Two perfect Solent races get the International Six Metre World Championship at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, off to a flying start.
- Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel tops the Open Division with Violeta Alvarez’ Stella second and Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ Maybe XIV third.
- Simon William’s Silvervingen leads the Classic Division from Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s Titia with Rainer Muller’s Saskia third.
- In the Corinthian, all-amateur, competition Maybe XIV leads the Open Division and Saskia leads the Classic Division.
Glorious sun, a steady south-easterly breeze of 10 to 15 knots and a stunning fleet of thirty-four International Six Metres made for the perfect start to the Six Metre World Championship in Cowes.
The Royal Yacht Squadron’s Race Officer Peter Saxton set the fleet two windward/leeward courses over the Bramble Bank and got racing underway on time at 11:30.
In the Open Division Jamie Hilton’s USA126 Scoundrel, a gleaming varnished 1989 Ian Howlett design, built by Paul Litton and sailing for the New York Yacht Club, got the regatta off to a great start with a confident win in the opening race, followed by solid third, putting them into a three-point lead.
The winner of the second Open Division race was Jan Eckert’s SUI140 GinkgoToo, built in 2020 by Nene Gallardo to a Javier Cela design and sailing for the Societe Nautic Geneve, but with a fourteenth in the opener he finds himself in eighth overall.
Violeta Alvarez at the helm of GBR112 Stella, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, built by Astilleros Garrido Shipyard in 2017 and sailing for the Royal Yacht Squadron, began with a fifth and then took second in race two to put her into second Open Division overall.
Filling third place with a third and sixth in the opening races is Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ 1987 Pelle Petterson designed ESP70 Maybe XIV,
For defending Open Champion Dieter Schoen and his team aboard SUI142 Momo, the 2022 Vroelick design built by Wilke and sailing for the Sailing Club St Moritz, the regatta got off to a mediocre start with a ninth in race one and a fifth in race two, putting them on seventh overall.
A total of eight races are scheduled and a single discard will only be introduced once six races are completely.
Top Classic performer was Simon William’s new team aboard GBR31 Silvervingen, a 1939 Tore Home design built by Hägerstens Båtvarv and sailing for the New York Yacht Club.
Since her acquisition by Williams, Silvervingen has undergone a significant refit in preparation for this event. His team may be new to Sixes, but they certainly don’t lack experience, with a crew that includes double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson and British Tornado Olympian Mark Bulkley. A steady seventh followed by a third puts them into a two-point lead overall in the Classics.
The points in the Classic Division are very close with the top nine boats separated by just four points.
In second by a single point thanks to a race two win is Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s ESP72 Titia from the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo, a 1952 design by David Boyd, built by Woodnutts at Bembridge, that represented Britain at the 1952 Olympics.
Provisional Top Five Open Division
1st Scoundrel, USA123, Jamie Hilton – 1, 3 = 4 pts
2nd Stella, GBR112, Violeta Alvarez – 5, 2 = 7 pts
3rd Maybe XIV, ESP70, Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas – 3, 6 = 9 pts
4th Sophie II, SUI132, Hugo Stenbeck – 2, 10 = 12 pts
5th Battlecry, GBR89, Jeremy Thorp – 8, 4 = 12 pts
Provisional Top Five Classic Division
1st Silvervingen, GBR31, Simon Williams – 7, 3 = 10 pts
2nd Titia, ESP72, Mauricio Sanchez-Bella – 11, 1 = 12 pts
3rd Saskia II, SUI19, Rainer Muller – 2, 11 = 13 pts
4th Hanko III, GER96, Thomas Kuhman – 12, 3 = 14 pts
5th Nirvana, GBR33, Andy & Lisa Postle – 6, 8 = 14 pts
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