04.08.2008
www.w-w-i.com/skandia_cowes_week_2008/
World Wide Images is the official media image library for the Skandia Cowes
Week that runs from 2 9 August. We are hosting high resolution, free for
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Skandia Cowes Week Round Up - Day 3
18:46 Monday 4 Aug 2008
Kate Laven - CWL
The third day of Skandia Cowes Week belonged to the cannonball crews as
perfect sailing conditions propelled the fleet round their courses at
breakneck speed.
In the TP52 class, crews reported sustained runs in excess of 22 knots as a
consistent Force 5 south westerly pushed the boats to their limits and gave
them an exhilarating surf through the Solent.
A tantalising battle is developing between the front runners of IRC Class
Zero, though Niklas Zennstrom posted his third win of the week in Ran with
Charles Dunstone's Rio, finishing just 27 secs behind having registered a
fourth and a fifth at the weekend.
"I think we got lucky," said Charles Dunstone, Rio's owner who is driving
the boat himself.
"The guys on Ran sail the boat very well. Yesterday we trawled our kite and
the day before we got something round the rudder but today we were luckier.
"We will be doing our best to win this week. We are good in the wind and the
forecast is for more wind but it is still a big hill to climb."
Victorious Louise Morton faces new threat
Dunstone's navigator Peter Morton was keeping a close eye on the Quarter
Tonner class, where his wife Louise was putting in a blinder of a
performance on her 1980 Bruce Farr designed Espada.
For the past two days, she has been runner up to Howard Sellar's Bullet but
today she stormed past the Faroux boat, winning by almost four minutes.
Next year, Louise will have another mighty contender to fend off. Her
husband, who won the 2007 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Championships on Espada has
himself bought a Quarter Tonner and as part of the classes' glorious
revival, plans to restore her this winter and campaign her next summer.
Tuffers takes a spin in Juno
Phil Tufnell, the former England cricketer and King of the Jungle, was
aboard the Farr 65 Spirit of Juno watching the racing in the new Ondeck
65/68 class, which in its inaugural year has attracted a field of 15
contenders, including five Farr 65s and ten Clipper 68 boats.
These boats, which are extremely user friendly for even the most novice of
crews, have been made available for folk who want to rock up and race' at
Skandia Cowes Week and enjoy a taste of what this event is all about.
Only seven were competing yesterday and it was Spirit of Isis with two
professional crew and ten clients who completed their course first, crossing
the line 90 secs ahead of sister ship Spirit of Diana.
Debutant West heads up the fleet
Bill West, the former marketing director at Skandia Life, now Skandia, and
the man who famously introduced the company to the Cowes Week Regatta, is
competing at Cowes for the first time in his life.
His J/109 Jo Jo Gunne, which he sails out of Lymington has produced a range
of results since the first race on Saturday when he came eighth. Yesterday
he posted a 22nd but today he was back in the mix with a 12th and the bit
between his teeth.
Also moving up through the fleet is Matt Boyle whose results in his J/109
Shiva have steadily improved culminating in today's win by more than three
minutes with Jambo - one of four from the Royal Yacht Squadron boats
focussing on training for crews under 25 - in second, and Brian Morton's
Juke Box in third.
Royal honours for Hunter 707 crew
HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was on the RYS platform this morning
and played his part in setting the course for the Hunter 707s using the new
software that has replaced the string and pin system of old.
The 13.19nm course - RYS, Fastnet Insurance, RYA Yachtmaster, Williams
Shipping, Burges Salmon, Gales HSB, RYS was presented to him for examination
and was personally signed off by him before it was sent out via SMS to the
competitors.
His race was won again by Betty, which has been superbly campaigned by Jon
Powell and his girlfriend Sarah Norbury, editor of Practical Boat Owner.
Their winning margins, this one by more than four minutes over The Ant Hill
Mob and Paul Curtis' Sparkle have been emphatic.
