The last day of Cowes Week featured short, action-packed races with three committee boats used, in addition to the Royal Yacht Squadron line, to compress the start sequence for all 32 classes to just 40 minutes.
This week in Cowes, a comprehensive set of highlights for Cowes-Week 2022. The sailing, the drama, the fun, the personalities, and the winners.
Rupert Mander’s Flying 15 Men Behaving Badly won his race today by almost two and a half minutes and in doing so achieved the distinction of becoming the sole boat at the Regatta to post an unbroken run of race wins.
In addition to his class win, he was also crowned overall winner of the White Group dayboat classes.
White Group Overall
1, MEN BEHAVING BADLY (Rupert Mander)
2, JENNY (Simon Clarke)
3, ZILCH (Nick Benham, Ian Perryman & Clive Good)
Other stand out performances include Peter and Alison Morton’s Swan 36 Scherzo of Cowes which won all but one race and discarding a second place in Monday’s race, to win IRC Class 6 with a day to spare.
It was a stunning performance that also saw the immaculately restored boat win Black Group overall, and claim the title of Overall Cowes Week winner.
Scherzo sailed with a team of eight, including yacht designer Hugh Welbourne on the mainsheet and Doug Vincett as boat captain and navigator, plus his daughters and other guests on different days.
Black Group Overall
1, SCHERZO OF COWES (Peter & Alison Morton)
2, YES! (Adam Gosling)
3, ZIGGY (Kevin Downer)
Giovanni Belgrano’s 38ft Laurent Giles classic Whooper won IRC Class 5 with a day to spare, having scored four wins and two second places.
Francois Goubau’s Belgian Beneteau First 47.7 Moana achieved the same feat in IRC Class 1, as did Robert Baker’s J/97 Jaywalker in IRC Class 4.
IRC Class 1 Overall
1, MOANA (Francois Goubau)
2, PINTIA (Gilles Fournier)
3, XINSKA (Bernard Olesinski)
IRC Class 2 Overall
1, YES! (Adam Gosling)
2, LEON (David Franks)
3, INCOGNITO (Paul McNamara)
IRC Class 3 Overall
1, ELAINE AGAIN (Mike Bridges)
2, ARCUS (John Howell & Paul Newell)
3, MALICE (Mike Moxley)
IRC Class 4 Overall
1, JAYWALKER (Robert Baker)
2, J’RONIMO (David Greenhalgh)
3, DECOY (Richard Matthews)
IRC Class 5 Overall
1, WHOOPER (Giovanni Belgrano)
2, WINSOME (www.winsome.nl)
3, 2XS (Aindriu McCormack)
IRC Class 6 Overall
1, SCHERZO OF COWES (Peter & Alison Morton)
2, BANTER (Handley James Families)
3, STAN THE BOAT (Toby Gorman)
IRC Class 7 Overall
1, ZIGGY (Kevin Downer)
2, WARRIOR (Charles Kimpton)
3, SUVRETTA (Chris Preston)
Hong Kong visitor Jamie McWilliam’s Macho Grande won the first three races in the Etchells class, after having to retire Friday he was forced to count a fifth place picked up on Wednesday, he won the class on countback, tied on points with Nick Stagg’s China Wight.
Etchells Overall
1, MACHO GRANDE (Jamie McWilliam)
2, CHINA WIGHT (Nick Stagg)
3, NO DRAMAS (Andy Beadsworth & Son)
The overall lead in the Dragon class changed several times during the week.
A win today for Graham and Julia Bailey in the immaculately restored Bluebottle, just 11 seconds ahead of Eric Williams’ Ecstatic, saw the Bailey’s leapfrog to class victory with 13 points.
Dragon Overall
1, BLUEBOTTLE (Graham Bailey)
2, JERBOA (Gavia Wilkinson-Cox)
3, ECSTATIC (Eric Williams)
X One Design Overall
1, SWALLOW (Richard Faulkner)
2, ASTRALITA (John Tremlett)
3, TORTOISE (Jon Clark)
Victory Overall
1, ZILCH (Nick Benham, Ian Perryman & Clive Good)
2, SHEARWATER II (Russell Mead, Darren Ballard and Adrian Edwards)
3, ZIVA (Jim Downing)
Flying 15 Overall
1, MEN BEHAVING BADLY (Rupert Mander)
2, FORCED FAMILY FUN (Richard Jordan)
3, FFERVIDA (Lisa & Roger Guy)
Mermaid Overall
1, SHEEN (Ben Few Brown)
2, JADE (Alexandra Neill)
3, ZARA (Charles Glanville)
Redwing Overall
1, QUAIL (James Wilson)
2, ENIGMA (Mark Downer & Family)
3, HARLEQUIN (John Raymond & Matt Alexander)
Squib Overall
1, AQUABAT (Phil Rust, Steve Warren-Smith)
2, LITTLE DEMON (Janet Dee & Shaun Hopkins)
3, KESTREL (Charlie, Tom & Harry White)
Sunbeam Overall
1, DANNY (Roger Wickens)
2, SKY (Becky Wickens & Ollie Gilchrist)
3, MAISY (Sue Smith)
Sonar Overall
1, JENNY (Simon Clarke)
2, BERTIE (Alistair Barter)
3, ACF DOLPHIN (Andrew Cassell Foundation)
J/70 overall
1, VAMOS (Tim Ryan)
2, DADS ‘N’ LADS (Ole Bettum,Tim Simpson, Markus Bettum & Hector Simpson)
3, JENGA8 (Andrew Barraclough)
Full Daily Results available here . . .
Report by Rupert Holmes
