Cowes Fleet
Etchells UK Fleet News

Dear Fellow Etchell sailor (or interested party!)

With the new racing season approaching I am delighted to be able to write to you with news of the Cowes fleet and the appointment of a new team to drive the class forward in the next couple of years.

I have taken over as Fleet Captain of the Cowes Fleet and Ron Thompson has taken on the role of Class President in the UK . We are both excited about the fact that we have a couple of great seasons ahead of us leading up to the Dublin Worlds and we are confident that the fleet can deliver great class racing on a Saturday afternoon, as well as some of the best one design sailing in the UK. This is a racing class like no other in the UK . It is highly competitive internationally, the boat is easy and cheap to run and it is a fabulous boat to sail. On top of that we are blessed with a very high calibre fleet in the UK with the World Champion being UK based and other sailors in the Cowes fleet easily capable of being top 5 in the world championships (amongst then Ante Razmilovic has been top 3 in the last two worlds.) There are other classes but there aren't ANY that are as easy and cheap relative to the standard of racing delivered.

The rest of the Cowes fleet committee is

Andrew Cooper (GBR 992)
Rob Goddard (GBR 962)
David Heritage (our UK builder)
Jan Ford (our hard working secretary)
Charlie Lamport (Treasurer)
Paul Kelsey (our retiring fleet captain who has kindly offered to assist with the website on an on-going basis)

OK, that’s the PR out of the way! I am sure that you would all join with me in thanking Mike Till and Paul Kelsey, and the rest of the retiring committee, for their hard work over the past few years which culminated in a very successful world championship last year. It wasn’t the easiest regatta I have ever done but I can assure you the Americans are still talking about it, and the classic Solent chop which they are still in awe of!

Key Regatta dates

This year we have the usual big regattas lined up but we are looking to run a regular race series where the fleet can get out and have some fun in addition to the more serious major weekends. The big dates are the South Coast Champs and Sir Kenneth Preston Trophy which are the bank holiday weekends at the start and end of May. Please put those dates in your diary and if at all possible let’s get your boat out that weekend so that our prestige regattas are as well attended as possible. We have a sponsor who is going to run a Rum and Coke party on the dock after sailing EVERY day of those two regattas (at least) so there should be some good fleet banter on the dock on those days (not sure if that will be before the Rum or afterwards but either way……….!)

The NOR for the South Coast Championship is available on line to download from our web site.

Buddies…!

It is also a key goal to get the fleet working as one to raise the standard for everybody. The fleet leaders (notably Nils Razmiovic) have always been happy to share knowledge when asked but this year we will be setting up a buddy system so that before every days sailing the lower finishers of the day before get a buddy from the top of the fleet to talk to before the next days sailing to get a feel for rig tune, sail choice and tide / wind scenarios that the winners from the day before are likely to use that day. This will be real hands on input that should really assist in getting everybody up to speed. The buddy system will rotate every day so we should all get to know each other better by the end of the season.

Training weekend

The season starts with an RCYC run training weekend on 29th and 30th March. We hope to be running a RIB with video that we will show in the RCYC bar afterwards. We will certainly have a loud mouthed coach out on at least some of the days who will be proactive in assisting the fleet to get the most of out the events. In the past I have done this with a mega phone (no pun intended!) and it is very useful if you are sailing along to have real-time input into sail trim etc rather than to have to try to visualise it after the event. I can’t yet tell you who that might be but we are working on it!!

Finally we want to try and run some sort of register of available crew / boats so could I ask you to let me know which events you are thinking you might do this year we will hopefully be able to assist you if you find yourself short of crew. Where possible it makes sense for owners to crew for each other to get out on the water as all sailing is good learning, and all sailing is better than not sailing!

