Chernikeeff 2 shows the way

PETER HARRISON, the backer who has sunk a reported £22m into Britain's America's Cup Challenge, was last night wearing his widest smile of the week after his Farr 52 Chernikeeff 2 won the showcase IRM High Performance Class's 24.2 mile coastal race.

While the morning chill and cloud cover when the fleet set out from Crosshaven suggested the promise of a little more breeze than the regatta has enjoyed so far, the Easterly failed to build to anything at all exciting and the grand prix class was settled as much by size and superior firepower from the sail inventories, as tactical and navigational skill and the ability to coax the final fractions of a knot of boat speed.

With ex-470 Olympian Pete Newlands calling tactics and former J-24 European Champion Dave Bedford steering and UK/McWilliam Sailmakers’ Tom McWilliam trimming, Chernikeeff 2 was first off the start line on the short windward leg, with all three of the Farr 52s rounding close behind one another. On the following reach Chernikeeff set a hi-tech job top headsail giving her an extra surge of speed and they immediately opened a margin which was scarcely challenged. Astern Nick Hewson’s identical Team Tonic elected to set an asymmetric spinnaker and ended up lower on their course, allowing the third of the 52 foot trio Bear Of Britain to pass.

A long tactical run back down to Kinsale was followed by an long windward leg back before turning back for two short legs to the finish line.

Racing all the way down the class was close, with three IC45’s which were occupying the top three spots overall all only seconds apart all the way around the course. Although it was Babbalaas, owned by David McLean which followed the Farr 52’s into fourth place, it is still Glyn Williams’s IC 45 Wolf which holds the overall lead. With an eight-point cushion, Wolf needs only to finish among the front of the pack today on the coastal race to ensure they win overall.

A similar story emerged in IRC Class 0 where it was one of the biggest and most powerful boats in the class which triumphed. While Paul Winkelmann’s immaculately turned out Swan 60 Island Fling won the day, rising to second overall and driving a paper-thin wedge between Colm Barrington’s Corby 38 Gloves Off from Dun Laoghaire and the Cowes-based Mills 37 Thunder 2 of Robbie Boulter which dropped to third after an eighth place yesterday. Gloves escaped from Boulter’s Thunder when they held a symmetrical spinnaker, held low and gained enough of a margin to collect a fifth to Thunder’s seventh.

Another win in IRC Class 1 for the French IMX 40 Cajou ensured they now have won the class with a race to spare over the Scottish boat Bateleur, a BH 36 whose crew have won their class here in the past. They could only manage a sixth.

The Prima 38’s and IRC 2 and 3 did enjoy their best races of the week as the breeze at least stayed to a settled direction for their modified Olympic Triangle. In IRC 2 a fourth and a second for David Jesty’s HOD 35 Krush leads comfortably from the vintage local One Tonner Saphire sailed by Andrew Coveney and his crew, while in IRC Class 3 the best performance of the day came from the north of England crew on the First 36.7 Crewsaver Dickies of Bangor. They worked tirelessly for a second and a first which brings them into contention for the overall lead. They are only five points behind the Carrickfergus-based crew on the well sailed J-35 Jacana.

Racing for the X-332 UK National title, Tundra, a Clyde-based boat owned by Donald Sharp which had never raced in the one design fleet before, looks set to win the title. They need only a fourth place from either of today’s final Modified Olympic Triangles to secure the title.