The annual trip to Cowes to race onboard Z75 ‘zilch’ a Victory class one design comes around very quickly, always applying pressure to get sails ready, so I can close Suffolk Sails for a week of top racing.
Cowes week has shrunk significantly since my first week where over 1000 yachts took part; however, the white group boats (the smaller dayboats) are still strong, making up the majority of the numbers.
The victory class is a tight fleet, just about every boat / helm has won races and any could take the week, there were a few favourites, reigning Champs Z74, previous winners Z80, Z78, Z54 and ourselves in our new pony Z75 (we previously won racing Z69), it was going to be a close week.
The week started with a postponement, eventually getting underway at 1505hrs. a long race in building breeze saw the fleet play on the bramble bank for the majority of the race with a ‘hitch’ over the bank to use a few of the buoys on the south channel. We started ok, worked our way up the fleet, before the brubber bands started expanding and contracting the lead boats on the final leg. We close crossed on port Z78 who hailed ‘Starboard, Protest!’ immediately their bow passed our stern. This was a problem, without a witness the port tack boat is likely to lose, it’s very hard to prove you were clear ahead, most Protest committees will err on the side of caution; indeed, this was the case for us, we were disqualified (DSQ), so our first race turned out to be our discard on the first day, the pressure was now definitley on.
Sunday dawned with a steady breeze of +20knots a salopettes day for sure! This time we were to start to the west, short tacking along the green to Egypt point and then a long downwind leg to play on the Bramble bank (they do like to let the little boats have all the fun!). We led the fleet round the first three marks before seeing a redwing with a dropped mast. With them drifting in the shipping channel we abandoned racing to standby the broken yacht to ensure they remained visible until a tow could be arranged, after 15minutes we resumed racing. The race committee gave dress of 3rd place.
Monday, Storm Floris blew the weed of the Squadron and the day was AP over A – All racing Abandoned.
Tuesday saw the breeze back to a more manageable 14- 20knots, another westward start this time with the tide under us towards Lepe Spit then down to Paul Heys (Calshot spit area). Again, we showed a good turn of speed after an average start, three boats split Z75, Z74, Z78. Z75 leading all the way until the last leg letting Z74 & Z78 slip though on the last upwind leg. 3rd place.
Wednesday saw a transition day from the wind, a long postponement saw racing start very late at 1520hrs, the time limit extended to 1900hrs. the wind barely making it to 9knots and the tide building against the fleet after the start saw us lead the fleet into the shore at Gurnard where the rest of the Cowes fleets were fighting their way along the coast to Monex Marine / Salt Mead, we got stuck in a melee with Sunbeams, dragons, redwings, XOD’s, Flying Fifteens (basically everything!) all fighting in a bit of water only really 30m wide to escape the tide. Z79 escaped the melee first followed by Z74, we struggled to break the shadows but eventually made it round Gurnard ledge in third. Only to see Z77 take a huge lift inside us. After racing for more than an hour just to get to the first upwind mark, we expected a shortened course, which puts a bit of pressure on the navigator to locate the finish mark when all around are the rest of the fleet’s spinnakers. We tried but couldn’t manage to claw a place back so 4th.
Thursday, another steady breeze (still not a lot of sunshine on the course!) we had a committee boat start along way east for the little boats in the Solent (Little Ship Club for those with the charts). The course was a couple of sausages round Quarr & Motherbank, then some hitching / reaching / fetching around the south channel before a Breakwater finish. Our starts were still not the best but we had the speed and the shifts, we led the fleet all the way round until we passed the last mark West Ryde Middle upwind, we had Z74 (leading the overalls) and Z78 (our nearest overall) should we go for the win or ensure a minimum result? To help with that decision a large commercial ship came ploughing through the south channel as the wiwnd shadow hit us, we tacked. Feeling like the wind would shift back on our new tack, Z74 stood on and, lifted (pants!) the track was running out but it is one of our favourite bits of the Solent Norris ‘nadgers’ the wind drops, shifts, lifts, it’s a sailor’s nightmare? We picked the shifts, Z74 crossed just in front the line looming. Let’s get to the line on starboard, if it’s close it’s ours. Not to be Z74 hold to take the win. 2nd place.
Friday, you know it’s going to be a bun fight when the principal race officer starts the days briefing with “we’d love to get all the boats running down the green together for a traditional finish”. Oh crikey I thought, I hope he’s going to spread us a bit. Nope. As second last starters our course was just three marks – up towards gurnard sailing club back to CHS buoy just of Egypt point then another upwind to Monex Marine (up west on the island shore) before the long run tucked in against the shore to avoid the west going tide. It was tight at the first mark and the first run down saw us inside the green posts at Egypt point, the fleet outside us interfering with each other’s breeze, we snuck round the outside, dropping the spinnaker as the stern came level with the mark and the tide swept us back upwind to the Monex Marine. We had a good lead, but we could see the other fleets beginning to point to the same place on the island shore. We led round the last mark hoisted the spinnaker with a little bit of clear air but with a few XOD’s nearby, Z74 next round with clean air they started to work their way more inshore out of the tide in Thorness Bay. We were relatively happy as there’ quite a large spit and it looked like Z74 wouldn’t make it. As we approached the spit Z74 snuck in front of us, it was going to be a long twitchy run along past Egypt point to the finish. We’ve done this a few times on different boats (so has everyone else it seems) so we knew where we wanted to be. Downwind with every fleet of every size around you becomes more about port / starboard and fleet management than just finding clean wind. As we squeezed down the green, a dragon pinning us in, a Seaview mermaid pinning the Dragon in, the concentration is: just keep the kite filled, gybe onto port to create space, gybe back to protect. The Line loomed, I had no idea who was in front, but I could see Z79 level outside us having issues with the Dragon, in more tide, surely, they can’t get passed? the rest of the fleet closing as the wind shadow around the Royal Yacht Squadron started to slow us down. The line must be close?? the wind has gone a look left to see the dragon take out Z79, that helps settle the nerves… BOOM! A cannon on the last day, a check under the boom to see Z74 already packing the kite. 2nd place, that’s two more RYS cannons to go in my collection. No race wins but 2nd overall shows a consistent pace, just a few marginal calls. It’s the 200th anniversary of the worlds oldest and biggest yacht regatta, so we are quite happy to be on the podium, one place better next year?
P.S. we came 8th in the Equal Seas Trophy – best mixed crew and 8th in the Westamacott Trophy (more than 100 entries in each)
P.P.S. well done to John, Fraser and Tim sailing XOD Astralita, white group & overall winners. old friends and very talented sailors!
credit photos : Emma @Islescape (instagram)
photos Simon Scammell
