Red Funnel Cowes Keelboat Championship - Weekend 1

Light wind start to the Red Funnel Cowes Keelboat Championship

A light easterly breeze, a chilly temperature and intermittent rain greeted the Etchells, Darings, and Dragon fleets on Saturday as they prepared for the first weekend of the Red Funnel Cowes Keelboat Championship.

The format of this Red Funnel-sponsored series is windward leeward races with two races a day and twenty-four races held over six weekends from May to September. Each weekend is run by one of the Cowes clubs, with this first weekend of the series being organised by the Island Sailing Club.

Race Officer Rod Nicholls set Saturday's course just to the north of the Bramble Post in a light easterly breeze of Force 1-3 and a flood tide. Racing got away on time with the small fleet of four Etchells being the first away ahead of fleets of twelve Darings and nine Dragons, the turnout reflecting a slow start to the season and the uninviting conditions.

The first races were sent away in an easterly of about Force 2-3 but the wind dropped throughout the afternoon, with the second race being sailed in a dying breeze with quite large wind shifts.

In the Etchells fleet, Yes! came out on top with a second and a first ahead of Gelert, with a first and third. Gelert had the added excitement of losing a crewmember over the side before the start of the first race. She was quickly recovered by an Island Sailing Club RIB and transferred back to her boat, wetter but unharmed. Tim Herbert-Smith's Shamal filled the third slot with a third and a second in the two races.

The Daring fleet had, as usual, some close racing with Division Belle taking the first race ahead of Dynamite and Dreamer. The vagaries of the conditions were shown by the fact that none of the top three from the first race appeared at the top of the results for the second race, which was started in a failing breeze and with a massive wind shift just before the gun, giving those close to the committee boat the bonus of a heavily biased line.

This race was won by Finesse (which retired from the first race after the finish) with Darling second and Defender in third.

The Dragon fleet was led home in both races by Len Jones' Rumours, which last weekend won the Dragon's South Coast Championship, with Graham and Julia Bailey's Aimee taking second in both races. Chris Brittain's Caramba was third in the first race while Paul Woodman's Fuzzy Duck completed the top three in the second race.

Unfortunately, there was insufficient wind on Sunday for the dayboats to attempt to race and the Island Sailing Club kept competitors ashore under a postponement before finally abandoning racing when it became clear that the wind would refuse to cooperate.

The next weekend of racing for the Red Funnel Cowes Keelboat Championship will be on 20-21 May when the weekend's event will be run by the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club.

Top three in each class:

Etchells Race 1
1 Gelert
2 Yes!
3 Shamal

Etchells Race 2
1 Yes!
2 Shamal
3 Gelert

Darings Race 1
1 Division Belle
2 Dynamite
3 Dreamer

Darings Race 2
1 Finesse
2 Darling
3 Defender

Dragons Race 1
1 Rumours
2 Aimee
3 Caramba

Dragons Race 2
1 Rumours
2 Aimee
3 Fuzzy Duck

No racing on Sunday

For full results visit cowes2006.result.vg/public/regattaindex