| I have just returned from Cowes, and I have to tell you it was a hell of an
experience.
The end result was that the USA 'A' team won the regatta, with Argentina second.
The USA team consisted of the Nelson/Marek 47' Collaboration, with Dee Smith
and a few other pros on board, the all conquering Farr 44 Gaucho, and the
Antigua Week IMS winner Falcon, a Tripp 40.
The Argentine team consisted of Bwana & Califa 3, both new Farr designs built
( as was Gaucho ) by a Buenos Aries boatbuilder, and Inteloper, a UK based Farr
one-tonner ( ex Mean Machine ) that has recently undergone an IMS conversion.
Poor results from the latter meant that they never really threatened the US
team, although the first two were well up in the individual rankings.
The big winner of the competition was the weather. The sun shone and the wind
blew ( except for the final race, which was abandoned through lack of it), and
the loser was the IMS rule, or at least how it was implemented at this regatta.
The resluts were very unreliable, and subject to wild changes. The first race
was rescored 3 times, and following a protest from the Argentinians, the
original results were eventually used. The problem arose over whether to use
the performance curve system ( where the times logged by the yachts are used
to establish what conditions the race was run under - no, I don't understand
it either ) or using the conditions observed by the committee. The later is
obviously ( so far as I understand ) a more reliable system, but the original
race instructions stated that the former would be used. Wind input by the
RC was used for scoring the first 2 races, and this put the 1965 S&S Sunstone,
sailing for England in first place for both races. The PCS system which was
eventually used after protest, put them 6th and 17th ( in a field of 36 ).
This rescoring was the beginning of a bad regatta for Sunstone, which was
so much slower than the rest of the fleet that they had serious tidal gate
problems in both the offshores. The England team finished a dissapointing 6th
The first race was a 30 mile race in the Solent, around local racing marks
were local knowledge was quite important. Most yachts hit the bottom at one
point or another, and Collaboration had to be hauled out after the race for
some repairs with a sledgehammer and filler. This was sailed in a gentle
but steady breeze.
The second race was sailed in Christchurch Bay, a relatively tideless area
of water just outside the Solent, and was a Windward/Leeward 8 leg course
The race wa swon on the water by the very fast Bully, a Judel/Vrolijk designed
50', sailing for USA 'B', but as with the other races, she lost out when the
handicaps were applied.
Race Three was the Long offshore ( also the RORC Channel Race ), with a
170 mile course taking us west along the Dorset coast, out round a bouy
in the middle of the English channel, back to the west again, then to the
finish just near the Needles. The race started from the RYS line at Cowes into
25 knots of breeze, with all 36 yachts trying to get into the narrow strip, about
100yds off the shore, where the best tide was. Boats were going into the shore on
starboard, and coming away on port, with no rights. Some boat never got more than
a couple of boatlengths away from the shore. Those that did best out of it
were those who were prepared to duck a stern or two coming out. The noise and
spectacle were quite amazing, with boats passing within inches of each other at
7 or 8 knots, and I'll remember this for a long time. The wind moderated once we
left the Solent, and we completed the race in just under 23 hours.
Race four was a stunner. Also run In Christchuch Bay, this time round an Olympic course,
with 20 to 30 knots of wind and bright sunshine. The reaches were right on the
top edge of heavy spinnaker range, particularly for the masthead rigs, and many
boaches were seen. Unfortunatley, these were the only kite reaches of the whole
championship. I was sitting on the rail of 'Soeticheyt' when a J39 tried to
pass us to windward. After a couple of luffs, they gave up and bore away round
stern. As they did this they caught a wave and flew away. I have never seen a
boat move so fast in my life. We were doing 13 knots, and they claim to have
hit 20. The Dutch yacht Pro-Motion, a 47' streched J44 owned by the same guy as the
IOR 50 footer, lost the top of her mast on one of the beats, and there were
numerous other minor breakages.
Race 5 was the short offshore, started in very light winds, and a couple of
good shifts later we lay second on the water ! We couln't hold on to this for
long,but the good start gave us our best result of the regatta, a 19th. The
wind was light, but never died, and this one only took us about 18 hours.
The small boats got really stuck by the tide, and the three slowest boats
filled the last three slots on handicap also.
The last race, and olympic course in the Solent, was started in very light winds,
after a couple of postponements, and after most yachts had taken 3 hours to
reach the first gybe mark, and the windward leg became uptide instead of down,
the race commitee abandoned the race, much to the disgust of Bully and
Collaboration who had almost reached the 2nd windward mark, with most of the
smaller boats kedged by the 1st Gybe mark.
Our team ( Holland A ) had a slightly dissapointing regatta, with Soeticheyt ( a
de Ridder designed 43' aluminuim cruiser racer ), Svalin ( a Liberty 47, also
fairly cruiser oriented ) and Blue Jane, a 1975 S&S one-tonner ( the old,
smaller size ) 30th, 29th and 36th, but we knew we were outclassed from the
start. I now know a few words of Dutch, but trying to follow what was happening
on board was rather tricky.
One other team worth mentioning was Jersey, who had the pick of the rejects
from the England trials, who beat England. They has a lovely new Dubios 40
Impulse, with a fully fitted interior, a J39 and a Castro 43 ex IOR two tonner
Red Source.
The USA B team consisting of Bully, Numbers ( a Taylor 42 ) and the locally
chartered Humphries 36 Apriori also did quite well.
I haven't got the result sheet here, but I'll publish the important points
as soon as I do.
The social side of the regatta was also first class, with parties every night
but one, sponsored by Tuborg Lager, Mount Gay Rum, Champagne Mumm and Rolex
watches ( who also sponsored the whole regatta. )
Apart from the scoring problems mentioned earlier, the Regatta was a great sucess,
and assuming that IMS lasts that long ( i'm sure it will ), it will be taking
place at the same time in two years time.
Chris
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