After two days of light airs trials and tribulations, the third race of the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Dragon Edinburgh Cup was finally completed in Largs on the penultimate day of the regatta. A lack of breeze continued to dog the event meaning only one race was possible, but that one race has ensured that the championship is now valid and a Dragon Open British Champion will be declared.

The day kicked off with a light but fairly steady south-south-westerly and after just a short postponement to tweak the course the fleet was ready to go for the long awaited race three. At the first attempt their eagerness results in a general recall, but the boats were quickly turned around and got away cleanly at the second time of asking, with the aid of the black flag.

So far.... so good. That was until the security flotilla surrounding a nuclear submarine outbound from Faslane hove into view and instructed the race committee to abandon the race and the boats to clear the area. To add insult to injury the wind began to die and it then took until late afternoon before enough wind returned to allow a re-start.

Once underway the fleet finally got to enjoy a full race in a 9-10 knot southerly. Martin Payne sailing GBR789 Bear made the best of the first beat by going right and even managed to cope with a minor drama when the weather mark went adrift just as the fleet approached and a mark boat had to recover and stand in for it. He extended his lead on the next five legs, but allowed the fleet to creep back up on him when he chose to go left on the final beat. Julia Bailey, sailing GBR720 Aimee went the other way to pull up from third to second, although she was unable to break through Bear's cover Tom Vernon sailing GBR795 Excite followed Aimee across the line with Mike Budd in GBR793 Harry fourth and Gavia Wilkinson-Cox in GBR720 Jerboa fifth.

As the Dragons finished the wind died in that area so, keen to get another race in if at all possible, the committee upped sticks and took the boats in to the channel between Largs and Great Cumbrae where a building 10-15 knot southerly was blowing. The committee attempted to set up for the fourth race but it was not to be and they sent the fleet home after another very long day on the water.

As the boats came ashore it was in the expectation that Aimee now led the regatta by three points from Jerboa with Bear one point behind in third and Bocci Aoyama sailing JAP50 Yevis II fourth. But the day's drama was far from over and back ashore Cathy Sedgeworth's GBR509 Kismet lodged a port/starboard protest against Jerboa which Kismet won. As a result Aimee continues to lead the regatta on 7 points with Bear now second on 11 points, Yeavis II third on 17 points, Patrick Gifford's GBR515 Basilisk fourth overall and leading Corinthian on 22, Excite fifth and Jerboa now sixth.

The start time for tomorrow's final day of racing has been brought forward to 10.00 and the committee will attempt to sail the remaining three races before the 15.00 final start cut off. Once a fourth race has been sailed the single discard will come into play, something both Jerboa and Excite, who was OCS in race two, will be particularly looking forward to. With so much racing still to come Aimee's four point lead is far from unassailable so tomorrow's finale promises to be a thrilling one.

#dragon – The opening day of the 2015 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Edinburgh Cup in Largs certainly lived up to the Clyde's reputation for being able to deliver almost every weather condition within a matter of moments. The weather gods threw everything from less than three to almost thirty knots at the twenty strong International Dragon fleet in rapid succession and Race Officer Chris Hadden and the Scottish Sailing Institute's Race Committee did an excellent job of keeping up with the conditions to provide two terrific opening races.

By the end of the day it was no surprise to see that experience counts for a lot and in the overall standings Julia Bailey, sailing GBR720 Aimee, and Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, sailing GBR761 Jerboa, lead the regatta on equal points with Aimee just edging ahead on count back thanks to her win in the opening race.

The winner of the second race by a handsome margin was Bocci Aoyama's JAP50 Yeavis, which puts him into third overall, three points behind the ladies and two points ahead of Martin Payne in GBR789 Bear. In fifth place overall and just a single point behind Bear is Patrick Gifford sailing GBR515 Basilisk, who is also the leading Corinthian (all amateur) boat.

The day had begun with a thirty minute postponement in sub three knots. Finally the breeze filled in a little, but as the Race Committee were in the throws of starting the first race a "White water wall", as Gavia described it, rolled down the Clyde and before long the fleet were in big seas and almost 30 knots of breeze.

The first beat was close to survival conditions and the first run saw some some spectacular surfing, challenging heavy airs gybing and more than a few thrills and spills. The second lap was almost as full on and it wasn't until the third and final beat that conditions abate a little. At the line Aimee led GBR795 Excite, helmed by Tom Vernon, and Jerboa across the line with Bear fourth and Martin Makey sailing GBR704 Ganador fifth.

Race two could not have been more different with the wind down to ten knots at the start and continuing to drop and destabilise as the afternoon wore on. With the left side of the course apparently favoured, there was a lot of traffic at the pin end of the line and several people were over eager.