I hope the above will whet your appetite for the season ahead. You can contact me directly if you have any questions / comments / thoughts on

laurencemead@yahoo.com

or 07810 658 748

The first dates are

29th and 30th March RCYC Spring Series/Training Weekend
12th and 13th April RCYC World Qualifiers
26th and 27th April RCYC Spring Series

Best Regards
Laurence Mead

History of Etchells in Cowes
Back in the days when Queen Victoria was ensconced in her favourite residence, Osborne House, just round the corner from Cowes, east Cowes had the fashionable edge and the gentry usually stayed there. Kaiser William 11 could be seen coming across from the east Cowes side of the Medina river on the chain ferry and strutting down the high street to the Royal Yacht Squadron. It is an interesting fact that the Kaiser spoke clear English where his uncle, King Edward V11, whose popularity he was so intensely jealous of, spoke with a guttural German accent.

The second world war transformed the social standing of east and west Cowes. The eastern half became industrialised as more workers were moved in from the northeast of England to build Spitfire fighters. The massive hanger, overlooking the harbour, that was an aircraft plant, was used to build the two giant Princess flying boats that were an underpowered and unsuccessful chapter in Britain’s aviation history.

The western half with its string of yacht clubs running from the Squadron, founded in 1815, shortly before the Duke of Wellington won the battle of Waterloo, at the entrance to the Medina, through the Royal Corinthian, the Royal London, the Island and on to Cowes Corinthian, is the main centre. The yachting core of Cowes is compact. It takes only about 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other down the high street.

Spurred on by rising prosperity, success at the Olympics and local superstars like Ellen MacArthur and Shirley Robertson, sailing is on a roll. This is reflected by the Cowes Week turnout of over 1000 boats. Some classes had entries big enough to count as a championship. The veteran X One Design class, with 79 starters. continues year after year but 2005 saw a new sports boat, the Laser SB3, field 66 entries while the Sunsail 37 had 58.

The Etchells with 31 boats on the line was slightly down on its best. However, a keenly contested series of world championship qualifying regattas on the eve of Cowes Week and the number of boats shipped to San Francisco for the worlds had affected entries.

A few years ago achieving this level of activity seemed improbable. The development of onshore facilities was lagging behind sailing. Rooted in an idyllic, rural island with a relatively elderly population, Cowes needed a bit of a shot in the arm - and this is just what the last few years have seen. Facilities have improved dramatically transforming what Cowes has to offer.
Though the marina in east Cowes has expanded substantially since the days when it was hard up for business, racing boats mainly moor in Cowes Yacht Haven and Shepherds Wharf, both home to the Etchells fleet. The marina’s, once cosy but scruffy yards, are now unrecognisable with smart pontoons, shore side amenities, dry sailing facilities and a modern crane.

There is enough comfortable accommodation for a championship fleet in Cowes Yacht Haven and it is only a two-minute stroll to the Etchells favourite pub, the Pier View.

From the days in the late 1970s when the fleet had shrunk to a handful, it has undergone a major expansion to become one of the biggest fleets in the world. With over 50 boats racing regularly over the season.

It was very different 20 years ago. Air Commodore Nance would appear on a Friday at the Island sailing club and bring each of the three strong fleet in from its harbour mooring to slip it. Then he and his wife, wearing her best wellies and summer frock, would set to and scrub the bottom of each boat. Both were elderly but without their dedication, the fleet would have been lost.

With a friend, I bought K10, which had been lying unloved on the quayside at Lymington, for a song. She met her end on a rock racing just off the shore round the corner from Cowes. Fortunately, there are no rocks in Cowes harbour or the racing area for the worlds. The on thing that stood out about an Etchells in those days was the weight of the sails. The cloth of an early synthetic main was so heavy it took all three crew to furl it.

The first British Etchells had been built in Scotland by Robertsons of Sandbank who had built the disappointingly slow 12 metre Sceptre which challenged for the America’s Cup in 1958. One problem the fleet faced at this time was that the building mould was rotting in a field. But Jeremy Rogers, a renowned helmsman and boat builder from Lymington, restored it and production recommenced. We bought one from him. It is still going strong and my eldest daughter, Cordelia, used it to qualify for the worlds in San Francisco.

