Telegraph journalist Kate Lavern, provides daily news roundups for Skandia Cowes Week and VentnorBlog have permission to reproduce her reports here for the benefit of our readers. Ed
The big boats were ruling the waves on day four of Skandia Cowes Week as the second Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes Week for Open 60s gave Pindar skipper Brian Thompson a fairytale ending.
Thompson, and a crew that included sailing celebrity Mike Sanderson, took 4 hours 13 minutes and 48 seconds to complete the 50 nm course and beat Seb Josse and Ellen MacArthur on BT into second place with Mike Golding on Ecover 3 in third.
Last year Pindar, making her debut in competitive racing, lost her rig around the back of the Island and she was dismasted for the second time in October during the Transat Jacques Vabres but her five minute win today was completed without injury or incident.
“I am elated to have won because it was a strong field with a collection of proven contenders,” said Thompson.
We had a really good team on board and made no mistakes with tactics or sail handling. The boat is fast so we just let her go. She loves reaching and she loves a bit of wind – that was how she was designed so she is proving what we all knew but had previously no chance to prove.”
This is our last proper race before the Vendee Globe in November and our first major race win, and one year on things have changed a lot. Our plan now is to do some two-boat testing with Hugo Boss.”
The seven boat fleet, which also featured Hugo Boss, Aviva and Artemis attracted a star studded celebrity line up of TV and sport stars including Davina McCall, Alistair Campbell, James Haskell and Dean Macey.
Life changing experience for injured soldiers
Also on board Pindar were Jono Lee and Chris Herbert who were taking time out from their crewing duties on IRC Class 2 boat Toe in the Water (pictured below) to sample some elite Open 60 racing as part of an injured soldiers rehabilitation programme.
Both Jono and Chris lost legs while serving in Afghanistan and are being treated at Headley Court, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey.
Neither had sailed before this week, but after participating in the Injured Soldiers Sailing Initiative (ISSI) both have discovered a real talent for the sport after receiving some ace instruction from Thompson.
After three days of racing on Toe in Water competing alongside some heavyweight Commodores Cup boats and racing thoroughbreds, this novice crew are, remarkably, lying in fifth place from a field of 35, which explains why Thompson was keen to have them on his crew.
Earlier this week, Chris was voted Sailor of the Day and for Jono, the experience has already changed his life and he has decided his next step is to train to be a sailing instructor.
In the Victory class, John Tremlett made a Lazarus-type comeback in Zinnia to post a two minute win to maintain his undefeated form, despite his disastrous start where he careered straight into Alpha buoy on the RYS line.
Ex-Morning Cloud II making gains
Opposition of Clyde, formerly Morning Cloud II which was built for Sir Edward Heath in 1971, has enjoyed mixed fortunes in her first Cowes Week regatta since being restored by original builders Clare Lallow in Cowes earlier this year.
New owner Jamie Matheson, an investment banker whose company Brewin Dolphin recently took on sponsorship of the Jersey Regatta in September, posted a third on Monday and was sixth today but lies in 14th overall in IRC Class 6, after collecting maximum points on Saturday for not declaring followed by a 17th on Sunday.
Ian Braham’s MG 346 Dean & Dyball Enigma, IRC 6 winners in 2006, is enjoying faultless consistency recording four wins in four days to give them an overall lead that barring disasters, could soon become unassailable.
Ripping tides keep ’em guessing
Geoff Carveth stormed home to his first win of Skandia Cowes Week on Team Earl’s Court to go top of the Laser SB3 leaderboard, though it was not until his girlfriend called her parents after the finish that he learned they had won.
“The tide has been ripping three knots taking us all over the line,” he explained.
“But you have to be on the line to be first at the mark so it is really touch and go as to whether you are over or not. We actually thought we were over and were sweating the whole race thinking that it might not count.”
For much of the Laser SB3 it was a two horse race between Team Pindar and Team Earl’s Court but the last marker saw the Italian boat Vita Spericolata and the South African City of Cape Town come into the reckoning.
“On the last beat we stuck it into turbo and got lucky, winning by about ten boat lengths,” Carveth said.
So close, yet so far
There was no stopping Niklas Zennstrom’s TP52 Ran which for the fourth consecutive day took honours in IRC Class Zero, though on corrected time it was unbearably close with just 36 secs separating the top three boats.
Stuart Robinson’s Stay Calm was runner up while Benny Kelly’s Panthera was third, just 14 secs behind to go second overall with four races remaining.
It was the closest race so far, said Robinson and although Ran led all the way round, there was just half a boat length between them.
“Things were really close up by the forts and we were within half a boat length from Ran and Panthera were half a boat length behind. The four boats were within three boat lengths.
In the lighter winds, it is always going to be close but their programme is a very professional one while I have mates from work on board. But it was great fun.”
Freddie’s on fire
The youngest skipper at Skandia Cowes Week, the pocket sized Fred Warren-Smith, who is 12 and from the Isle of Wight, posted his best result of the week with an excellent third place in the Squib class.
His boat, Aquabat is now placed in 5th place overall and has every chance of catching the leaders Mike Probert’s Panu Munta and Penny and Mike Fenwick’s Ghost Hunter if he can maintain his splendid form.
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