Sadly Excite failed to return and was disqualified, but amongst those who turned back were Jerboa and Bear who were then forced off to the right. Mike Budd's GBR793 Harry found themselves buried at the pin so also elected to tack and come off the line on port across the fleets transoms.

Yeavis meanwhile had had a clear start but tacked onto port to clear her air. They were about to tack back when crew Kasper Harsberg spotted that first Jerboa, Harry and Bear and then Mike Holmes in GBR760 Handsoff were making significant gains on the right. They made the brave decision to put all their eggs in one basket and bang the right corner. The decision was a race winner and by the first mark they had an enormous lead.

Second to round mark one was Harry with Richard Leask in GBR489 Kestra third, Jerboa fourth and Handsoff fifth. On the run Jerboa pulled up into third hard on the heels of Harry, while further back down the pack both Bear and Aimee were making rapid gains through the fleet. With the wind going right Yeavis defended their lead all the way to the finish.

Jerboa did everything she could to get through Harry and her efforts were finally rewarded in the closing moments when Harry crossed Jerboa on port but then tacked and lost momentum in the by now very light airs, allowing Jerboa to slip through to leeward for a second place. Harry finished third with Aimee snatching fourth from Patrick Gifford's GBR515 Basilisk on the final approach to the line.

With three more days and four further races still to come the regatta is wide open. The forecast promises further very varied conditions and its clear that whoever wins the 2015 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Edinburgh Cup and become British Dragon Champion will have had to work very hard to do so. Weather permitting races three and four are scheduled for tomorrow starting at 11.00 and if both races are completed the single discard will come into play.

#dragon – The British Dragon Fleet is currently converging on Largs, Scotland for the start of the 2015 Dragon Scottish Championship and the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Edinburgh Cup, which get underway this Saturday 27 June. The twenty strong fleet of Dragons from across the UK and as far afield as Japan but unfortunately none from Ireland is making a historic return to Scotland, which last hosted the Edinburgh Cup back in 2003.

The events are organised by Largs Sailing Club in association with the Scottish Sailing Institute and the British Dragon Association. Racing for the Scottish Championship takes place from Saturday 27 to Monday 29 June with up to five races scheduled. The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Edinburgh Cup, for the Dragon British Open Championship, will be raced from Tuesday 30 June to Friday 3 July with up to six championship races scheduled.

The Dragon's connection with Scotland goes back to the very start of the class in the UK in 1933 when A H Ball, a member of the Clyde Yacht Club, was on a cruising holiday in Scandinavia, where he was much taken with the design of the Dragon. He returned from his holiday with a copy of the plans and the idea of establishing a class caught on. The first Dragon to come to Britain was Anita in 1936, owned by J.Howden Hume. The same year McGruer built 9 Dragons at Clynder and regular class racing began with 14 boats, including an international regatta won by a Swedish boat.

In recent years the Dragon fleet in Scotland had dwindled, but interest is once again growing in Scotland, which has precipitated the running of the Scottish Championship for the first time in over a decade and the return of the Edinburgh Cup north of the boarder. The fleet is delighted to welcome four Scottish Dragons to the events in the shape of Henry Boyd's GBR343 Wizz Too, Richard Leask's GBR489 Kestra, Cathy Sedgeworth's GBR509 Kismet and British Dragon Association Chairman Ron James sailing GBR633 Fei-Lin's Flirtation. All four of these boats will be racing under the flag of the Royal Forth Yacht Club.

Leading the visiting fleet is defending Edinburgh Cup Champion Julia Bailey at the helm of GBR720 Aimee. Julia is also the current Corinthian Edinburgh Cup Champion, the element of the competition open to all amateur crews, and will be very much hoping to become the first person to ever won consecutive Edinburgh Cups in both overall and Corinthian divisions. Others who have the potential to prevent Julia in achieving her aims include Martin "Stavros" Payne at the helm of GBR586 Full Speed, who first engraved his name on the Edinburgh Cup in 1999 and will be hoping to do so again this time out; Gavia Wilkinson-Cox sailing GBR761 Jerboa, who has come close to claiming this prestigious trophy on several previous occasions and must surely feel that this year its her turn to be the bride; and Mike Budd, who already has a number of dinghy national championships to his name and travels to Largs from Abersoch with high hopes of adding the Edinburgh Cup to his CV.

Racing will take place on windward leeward courses to the north of Great Cumbrea Island and there will also be an excellent programme of social events with the Scottish hosts going all out to prove that their reputation of great hospitality is well deserved.

#dragon – Poor visibility on Belfast lough cut short the 2012 Edinburgh Cup regatta this morning giving Irish boats first and second overall. Britain's World Dragon Champion Lawrie Smith took third in the 45-boat fleet. The last race was cancelled leaving last night's results to count. Simon Brien's local entry Kin takes the title ahead of last year's winner,  fellow Irish sailor Martin Byrne of Dublin by nine points. The impressive Irish results bode well for the home fleet in September when the Dragon Gold Cup will be sailed in Kinsale.

