The 125 Cowes Classics Week competitors were treated to Cowes Classics Day, a celebration of classic forms of transport, with over fifty cars, buses and motor yachts and a vintage biplane fly-past outside the organising club, the Royal London Yacht Club. The following five days of competitive Corinthian racing were complemented by a full social program hosted by six local yacht clubs.
The winds were strong all week but each fleet was able to race every day around the GJW Direct sponsored, race circuit.
Cowes Classics Week racing got off to a brilliant start under a cloudy bright sky with a relatively steady South to southwest wind across the Solent.
Cowes-based Dragon owners Andrew Milliband and Michael Cover were effectively match-racing with six points each after four races. Clearly well-matched they were having an exciting series notwithstanding a fleet of two!
For the third day of racing the fleets set out of Cowes under a cloudy bright sky and 15 – 20 knots of westerly wind with the last of the ebb giving an easy sea. By 11.00 the wind was consistently 25 knots + with gusts up to 30+.
Michael Cover sailing Dragon Ithaca retired from race five so was then trailing Andrew Milliband in Glaurung by two points.
The Dragon fleet had a terrific week effectively match-racing. With just one day to go there was only one point separating Glaurung and Ithaca suggesting some very enthusiastic racing on the final day.
Ithaca came good towards the end of the week with five wins from eight races, to win the Dragon class.
Image credit: Tim Jeffreys, Superyacht Shots