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Monday 27 July 2015
Day one cancellation increases anticipation
at the RYS Bicentenary International Regatta
The flag says it all on this windy day as Eleonora stays on the dock © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
With racing cancelled today on the opening day of the Royal Yacht Squadron's Bicentenary International Regatta most crews could only stay ashore and watch the white caps of the waves as the Solent did its worst in the wind speeds gusting 30 knots, with the ebb tide kicking up some big seas in the usually sheltered stretch of water.
The J Class had made a collective decision early in the morning to stay ashore and teams around the docks of Cowes moved towards inevitability of racing not taking place. Principal Race Officer Jonathan Peel made the final call at 1100 announcing "Gusts are continuing to come through and there is nothing to suggest that they will decrease today."
The starts processes will commence again tomorrow morning. In the meantime Carina headed out for a look around the Solent with her full crew on board. Carina arrived in the UK from Newport, RI, one of the Transatlantic Race 2015 competitors. "We thought we would go for a sail today," the owner Rives Potts told us. "Carina is a sturdy boat and has covered many ocean miles. She is probably one of the few yachts here that comfortably handles these conditions. In fact she can be a lot slower turning around the racing marks than some of our fellow competitors - so we like to stretch our legs on the world's long races!" Rives Potts, who is also the Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, has done a mile or two. Carina, a McMurdy & Rhodes Sloop, was launched in 1969. She has competed in no less than 21 Newport-Bermuda races, more than any other boat. Most recently she was second in class in the Transatlantic Race 2011, and sailed down under to take part in the Sydney-Hobart Race, going on to complete a circumnavigation.
"We are looking forward to tomorrow's racing, and hoping for slightly lighter winds," adds Commodore Potts.
Another visitor to the event, from Germany, is Leu, a 45ft Judel/Vrolijk design, launched in 2008, and winner of many titles. Legendary tactician Albert Schweizer was philosophical about the weather. "We have a big understanding, of course, of the weather situation. Safety is very important and comes first," he says. "We are still looking forward to some good days of racing." Schweizer, a veteran of many Admiral's Cups, is in Cowes for the first time in 20 years. "We are really happy to be back here in the Mecca of sailing, at Cowes. It is a huge pleasure." Leu, like many of the other competitors at the Bicentenary will go on to do the Fastnet Race on 16th August.
Six beautiful 8 metre yachts are on the dock ready to go racing. Alexandre Geoffroy, head of the family who owns Enchantement, says "The decision to cancel is absolutely the right one. These winds are strong for an old lady. We are only really happy up to about 17 knots, and our best performance is between 12 and 15 knots." The old lady is indeed of a good vintage - Enchantement was designed and built in 1923 in Norway by Johan Anker, famous for his many victories in all metre classes from 1906 to 1939, and also as designer of the Dragon. She has stayed in French waters since birth.
"Our goal this week would be to beat all the other 8 metres... except Saskia. She is just too hot!" Enchantement is an 'affaire familiale'. Geoffroy sails with his two sons, daughter and nephew as well as other family friends. They sailed the yacht from her home berth in South Brittany, to the Cowes start line, Enchantement's first visit to the UK.
Further up the river at Shepard's Wharf marina, the fleet of J70s were race prepared and ready. The young teams of under-30s, three each to a boat, which has to include one lady minimum, will have to wait another day to see who shows up their speed in the first rounds of racing. Like the big boat crews, these guys have come from around the world - USA, Germany, Italy, and there is even a team from Oxford University.
There's still plenty going on in Cowes. Tonight (Monday), Sir Ben Ainslie, fresh from his victory at the America's Cup World Series, will be on stage at the Cowes Yacht Haven in North Sails' 'History in the Making' presentation. He will be joined by Jimmy Spithill, Team Oracle's helm, who he faced in the weekend's action. Also on stage will be Sam Davies, skipper of the SCA team, recently returned from the Volvo Ocean Race. The event will be chaired by North Sails President, Ken Read.
It is hoped to resume racing tomorrow if conditions permit.
-ends-
Plenty of activity on the dockside © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
For further information please contact:
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Marina Johnson
ClearLine Communications Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)7774 623539
E-mail: marina@clearlinecommunications.co.uk
EVENT ENQUIRIES:
Patricia Lewington
Royal Yacht Squadron
Tel: +44 (0) 1983 292191
E-mail: mail@rys.org.uk
About the Royal Yacht Squadron:
The Yacht Club, as the Squadron was first known, was founded on 1st June 1815.
The Earl of Yarborough, later first Commodore of the Yacht Club, welcomed the Prince Regent as a member in 1817. In 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV, Royal was added to the Club's name. The Club's association with the Royal Navy began early and Nelson's Captain at Trafalgar, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, was among early Honorary Naval members.
In 1826, the Club took to organising yacht racing and by the 1840s opened races to other clubs. In 1833 the Club became the Royal Yacht Squadron by command of His Majesty King William IV.
In 1851 member Ben Boyd, in his schooner Wanderer, visited the Solomon Islands and was devoured by cannibals. In the same year, 1851, Commodore Stevens challenged for the Squadron's £100 Cup for a race around the Island. America's victory was witnessed by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, later Commodore and Edward VII.
In 1882 when the Prince of Wales was Commodore, the German Emperor brought his Meteor, the 1887 ex-America's Cup challenger Thistle, to Cowes in 1892. This encouraged the Prince of Wales to build Britannia, one of the most successful racing yachts ever.
World War I broke out during Cowes Week in 1914. After the war ended the Six Metres became popular, however, the focus was still on the big class and the public flocked to Cowes to see the J's - Britannia, Shamrock V and later Endeavour I.
The Second World War saw the RYS Castle as part of HMS Vectis and head-quarters of 'J' Force planning the Normandy landings. After the War, King George VI presented the Britannia Cup for one of the most celebrated races of Cowes Week.
Later Bluebottle, the Dragon owned by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, gave small boat racing a kick start. In 1966/67 Sir Francis Chichester sailed on his own round the world, which led to the Chichester Trophy, presented by The Duke of Westminster, and the Whitbread Round the World Race. Sir Owen Aisher produced Yeoman after Yeoman and Ted Heath won the Sydney - Hobart Race with Morning Cloud in 1969.
The Pavilion, designed by Sir Thomas Croft, was opened in 2000. In 2001 the Club hosted the 150th Anniversary of the Schooner America's famous victory of 1851 which attracted the biggest and most historic surviving yachts from all over the world. Most recently the Club added the RYS Jubilee Haven.
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