As I write this, the start of the San Francisco worlds in September is only two weeks away. It was holding a world championship back in 1996 that gave the Cowes fleet such a boost. We had 64 starters and the Solent, relatively quiet in mid-week, was at its very best with sunshine and some perfect breezes. It was impressive to see how such a big fleet started with so little fuss.

My boat was dismasted on the eve of the championship by an American port-tacker that tried to take short cut between the backstay and the aft end of the cockpit. It was a bit disappointing. But this was Cowes. She was all re-rigged and ready to go by the next morning. It turned out to be a wonderful week. Let’s hope this is repeated in San Franscisco and Cowes 2007.

Roger Eglin 29th August 2005


Typical Conditions in the Solent in June

An Expert’s View
The Solent is an interesting place to hold a regatta due to the tides and the changing nature of the wind. Winds can be expected from all directions to give some variety, but the prevailing wind from the south west is dependable. No wind days are rare due to the formation of the south westerly sea breeze. Although not always across the whole of the Solent until 1400 – 1500, the breeze can be strong and last well into the evening. Strong wind events are generally short lived lasting less than 12 hours and often less than 6.

Thunderstorms or local strong winds, for example the Mistral, do not plague the race area. Although rain can be experienced it again tends to be short lived, soon turning to sunshine and showers in a fresh westerly breeze behind a front. The waters can be choppy if wind against tide, but never rough.

Weather forecasting in the Solent can be very accurate due to the abundant nature of observations and model focus on southern England. This means you can provide the competitors and race committee with good information to ensure the race area is placed in the best possible position for that days wind.

Data
The following data comes from a study period from 2001 – 2004 from Southampton Airport, time of day that data was taken was 1200 UTC or 1300 BST. Winds at the airport (see charts below) are estimated to be a minimum of 2-6 knots lighter than those which would be experienced on the Solent due to the inland and slightly sheltered nature of the weather station at Southampton Airport.

Wind Direction
Most common is from the south west (56%)
Least common, by far, is from the north east (<1%)

Wind Speed
Most common is the 8-14 knot range (6 – 10 knots at the airport).
Strong wind events of 20 knots or more are rare in June, (<2%).

Climate
All types of weather can be experienced in June with fronts bringing rain, or high pressure bringing prolonged spells of settled weather. Although winds can be seen from all directions, the most common in June being from south westerly.

Sea surface temperatures in June range from 15 to 17°C. British summer time air temperatures can range from as low as 14° up to a maximum of 34°, typically though they range from 20 to 25°C.

Although June 2004 was a particularly stormy month with several fronts bringing temporarily strong winds and heavy rain, previous years do indicate that low pressure systems are likely to bring only three or four fronts per month as opposed to 2004’s three fronts in each of the last two weeks. Behind these fronts can be 24 – 48 hours of moderate and blustery south westerly to westerly winds accompanied by sunshine and showers.

Often a ridge of high pressure from the Azores high to the south west will build over southern and western areas of the UK and Ireland. This creates a north west wind which often leads to a strong south westerly sea breeze.

East to north easterly winds do occur in June, they are rarely strong or long lasting especially when associated with high pressure to the north over the UK, this is more common later in the summer.

A note about the author-
Fiona Campbell, a graduate with a Meteorology degree from the University of Reading and thesis in mesoscale weather modelling focusing on the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland for the 2000 America’s Cup, began working in a forecasting office of a new online weather forecasting company. She was contacted by David Houghton, an infamous British meteorologist famed for working with many America’s Cup, Whitbread and 8 Olympic sailing teams, he is also the author of Wind Strategy. This contact lead to a job as team meteorologist for GBR Challenge the America’s Cup team and the RYA Olympic Sailing Team for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Fiona is now a self employed marine meteorologist specialising in coastal conditions but also offshore weather routeing, most recently as the Official Transat Meteorologist.

Meteorological Information
Supplied by Fiona Campbell, Skye Weather
www.skyeweather.com

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