X-332s at Skandia Life Cowes Week

Hot on the heels of the X-332 National Championships in Torquay only three weeks earlier, 21 X-332s lined up off the Royal Yacht Squadron for their class start for Cowes Week 2001. For the first time, this fast-growing fleet have commanded their own gun at a major international regatta after only six seasons in the UK.

Many boats from the South Coast were joined by the Waterhouses on Elixir from Burnham-on-Crouch SC, Martin Ozard & Steve Morris on X-Celerator from St Peterport, Jan Martin Ringers on Yellow Rose from the Netherlands and Brittany Ferries and Colombine from France. Newcomers to the fleet included Accenture who chartered two yachts this year (Exabyte and Exploiter) and Ralph Dissell and his crew from South Africa on Xena.

Relatively heavy conditions suited these fast racer-cruisers with tight racing throughout the fleet during the week. There was a tussle all week between X-Celerator, Yellow Rose and Brittany Ferries with Yellow Rose the more consistent with never less than a 3rd, but X-Celerator claimed 3 bullets with a similar number of seconds leaving them to discard a 6th. Brittany Ferries came back into their stride towards the latter half of the week with two 2nds and a joint first on the final Saturday to claim 3rd overall.

Race 8 on the final day finished with a dramatic photo-finish with three boats – Brittany Ferries & Yellow Rose catching Accenture Exabyte – crossing the Squadron line exactly together at 14:37:46 confounding the committee and even the Squadron line video could not separate the three boats.

It was an exciting and demanding week – both on and off the water – and the X-332 class has firmly established its place as an expanding and exuberant racing fleet.

Overall Results:

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com X-332 Page