Small Ships' Race 2004 - Cowes
See also: Finishing Times, Prizes and Photos
RACE REPORT
The 2004 ASTO Small Ships' Race was a smaller event than the last two years, which have involved a race across the Channel or North Sea. The plan was to bring the fleet into Cowes and then race around the Isle of Wight. The planning had been carried out in detail by ASTO volunteers led by Paul Bishop and a small but dedicated group from the Isle of Wight.
The fleet assembled on Friday 8th October in very windy conditions at Cowes Yacht Haven where the boardroom had been given over to the Race Committee. Registration and the work of issuing race branded clothing, donated by Paul Bertie of Ocean World, carried on into the small hours of Saturday morning. The Royal London Yacht Club played host to a reception for skippers and navigators followed by a race briefing.
The weather forecast was looking particularly difficult with ENE winds up to force 7 expected on Saturday morning. With the possibility of gusts of over 40 knots off Saint Catherine's Point, the Race Committee decided on a safer, but very challenging, Solent course. (See below) This was initially a bit of a disappointment to some of the larger yachts but all agreed later that it had been the correct decision. In the event there was a lot of wind, but relatively benign seas due to the shelter provided by the mainland, and the Solent course proved extremely popular.
The race was started at 0730 on Saturday morning in blustery conditions off the Royal Yacht Squadron start line. The official starter was the television star Geoff Hughes, who now lives on the Isle of Wight. Geoff is a very keen sailor and winner of the 2002 Round the Island Race on his own boat Wayward. He and Eve Branson had an early start and were down on the pontoons at 0600 talking to the young crews as they prepared their yachts for the race. Amongst the young trainees were many from the Isle of Wight who had been offered berths by ASTO members.
There were 19 starters out of the 21 boats entered and they sped off up the Eastern Solent on the first leg of the 46 mile course, shadowed in style by members of the race committee and marine photographer MAX in a Fairline Squadron 58. Line honours went to Chris Copeland in Exocet of Messila (right) completing the course in 7 hours and 7 minutes exactly. Exocet had taken on three 16 year-old Dublin girls from OYT Northern Ireland's Lord Rank at the last minute to make up the crew! Last boat home was Kindred Spirit who had blown out their mainsail in the strong wind conditions. A "severe gale force 9 imminent" forecast for the Solent was received on Saturday afternoon whilst the race was going on, but by then most of the fleet was heading for the finishing line.
The race over, John Hamilton produced the results in double quick time and it was off to Northwood House for the prize giving and crew party. Councillor Peggy Jarman, Chairman of the Isle of Wight Council which had generously sponsored the race, presented the class prizes. ASTO's President, Admiral John Lang, who had raced during the day on Jolie Brise, presented the Special Prizes. The finale was the splendid silver perpetual trophies which were presented by the Mayor of Cowes, Alan Wells, who had been an active member of the Cowes planning team and who had been out on the committee boat all day. Once again, by some strange ASTO quirk, every boat received a prize!
Enda O'Coineen, Chairman of the newly energised OYT Northern Ireland, flew in from Prague to see Lord Rank collect a fair spread of prizes, including the coveted Richard Langhorn Trophy for "Spirit of the Race."
So ended a great ASTO weekend, which introduced a lot of young people to the pleasures of racing in the Solent in very challenging conditions. The Isle of Wight team made it very clear that they would like to attract this important youth event back to Cowes in the not too distant future. If the views of those who took part are anything to go by then this seems to be very likely!