Cowes Week Day 3: Close Racing As Stronger Winds Loom
- Dominic Kureen
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Competition remained fierce on the third day of North Sails Cowes Week, with several class leaders strengthening their positions as crews enjoyed another day of favourable sailing conditions on the Solent.
The Folkboat class made its debut in the event's mini-series format, producing one of the closest contests of the regatta so far.
Gybe N claimed overall victory by just one point ahead of Crackerjack, with If Only finishing a further point behind in third.
In the J/70 fleet, Martin Dent's Jelvis continued its impressive run of form, ending the day comfortably at the top of the standings after finishing on the podium in all nine races sailed so far.
Another class making its Cowes Week debut this year is the RS21. Tiga Tiger, sailed by Tom and Jo Hewitson, won the nine-race mini-series by 8.5 points ahead of Does Your Mother Sail?, skippered by Geoff Carveth.
The Weekend Warrior Trophy also concluded after three days of racing, giving less experienced crews the opportunity to compete at the world's largest keelboat regatta.
Xscapiste, sailed by Selina Dallas, took the honours ahead of local Cowes sailor Louis Kenna, while Harlequin, helmed by Paul Foster, completed the podium.
The Squib fleet returned to Cowes Week after several years away, with Lee Deck, sailed by Martin Harrison and Andy Ramsey, making the perfect start with three wins from three races.
Among the Island competitors, Kev and Marnie Gibson, representing the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Wootton, remained among the front-runners after another strong day's racing.
In IRC Zero, crews tackled the longest course of the day, covering 27 nautical miles across the eastern Solent. Hong Kong entry Beau Geste, led by Karl Kwok, secured its third victory of the week.
While the opening three days have been blessed with sunshine and relatively light winds, conditions are expected to become far more challenging over the next two days.
A strengthening south-westerly breeze is forecast on Tuesday, with the potential for significantly stronger winds on Wednesday, setting the stage for what could prove to be one of the toughest days of this year's regatta.
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