Daisy, the 85 year old Solent Sunbeam that competed in its first regatta at
Cowes continues to impress, missing out by an agonising six secs on a class
win to back-up his victory yesterday. She was beaten again by Roger
Wickens's Danny but the 85th anniversary skirmish is shaping up to be a
humdinger.
Alinghi take title
There was more drama in the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week when JP Morgan
Asset Management capsized. Her skipper Shirley Robertson, who is due to fly
out to Beijing to commentate on the Olympics tonight had surrendered the
helm to the talented Paul Campbell-James but his bid for honours resulted in
a broken rig and a second to last place in the series.
Alinghi finished second in the final double points race today, which was
enough to secure them victory ahead of Team Origin, who in the end trailed
the leaders by five points.
But Rob Greenhalgh and crew retain the Overall iShares Cup Extreme 40 Series
title at the halfway point of the European series. Holmatro sailed well to
hang on to third place but it was Alinghi skipper Ed Baird who received the
garland at the prize-giving.
Skandia team up with the EMT for a Voyage of Discovery'
Skandia have today announced where some of their attention will be turned
when the association with Cowes Week comes to an end after this year's
regatta.
Skandia have teamed up with the Ellen MacArthur Trust to sponsor a special
Round Britain Voyage of Discovery' for children recovering from cancer.
Starting in Cowes in May 2009, the Scarlett Oyster the charity's dedicated
yacht, will visit 20 ports around the UK and finish up back in Cowes in
September.
Around 100 children in all will take part in the voyage and they will be
joined on some of the legs by Dame Ellen MacArthur herself and also by
Shirley Robertson.
About Skandia Cowes Week.>BR>
Organisers extend a warm welcome to Skandia Cowes Week 2008
By Peta Stuart-Hunt
It has been held for the past 182 years, is known the world over as the
greatest and certainly one of the most inclusive regattas in the yachting
calendar, and it officially starts on Saturday 2 August. Skandia Cowes Week
- the last year the event will bear this title as Skandia is relinquishing
its title sponsorship after 14 years - is hosting high-profile sailors,
high-octane racing and fierce rivalry on the water. With the inclusion of
the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week regatta, the
iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week and the Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes
Week, the event is attracting some of the best sailing talent in the
world...and then there's the matter of over 970 yachts racing in 37
different classes with over 8,500 competitors taking to their start lines in
boats ranging from 68ft down to 20.99ft!
The event, which is also justifiably proud of its shoreside entertainment
programme for competitors and visitors alike (the latter numbering in the
region of 100,000 over eight days) has enjoyed a fantastic partnership with
its title sponsor Skandia but, as with all good things, the relationship is
coming to an end after this year's regatta. The regatta's CEO, Stuart
Quarrie said earlier in the week, as part of an official statement: "Looking
ahead to the future of Cowes Week and life after Skandia, our ideal scenario
had been to announce a new partner in advance of this year's event. Although
discussions are progressing well, we are not in a position to make an
announcement before or during the regatta. However, we do have every
confidence that Cowes Week will have a new partner in place in good time for
the 2009 regatta."
Below are some of this year's many highlights and remember you can keep up
to date with all the latest news and views, weather, results and commentary
from Cowes Radio via the official website at www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk.
The iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week
Coinciding with the official start of the regatta on Saturday 2nd August,
the UK leg of the iShares Cup runs until Monday 4th August with a list of 11
runners and riders racing Extreme 40s and it is a series that promises to
deliver some fast and furious competition.
Daily starts are scheduled for 1400 off the indexland shore near Lepe. Racing
continues until 1700 and all boats are berthed in East Cowes.
www.isharescup.com
The Ellen MacArthur Trust (EMT)
The official charity for Skandia Cowes Week is gearing up for its third and
final year of official association with the Event. It hopes to turn Cowes
blue' again and is encouraging everyone to dye their hair, fly blue flags or
just wear blue clothes. Scarlet Oyster, the yacht lent to The Trust by
Gordon Appleby for use during its summer trips and sailing regattas, will
again be crewed by children from The Trust. Gordon sadly lost his battle
with cancer in February and The Trust's entry into Skandia Cowes Week is
dedicated to his memory.
