Cowes Week - HRH The Princess Royal to start XOD fleet
by Peta Stuart-Hunt on 27 Jul 2011
HRH The Princess Royal watches the action at the 2005 RYA Youth National Championships Marc Turner
http://www.pfmpictures.co.uk
At Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2011, the XOD Class Centenary is attracting a record-breaking fleet with HRH The Princess Royal being expected to lend her support.
The pub and dockside chat about this year's Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week could well be assumed to be about rock star sailors, celebrities and million pound maxi racing yachts turning up. However, the central spotlight of this most famous of annual sailing regattas is pointing firmly at a fleet of 100-year old wooden 3-person keelboats, called the XOD (or X One-Design), a mere 21ft in length.
In its Centenary year and on the final day's racing in its special Centenary race programme during Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (6-13 August), it has been confirmed that HRH The Princess Royal is expected to fire the start gun for the Aberdeen Asset Management XOD Class Centenary Regatta race on Thursday 11 August.
A mind-boggling 140-plus XODs (entries are still coming in) will muster on the start line each day during the regatta and this is the class that everyone wants to race in and win the famous Captain’s Cup.
In addition to its usual daily racing fixture, the XOD Class is staging a special Centenary three day ‘regatta within the regatta’ in the middle of the week from Tuesday 9th August to Thursday 11th August, also sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management, when the sight of so many identical boats on the Royal Yacht Squadron start line is going to be a truly awesome
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week website
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