Back where it belongs
by Mark Jardine 8 Aug 06:00 PDT
A glorious display by the J/70s - North Sails Cowes Week Day 3 © Paul Wyeth /
www.pwpictures.com
At the end of the day, bicentenaries are just a nice round number, but the effect they can have on events are quite extraordinary. They galvanise people to come together, to push harder, to put on a show and, most of all, attend.
When I wrote about the decline of Cowes Week last year I received a fair amount of feedback, with many agreeing wholeheartedly, but I also copped a bit of flack, which was to be expected.
As I wrote back then, I love Cowes Week as an event, and must have competed in at least twenty editions, so it pained me to watch the attendance and the atmosphere diminishing. However, the corner has been turned, with superb racing and a lively atmosphere ashore.
The weather also clearly knew it was a special occasion. It's not often, if ever, that Britain has enjoyed wall-to-wall sunshine for so long, and it has continued for the entirety of the past week, combined with a fair bit of wind at times. So much so that on Wednesday the smaller dayboats remained in harbour as 30 knot winds barrelled down the Solent.
The event has also made it back into the mainstream news, with photos and video footage showing sailing in its best light.
On a personal note, it was fantastic to see the XOD fleet gathering a big turnout again and for Lone Star, my late father's boat, sailing to the win with a day to spare. Nik Froud, Phil Lawrence and Spike King have been extraordinarily consistent, finishing second in every race apart from a win on Monday and a third on Friday when their event was already won.
To beat the record-holding team on Astralita, with John Tremlett on the helm, is no small feat. Across the Victory and XOD classes Tremlett has won around 25 times: ten Captain's Cups in the XOD and fifteen(ish) in the Victorys. Records are there to be broken, but Tremlett must surely go down in history as the King of Cowes Week for his achievements.
The XODs are also doing sterling work supporting the next generation of sailors in the class. Bursaries have been set up and boats loaned to keen young teams, who have been regularly featuring in the top ten. It's heartening to see how a class which is well over a century old is also leading the way.
This is what Cowes Week desperately needed, and it has happened. The trick now will be to use this as a springboard to create the next golden age of the event. A strong Cowes Week is beneficial for sailing as a whole. A true celebration of sailing can grab a moment in the limelight outside of our sailing circles, and attract new people into the sport.
Fireballs Shine Bright
Prior to Cowes Week, the hugely successful Fireball dinghy World Championship was held at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club with 85 teams from 14 nations on the water.
Covering the event was a joy, seeing a class which has struck the right balance between the sailing and social side, managing to laud its legends while also encouraging the next generation to come through, combined with small changes to the boat's ergonomics over the years to keep it relevant.
Tor Bay can be one of the best venues in the world for sailing, with breeze and big waves on one day, and then tight tactical racing in shifting winds the next. The Fireball Worlds saw the full range of conditions, opening with a bang on the Sunday, through to a tense finale in an 8 to 10 knot wind.
Having Stuart Childerley as race officer was of course a bonus, and meant that when the wind was shifting the windows of opportunity were maximised.
The Legends Night demonstrated how some of the great dinghy sailors of all time still look so fondly on the class. The evening apparently broke the bar takings record for a single evening. The legends still know how to party...
The younger sailors are finding the Fireball to be a friendly and welcoming fleet when they move out of youth classes like the 420 and 29er. It's so important that there are paths for sailors to take if they're not going the Olympic route, and it was heartening to see how the class is embracing this role.
Spectacular Start in Airlie Beach
Things are going equally well down-under where racing has started at Jeanneau and 74 Islands Airlie Beach Race Week for the 120 yachts and dinghies taking part.
It's always tricky as a Brit to think of it as 'winter' when you see photos where the bowman is in shorts as a sportsboat blasts downwind...
There was a bit of a mist and cloud in the air for the Double Cones race opener, but it was still a warm and enjoyable day on the water for the fleet in the 38th edition of this fun loving tropical regatta.
Fireflys take flight
I'm now heading up to Tenby, the beautiful harbour town in southwest Wales, for the 80th Anniversary Firefly UK Nationals which starts on Sunday.
I've always loved how Tenby Sailing Club has a big sign up saying how visitors are welcome, and they've certainly got a lot this week. 116 boats are taking part, making it the highest attendance in the class since 1974.
This is another dinghy which is nurturing the next generation, with university team racing helping to attract more and more younger sailors into the fleet. So many Firefly sailors have embraced parent and child sailing, which is resulting in many of those children growing up to form their own partnerships, taking on their parents, and often beating them. This is a lesson in how to encourage continuity, while also ensuring that the sailing events are as much a holiday and celebration as a regatta.
Golden times
It's a brilliant summer for sailing in the UK and Europe. In the past month we've seen Travemünder Woche host nearly a thousand sailors at the RS Games, the Fireball Worlds, the 200th Anniversary Cowes Week, as well as a plethora of other events around the world. Sailing is on the up in 2026 and back where it belongs.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor