The Vice Admiral's Cup 2008
The 2008 edition of the Vice Admiral's Cup, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes, was plagued by lack of wind and as a result racing was only possible on one of the three scheduled days. Four races were the minimum required, but unfortunately none of the four fleets participating were able to achieve this and so the series is incomplete.
The regatta opened on Friday 30 May but there wasn't a breath of wind to be found on the Solent. After a day spent checking reports from weather stations and scanning the horizon for any hint of wind the Race Committee were eventually forced to abandon hope and call it a day.
Saturday brought an initial postponement but by lunchtime a light sea breeze had materialised and racing got underway on both courses. On the big boat course PRO Bob Milner took the fleet to the Western Solent and was able to run two races in a 10-12 knot breeze. Niklas Zennstrom's Ran won both Class 0 races with Stuart Childerley at the helm. In the first race he won the start and led all the way, but he had to work a little more for it in the second race as the wind died down to 6 knots and he came through to take the bullet. Second place in race one went to Charles Dunstone's Rio with Colm Barrington's Flash Glove third. In the second race Colm Barrington took second with Stuart Robinson's Stay Calm of London third. Overall Ran led the class with Flash Glove second and Stay Calm third.
In Class 1 it was Agne Nilsson's Fortis Excel that shon with a second in race one and a win in race two giving them the overall lead. Jerry Otter's Werewolf took the first race and a fifth in the second whilst Tony Langley's Atomic took two third places leaving them tied on points, but with Werewolf second overall on count back.
On the small boat course Race Officer Bill Oakley took the fleet up to the Hill Head shore where they managed to squeeze 3 short races in before the sea breeze died. The five strong X35 class had some very close racing despite the tricky conditions. The main battle was between Tim Harrington's Vortex and Thorkild Junker's Cool Runnings with Vortex just taking race one from Cool Runnings while for races three and four the positions were reversed with Cool Runnings winning both and taking the overall lead. The battle for third overall was equally fierce Colin Fry's X-Dream eventually got the upper hand with a 3, 5, 3 scoring.
The Quarter Tonners had a general recall in their excitement to get the first race away after waiting a day and half, but this was quickly followed by a new start and Darren Marston's Catch won two races and Chris Frost and Kevin George's Tom Bombadil the third putting them in first and second overall respectively. Newcomer David Tydeman and his recently fitted out Snoopy made a good start to the regatta and finished third overall on the day. The boats returned to the marina around 6.30 pm to enjoy a fish pie and sausage and mash supper at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.
In an effort to achieve a series, the X35s and Quarter Tonners went out on Sunday morning to try and find the breeze to squeeze one more race in to achieve a series before the 2.30 pm cut off but to no avail. The big boats didn't leave the marina with event instigator Peter Morton liaising closely with the PRO to make sensible calls on keeping the boats in the dock. Sadly the Vice Admiral's Cups will not be presented this year, although glassware was presented to the overall day winners on Saturday.
The organisers would like to thank event sponsors Musto Ltd, North Sails and Boat Sales International.
For further information about the 2008 Vice Admiral's Cup please contact The Secretary, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QU, E-mail Anthony@rcyc.co.uk Tel +44 (0)1983 293581 or visit www.rcyc.co.uk or contact Louise Morton, louisemorton2@aol.com 07769 972979, 01983 295300
For further information about North Sails please visit www.northsails.co.uk, for further information about Musto please visit www.musto.com and for further information about Boat Sales International please visit www.boatsales.co.uk
The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club was founded at Erith, Kent in 1872. Over the years, it operated from a number of locations but finally settled at Burnham- on-Crouch, Essex where the 'Northern' branch of the Club continues to operate and prosper. In 1948, the Club established it's 'Southern' branch at Cowes in the present Clubhouse. The Cowes branch of the Club has over 800 Members. It's position, the style of the Clubhouse and its grounds set it apart from the other Clubs in Cowes. It is the favourite spot for relaxing after sailing, and its ambience has also helped it be successful in attracting visiting yacht clubs and classes.
Click here for the results
For all details about the 2007 event click here
Press Release - 28 January 2008
Now in its fourth year the 2008 Vice Admiral’s Cup Regatta, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes, will take place from Friday 30 May to Sunday 1 June inclusive. Originally instigated as a fun level racing regatta to fill the gap in the big boat racing calendar, this event’s simple racing format and excellent social programme has proved hugely successful with the competitors. and is back by popular demand again this year, and for 2008 expect record entries.
For 2008 racing will be run for four classes. The 50-52 foot class will be enhanced by the presence of up to nine TP52s racing alongside the Farr 52s ensuring that the racing in this class is not only exceptionally competitive, but also truly spectacular to watch. The ever popular 44-46 foot class, which includes the Farr 45s, DK46s and Swan 45s, will be back again and with 12 - 15 entries expected will once again provide hot racing action and plenty of surprises. New to the event for 2008 is the X-35 One Design Class. This rapidly growing class expects to attract around 10 entries and will be making it their Southern Area Championship. Last, but most certainly not least, is the Quarter Ton Class, whose revival continues apace. This year a number of newly renovated boats will be joining the fleet alongside many of the regular faces, all keen to take advantage of this excellent warm up opportunity in preparation for the 2008 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup, also being hosted by the RCYC from 15-18 June.
With the exception of the Quarter Tonners the fleets will level race, retaining the “first past the post” format that has made the Vice Admiral’s Cup so popular. The Quarter Tonners will compete under IRC as level racing in boats of such varying age and design is impractical. Racing will take place in the central Solent with the 50-52 and 44-46 foot classes on one course and the X35s and Quarter Tonners on another. There will be fun informal social events at the Royal Corinthian’s lovely clubhouse each evening, including a prize giving reception after sailing on the final day.
Continuing for the third year running as supporting sponsors are North Sails, Musto and Boat Sales International.