The EMT stand on Cowes Parade has rowing machines with the aim of visitors
rowing two million metres over the course of the week and raising funds at
the same time. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare, Skandia Cowes Week's
official skincare sponsors, are continuing their support by supplying
sunscreen available to purchase on lanyards, with sales proceeds going to
the Charity. The official charity day is Monday 4th August and it
culminates in the Ellen MacArthur Trust Ball - an absolute must attend'
event which this year is being held at Osborne House in East Cowes. The
great news is that all the tickets have been snapped up!
www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org
The Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes Week
Eight IMOCA Open 60s on the Start Line for charity race
Skandia Cowes Week welcomes back The Artemis Challenge. Organised under
IMOCA rules, it features some of the biggest names on the IMOCA circuit..
The Open 60 yachts will race against each other to compete for a generous
£10,000 prize fund that will be donated to the winning team's charity of
choice, with the skipper taking home the Artemis Challenge Trophy.
www.artemisoceanracing.com
Liz Earle Ladies Day
Liz Earle Ladies Day is on Thursday 7th August and it recognises and
celebrates the contribution and achievements of women in sailing. The event
organisers are keen that nominations for the Liz Earle Ladies Day Trophy
should encompass all female sailors ranging from the Corinthian sailor and
those overcoming difficulties, through to those who have undertaken
remarkable challenges in sailing.
More women than ever now compete at the regatta and at least a third of the
8,500 competitors are female. To highlight the increasing involvement of the
fairer sex and to celebrate sailing as one of few indexstream sports where
men and women compete on equal terms, the Ladies Day Trophy is awarded as
part of Liz Earle Ladies Day alongside a host of other activities and
promotions.
Try Sailing
Skandia are once again running their highly popular Try Sailing initiative
in conjunction with the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA). Over the past
three years, hundreds of visitors have been able to take to the water for a
free one-hour supervised sailing lesson thanks to this scheme.
Anyone over eight years old qualifies for a session, which can be booked at
the Try Sailing booth on Cowes Parade. A specially designed boat, the
Artemis 20, is also available especially for disabled visitors wanting to
see what it's like to get out on the water.
The Liz Earle Close Shave Trophy'
The inaugural Liz Earle Close Shave Trophy' has been introduced this year
to be awarded annually to the overall winner across all classes who grasps
victory by the closest margin. The Liz Earle Close Shave Trophy recognises
high performance, tough competition and achievement, and will be presented
at the overall prize giving at the end of the week, together with a Liz
Earle goodie bag for each of the crew.
Watch the action from the shoreline or head into the heart of the action on
a spectator boat
Whether on shore or on water you can enjoy spectator-friendly commentary
One of the great things about Skandia Cowes Week is that spectators can
watch much of the racing from the shore. The Green (in front of the
Esplanade) and The Parade are great places to view the action and there are
also a number of fantastic opportunities to go afloat (details on the Event
website). There are numerous entertainments laid on for visitors and the
event is very family-friendly.
Tune in to Cowes Radio, providing exciting commentary on the racing as it
happens. Any ordinary FM radio will pick up the signal which is broadcast on
87.7 FM and also through loudspeakers along the Green and Cowes Parade.
One of the best locations to watch the starts ashore is undoubtedly the area
between the Castle of the Royal Yacht Squadron and the cannons - as long as
you don't mind the loud bangs! Here you can get right on the line and see
who got the best start and which boats were over the line. You can also hear
the race officers giving their countdowns and calling the starts from the
Royal Yacht Squadron battlements.
Whether you're competing or spectating at Skandia Cowes Week, you will
undoubtedly look back at your time at this unique event as pretty special.
Enjoy!
Kind Regards
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