No Cowes Week, but Bembridge Week was popular with sailors

WITH NO Cowes Week this year because of coronavirus, the Redwings (and One-Designs) raced every day during Bembridge Week instead.

Notwithstanding the difficult tides and light breezes, 12 Redwings (on most days) and up to eight One-Designs, enjoyed some excellent racing.

The One-Designs, battling for the annual Cartwright prize race required a traditional Olympic-style triangle-sausage-triangle course.

With their final windward mark extended to Derrick, Colin Samuelson in Toucan led the way for most of the Redwings race, while David McCue (Musicus) had a good final round and pushed Joe Robertson (Red Gauntlet II) into third.

Meanwhile, Russ Fowler in No.1 One-Design sailed a canny race to keep ahead of Mark Gregorczyk in No.9 on each round.

With the best seven races to count, the Bembridge Week Redwing champion was Robertson with 19 points.

Harlequin, helmed by Matt Alexander came second with 28

The One-Designs were competing throughout the week for the Coad Trophy, won by No.1, helmed by Simon Allocca and Russ Fowler, with Gregorczyk runner-up.

Earlier in the week, Gregorczyk won the Woodroffe Bowl, while Allocca and Fowler scooped the Lowry-Corry Cup.

Bembridge Sailing Club's Scow Championships. Photo: Mike Samuelson

On Sunday, the club hosted the annual Solent (Bembridge) Scow Championships.

In the first race, Oliver Morgan just held onto his first round lead, with Jodi Spence almost catching him at the finish.

A surprising number held on for the second race, which became a lottery as the breeze died, but Jerry Summers was first to reach the line and become overall winner — just ahead of Colin Samuelson in one of the very original wooden Scows.

                                            YARMOUTH SAILING CLUB

SIX Scows spent most of Saturday morning bobbing around in a windless Solent, resulting in only four Scows and two handicap class boats starting the afternoon race.

Graeme Bowen came out of Mill Creek leading to the finish, withg Peter Giles second.

In the handicap fleet sailing, Max and George Newman narrowly beat Patrick Tate on corrected time.

In Sunday’s Top of the River Race, first across the start line, on a perfectly timed port-hand flier, was Alice Hall in her wooden Scow, followed by Bruce Mayo and Liz Mead on starboard in a GRP Scow.

After some short tacking up the first beat, Mead and Bowen eased ahead of the rest of the fleet. 

Hall’s warped and wobbly wooden rudder cost her places as she slid back down the fleet, with Mead and Bowen sparring all the way to the finish, with the latter just holding on to take line honours.