Sailing World on Water Aug 04.23 Cowes Week Days 1-3, Rolex Fastnet Class Winners, Rodos Cup, 29ers

Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of sailing in the last 7 days.
Cowes Week 2023 got off to a thrilling start on Day One with sparkling sunshine,  and winds gusting well over 20kts from the southwest.   
It was the Cape 31 Class,  the relatively new and extremely popular,  24-strong international one-design fleet,  that stole the show with a spectacular downwind start off the Royal Yacht Squadron line out to the east.  Against a strong ebbing tide,  the fleet shot off under spinnaker towards Stokes Bay with half the fleet heading for the northern-most shore and the other half to the south in an effort to cheat the tide,  before enjoying some close,  exciting racing on the eastern Solent. 

In Super Zero,  Wind Whisper skippered by Pablo Arrarte came out on top on corrected time after beating fellow V O 65 Team Yar Yoo into Cherbourg by around 25 minutes.  Subsequently,  however,  class victory for Wind Whisper slipped through the V O 65 team’s fingers when the jury for the Rolex Fastnet Race imposed a 5% time penalty on the Polish team.  This involved a misunderstanding over the use of a jockey pole,  an item which was not declared on their I R C Rating certificate.  In the interests of good sportsmanship the error was reported to the race committee by the team themselves prior to crossing the finish line.  This drops them to second place with Team Yar Yoo now winners of I R C Super Zero. 

The outcome of I R C Two in the ROLEX Fastnet Race hung in the balance until the very end,  but it was Juzzy,  who came through to win at the end,  as the fleet arrived in a wet,  wild,  and windy Cherbourg,  early on Thursday morning. 
For the duo racing Juzzy,  a bright blue J P K 10 30, this was their first Rolex Fastnet Race.  But seeing as skipper Thomas Bonnier and his co-pilot David Prono,  are both veterans of the Mini Transat,  their victory is not so surprising. 
What’s more surprising is that Bonnier,  now aged 61, hadn’t attempted the Fastnet before.  

One of the strongest competitions within the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 50th Rolex Fastnet Race was in the ever-swelling ranks of I R C Two-Handed,  mostly populated from I R C Two and I R C Three.  This has steadily grown since it was first introduced in 2005. this year it was up to a record 96, a leap from the 64 that raced in pre-pandemic 2019.  Ultimately in I R C Two-Handed,  Romain Gibon,  and Alban Mesnil,  on Les P’Tits Doudous en Duo prevailed,  also winning I R C Three in the process.   

With a forecast indicating a good chance of getting back on the water on Day 3 of Cowes Week following yesterday’s abandonment of all racing,  there was an air of excitement in Cowes.  Even the miserable early morning drizzle failed to dampen the spirits of competitors,  and it was a relief it all went to plan on the racecourse particularly as it was in the presence of Her Royal Highness,  the Princess Royal,  who was on the water watching the racing on Royal Navy Day,  and Charity Day.  

The west-south-westerly airflow,  although significantly less than yesterday’s blow-out,  was still hitting 20 plus knots,  which made for another exciting day. 

After only 16 races in the Typhoon 29er UK Open Championships on the Final day,  the ultimate female winners were Laura Hamilton,  and Carolina Zager of the USA.  UK Olympic coach Jon Emmett caught up with the girls after the final race.  

The third day of the 26th Rodos Cup sailing week unfolded as scheduled,  with the race taking place from Nisyros to Symi. 
The weather conditions during this race proved to be challenging,  with low weather,  and fluctuating winds.  As a result,  the sailors faced a highly technical race,  requiring them to showcase their utmost skills and expertise. 

After an excellent second day of racing at the 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE,  three teams remain unbeaten.  José María Meseguer’s,  Pez de Abril crew,  lead the ClubSwan 42 class,  Teatro Soho Caixabank,  is dominating Majorica,  ORC Class 2, and in the Herbalife J/70 fleet,  which started with three races today,  the RCNP’s Patakin,  skippered by Luis Albert Solana won all three races. 

The 26th Rodos Cup sailing week came to a close with the final scheduled race from Symi to Rhodes.  The sailors had a delightful experience on the water,  with a steady 4-5 Beaufort wind supporting their journey. 
Upon reaching Rhodes,  the boats found hospitality at the Rodos Marina,  a significant sponsor of this exciting sporting event.   

205 entries,  numbering 410 sailors,  from 25 countries,  made their way to the British Olympic venue to sail the high performance 29er World Championships.   Australians Ben Crafoord and Jacob Marks held onto their lead into Day 4 and the first day of finals racing.  With two more race wins and a 6th,  they lead by only two points.