14-15 July 2001
A visitor to Cowes sailed away with a first and a second in the International Sonars class of the Red Funnel Cowes Keelboats Championship at the weekend.

Claire Dale from London hired the 21-ft Sonar from the Island Sailing Club to take part with a crew of university friends - who had never sailed together before - and won a shock victory over the local Solent sailors. Claire, who has been sailing dinghies since she was six, did have one local advantage.

Helm in the second race, which they won, was university friend Ian Reynolds from Gurnard, whose dad Pete Reynolds is an experienced Cowes Sonar sailor. Helm for the first race, where Claire's crew took a second, was Adam Brushett.

The weekend's racing was run by the Island Sailing Club and despite the Dragon world championships taking place elsewhere, the Dragon fleet had 15 boats, the highest number so far this year. Top boats included Eric Williams in Frantic and Richard Jordan in Chaotic but the weekend was Peter Nicholson's in Virago with two second and one first place.

Saturday morning was a typical Solent day with a westerly breeze blowing in the western Solent, a light easterly in the east and nothing in the middle. This resulted in a postponement while the westerly breeze filled in. The course for the first race was set over the Brambles Bank in a light flood tide, shortly before going into the start sequence a 90 degree windshift came into the north causing the race officer to quickly re set the course. All classes were got away on race one, when half way up the first beat the wind backed causing the windward mark to become a fetch. While all classes were reaching to the leeward mark,race officer Neil Payne r-laid the windward mark to give a good second beat. The race was shortened at the second windward mark to allow the breeze to settle down.

The second race was almost as frustrating with the wind constantly shifting about 30 degrees, making it again difficult to get a good beat. A frustrating day for everyone. Sunday offered a steady westerly breeze, which hardly varied all day allowing two good windward leeward courses and making up for the frustration of Saturday. The breeze varied between seven and 18 knots, which kept competitors on their toes.

The Darings were in excellent form with the Daring fleet dominated by Jamie Clark, who despite a small slip up in race one managed two first places and one second.

Saturday Results

Darings
Race 1:
1 Dionysus (B.B.Huber, A.F. de Courcyling and J.P.Goodwin), 2 Defiant (C.A.G.Perry, RLB Carritt and Lord Kingsland), 3 Diamond (Alan Miller).

Race 2:
1 Loup Garou VII (Jamie Clark), 2 Double Knot (JW Hackman and A. Babington Smith), 3 Diamond (Alan Miller).

International Etchells
Race 1:
1 Panther (J. Stableford), 2 Wake (W.Wagner), 3 GBR 639

Race 2:
1 Wake (No other finishers).

International Dragons
Race 1:
1 Frantic (Eric Williams), 2 Aimee (Julia Bailey), 3 Apalala (Chris Caws).

Race 2:
1 Chaotic (Richard Jordan), 2 Virago (Peter Nicholson), 3 Supremacy (Richard Cullen).

International Sonars
Race 1:
1 Sonic Lady (Richard Palmer), 2 Discovery (Claire Dale), 3 Fiscal (Penny Carter).

Race 2:
1 Discovery, 2 Sonic Lady, 3 Fiscal.

Sunday Results

Darings
Race 1:
1 Dionysus, 2 Lou Garou VII, 3 Decanter (Jeremy Preston).

Race 2:
1 Loup Garou VII, 2 Defiant, 3 Double Knot.

International Etchells
Race 1:
1 Shamal (T. Herbert Smith and H. Evans).

Race 2:
Unknown

International Dragons
Race 1:
1 Frantic, 2 Virago, 3 Apalala

Race 2:
1 Virago, 2 Chaotic, 3 Sapphire III (Justin Biddle).

International Sonars
Race 1:
1 Geronimo (James Day), 2 Sonic Lady, 3 Fiscal.

Race 2:
1 Geronimo, 2 Sonic Lady, 3 Fiscal.