SWALLOWS
COWES WEEK 2014 REPORT
The final stage of the Swallows summer migration to the IoW, following the excellent championships and Classic Week, was the Real Thing - Cowes Week. Ten boats were there, including two bursary boats (Curlew and Cockersootie kindly provided by their owners). With a good forecast for the week, the stage was set for some excellent racing.
Race one started off the RYS line in a SSW breeze. It was an initially patchy off-the-shore one leg beat against the tide to mark EFG (the names keep changing which confuses us regulars). Solitude rounded first with Gwaihir in close pursuit, but the tricky winds on the first leg meant that the fleet was already well spread out. A long run north allowed Skua to catch up, and she and Gwahir were soon in close combat, allowing Solitude to ease to windward and round the leeward mark ahead. Once on the beat Skua showed her paces and was soon ahead, never to be seen again, leaving Solitude, Gwaihir and Archon to follow her over the Shape finish line, with alas Archon found to be OCS, even after much negotiation with the race committee and photographic examination.
The Saturday social was the barbecue at Ivy Cottage with the Sunbeams, We seem to talk more with our other classes at Cowes than at Itchenor and an excellent party was enjoyed by all!
The fleet was sent eastwards on Sunday with the tide and an enjoyable 12 knot breeze. Those that gybed onto port at the earliest opportunity (Archon, Skua, Swift and Stealth, and then Solitude and Avocet) took the more direct route. The winds from the west were shifty and there was plenty of place changing in the pack. After a couple more beats and runs, and a somewhat confusing change of course at the leeward mark, we finished at the Bramble line which made for an excellent final beat. This Bramble finish was repeated during the week and was a new and welcome experience for us. Skua the race won by a mile, followed by Gwaihir and Spectre.We finished the day in style when Harry, Prue, Will and Demelza invited the class to a Skua party in the evening.
Sunday being Family Day, the Swallow PR machine was in action, hoping to emulate last year’s TV success with the Bursary boats. This time we arranged for Harry and Prue to be interviewed as an excellent example of a husband and wife team who have enjoyed many years of successful and happy racing. They did a great job promoting Swallows and Itchenor sailing. The interview was broadcast on Cowes radio and local TV throughout the week. Skua was also featured in an excellent photo on the day three CW daily round up.
Monday dawned with little wind and racing was postponed to let it fill in. We lined up our Aldeburgh guru, Richard Keane, in the Cowes radio commentary box telling the multitudes of the charms of Swallows, and giving his take on the start. Eventually we were away, with a beat up the Green against the tide to Bainbridge. Skua accelerated off the line from a little to weather of the pack, and was never seen again leaving the rest of us to thrash it out. Yellow flags taking penalties were much in evidence. A new development was a course that took us through a gate on thelong run down to Eastern Solent. A couple more beats and runs with the shifting wind gave close place changing and good racing. At the Bramble finish line the order was Skua, Archon (who managed to make up her time penalty) followed by Spectre.
Tuesday started in a southerly breeze off to the east on a tightish spinnaker reach. Unusually Skua was not in the lead at Sunsail but pulled through on the run north to the mainland shore, leaving the pack to fight it out for room at the leeward mark. While Skua stretched her lead the wind shifts on the beat made for excellent racing. From Flying Fish over to Royal Thames there was a processional two sail reach over the Bramble bank in a building wind which, with the west going tide, produced wet and choppy conditions. A beat along the mainland shore needed careful judgement when to take the swoop across the tide to a buoy just off Cowes Green before the turn to the RYS line. Solitude lost the plot at a wrong mark, taking a penalty, and slipping from second to seventh. Skua was followed over the line, at some distance, by Gwaihir and Spectre
The Class dinner was held at the Royal London Yacht Club, expertly organised as usual by Charles Prescot. It was a most enjoyable evening and good to have the two Bursary teams with us. Lisa McDanell thanked the Swallow Class for their welcome and particularly the owners of Curlew and Cockersootie for providing their boats. She spoke eloquently of the enjoyment of sailing Swallows and hoped for better speed in the ensuing races!
Wednesday’s race took us again to the east against the tide on a long run down to Browndown. The fleet diverged widely, with Archon and Kingfisher attempting the Great Circle route to the north, while Curlew, Cockersootie and others stayed south. However we arrived all of a cluster at Browndown led by Spectre with Gwaihir close behind. Skua went over toward Wootton at the first opportunity, and she and Gwaihir were never more than a few boat lengths apart up the beat to Norris, back down, and then the final beat to the finish. Gwaihir stayed ahead after an epic battle, to break Skua's series of wins. Behind them Spectre, Archon, Avocet and Solitude scrapped it out with Solitude finally crossing the line third after negotiating the usual dodgy winds off Norris. Archon took the prize for sailing the greatest distance way off to the side on the big run and on the beats. It was an excellent day’s sailing, sunny and warm.
Thursday dawned beautifully sunny but a bit quiet. Racing was finally abandoned shortly after 2pm. At 3pm on the dot the sea breeze finally filled in, but by which time it would have been too late for the White fleet to have fitted in racing. Friday was similarly windless (and was to stay so all day). An early cancellation allowed a number of Swallows to visit Osborne House and the Classic Boat Museum at East Cowes, before a rather damp but impressive RAF Typhoon (demonstrating the power of noise as an intimidating battlefield force), Red Arrows and Fireworks display in the evening.
And so to the final race. Glorious sunshine and a good wind. Skua had it sewn up already, and Gwaihir were able to leave early, having secured their second. But it was all to fight for for the next bunch of boats. An exciting broad reach off the Sharpe line to the East left Skua leading at the first mark, only to lose it to Solitude on the beat. Avocet led briefly only to lose it to Spectre as the first three went far too high on the next mark. A Solitude crew member abandoned ship at the leeward mark, providing another obstacle to the boats coming in, and although he was quickly recovered, it put Solitude out of contention. Skua came through Spectre (but not by much) for her fifth win of the week.
So an excellent week, memorable for the sunshine, generally good winds and interesting shifts. Congratulations to Harry, Prue and Will in Skua for such an emphatic series win.
Some closing observations
-Once others were able to get close to Skua we were able to give her a good race – Gwaihir beat her, and in the final race she had a real fight for her win.
-Spectre was perhaps the revelation of the week showing great speed up wind and good steady tactics.
-It was good to see Avocet back on the pace.
-Archon continued this season’s good performance and would have welcomed not having been OCS on day 1.
-What happened to the bursary boats? Arthur Henderson won last year, but was seldom in contention this time round. Toby Hodge in Curlew had the speed but was not able to be in the right place at the right time.
-Solitude is gaining an unfortunate reputation and is considering fitting guardrails. Her memoirs will be entitled 'Three Men NOT in Boat - a handbook for crew selection, deselection and collection'.