Prima 38 Offshore Series event 1 - Cervantes Trophy
by Tom Hayhoe 3 May 2005 08:26 BST
30 April - 1 May 2005
The Army Sailing Association's Longbow scored a treble win in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Cervantes Trophy race to Le Havre, winning IRC 1 on the water and on handicap as welll as taking the first scalp in the Prima 38 class offshore series.
Six Primas crossed the start at Cowes following a five hour postponement because of fog. The clearance that permitted the start was only brief and the fleet sailed blind up the east Solent. When the fog cleared for good, Mostly Harmless was in the lead, ahead of Oz Privateer, Longbow and Julian Bates's Born Slippy. Mostly Harmless found a terminal hole in the wind cutting inside No Man's Land Fort only to see the other leaders disappear into the distance.
With the wind defyng the forecast by staying in the east and rising to a force 3/4, the Primas enjoyed some fast close fetching through much of the night, with Oz Privateer hanging on to Longbow's transom to finish only seven and half minutes behind, taking 3rd place in IRC1 and second in the one design result. But a gap opened up between them and the remaining Primas who ended up coasting in on a dying breeze around an hour later.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Name | Helm |
|---|
| 1st | Longbow | Army Sailing Association |
| 2nd | Oz Privateer | Don Kennedy |
| 3rd | Born Slippy | Julian Bates |