent Giles 38 known as WHOOPER. Nevertheless. Edmund Gatehouse’s J/24 JUPITER and Simon Lack’s VINYL SOLUTIONS should acquit themselves against such famous competition given a few reaching legs or two!
Finally, in Cruiser A handicap world, the twin J/100s- Julian James’ THUNDER SQUALL and Ole Bettum’s ALAMARA B II, are up against a 30-boat class that has 30 to 48 footers! Sailing Photo Credits- Tim Wright- Photoaction.com. For more AAM Cowes Week sailing information
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