XOD Captain's Cup at Cowes Week 2024 - Day 2
by Rory Paton 28 Jul 21:24 BST
27 July - 2 August 2024
Cowes Week day 2 © Martin Allen Photography
What a difference a day makes; today had all the hallmarks of a day off. However luckily the race team were patient and ignored the script.
An easterly gradient was enhanced by the sea breeze from the Itchenor end of the Solent and the flood tide gave a bit more apparent. After a sensible short delay the race committee sent us to Quarr (renamed Quaff by some) near Ryde followed by a windward-leeward course in Osbourne bay, finishing at a laid mark just before Norris.
Miraculously and to applause from the platform the fleet got away to a clear line. Early leaders were Astralita John Tremlett, Fraser Graham and Tim Copsey, Mayfly Rory and Amanda Paton and Tim Hire and Claire de Lune Max Crow, Mike Crow and Simon McCarthy. Fairly quickly Swallow Ben McGrane, Richard Faulkner and James Ross made sizeable gains on the long beat to make it through to 2nd by the windward mark
There were plenty of snakes and ladders but at the end it was Astralita convincingly again from Swallow with Claire de Lune, Foxglove and Mayfly in close astern.
Today special mention goes to Condor with three generations of Hutchinsons on board, Freya helmed for mum and dad Jo and Rebecca whilst Freya's grandfather Philip navigated their way to 19th place.
Drone footage of the start line (Instagram)
Results for day 2