The day three results therefore stood with five of the six possible races being completed and the champions declared as Brien, brother Mark and David Gomes all from Cultra , the second time they have lifted this historic trophy. In second place was Byrne from Dublin sailing IRL201 Jaguar with Pedro Andrade and Adam Winkelmann, and in third was Smith from Lymington, sailing GBR763 Alfie with Ossie Stewart and Tim Tavinor. Monaco's Jens Rathsack, sailing MON2 with Stefan Waak and Mario Wagner finished fourth with the Solent Fleet's Julia Bailey, Graham Bailey, Dylan Potter and Will Heritage in GBR720 Aimee fifth, and Gavia Wilkinson-Cox also of Cowes, sailing GBR761 Jerboa with Martin Payne and Rui Boya sixth.

Local boys all, the KIN team's performance is all the more remarkable when you bear in mind that Simon was also the regatta's organiser so he had to contend with both tough competition and the water and a very considerable organisational challenge ashore. Their win also stands out because KIN is an all-amateur Corinthian team in a fleet that includes many of the world's top professional sailors including 7 Olympians, several America's Cup veterans and multiple World and Continental Champions.

At the prize giving Simon Brien paid tribute to his fellow competitors and his crew. "What can I say - we're just absolutely so dumb struck that we've won it. Winning in 2000 was great with 22 or 23 boats and we had quite a few of the good guys. This year we have all of our friends from Ireland and England all over the world here and a lot of the really good guys that we look up to so much. To be in there mixing it with them has been just fantastic for us and we've had to pinched ourselves a little bit to be sitting there racing alongside Lawrie Smith and Paul Richard [Hoj-Jensen] and everybody else. I just have to say thanks to Mark and Davey who are my best friends. We have raced Dragons together for 20 years and we just have fun from the minute we step on the boat to the minute we step off, into the bar, what ever, and I just love sailing with you guys so thanks very much."

In the Corinthian Division for the all-amateur sailors second place behind Simon Brien went to Julia Bailey in Aimee and third place was claimed by Owen Pay of the Solent Fleet sailing IRL204 Seabird with Jon Mortimer and Steve Richardson, who were 11th overall.

Simon Brien also praised the way that the class brings together the professional and amateur sailors. "The Corinthian spirit and the professional mix throughout the class is just superb. I think without the professionals we wouldn't have the standard of racing that we have. Keeping that balance and keeping the Corinthians on our toes just makes for the right thing. I know there has been lots of debate about this over the years, but I really think the class made the right decision to keep welcoming professionals into the class."

Alongside the main prizes the Edinburgh Cup also has a number of additional perpetual awards. The Jordan Bell is presented to the highest placed team in the competition who did not finish a race in the top five and this year it goes to Ron and Julia James and Nigel Young in GBR633 Fei-Lin's Flirtation who finished the regatta in 13th overall. The Puffin Plate for boats over 25 years old was presented to GBR436 Sou'wester sailed by John Simms, John Gunning and Alan Morrison. Sou'wester was built in 1967 and finished 3rd in that year's Edinburgh Cup and the entire fleet was delighted to see her racing once again and putting in some very credible results, even leading the fleet at times during the racing.  The Travellers Trophy for the boat travelling the furthest distance was jointly awarded to Bocci Aayama from Japan and to Gordon Ingate and Sandy Anderson from their crews who between them will have clocked up over 30,000 miles to attend the regatta.

When collecting the Jordan Bell Ron James took the opportunity to thank sponsors Belfast Harbour, Brewin Dolphin, Petticrows, North Down Borough Council, Sebago and Stena Line for their most generous support noting "We wouldn't have half as much fun without them!"

Special prizes were also presented to two young men who represent the next generation of Dragon sailors, 11-year-old Will Heritage sailing with Julia Bailey aboard Aimee and 12-year-old Harry Strauss sailing with his parents Quentin and Nikki aboard GBR708 Rumours who finished in 14th. It was great to see such young crews not just sailing in such a strong international fleet, but having the skills and expertise to truly contribute to their teams and finish so well in the regatta. Harry and Will would without doubt jointly have won the keenest hiker award if there was such a thing and the sight of both boys reveling in yesterday's windy conditions was a joy. We look forward to following their progress and welcoming many other youngsters to the class in years to come.

At the prize giving Martin Makey, Chairman of the British Dragon Association, thanked the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club for their hospitality saying, "I lasted visited Belfast 32 years ago in 1980 when I worked for a short while at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilders and it was a very different place then than it is today. But one thing has remained and that is the warmth of the welcome that the people from this part of our country gave me and have given us. So I'd like to say a very big thank you to all the members of this club and to everybody who has been helping us from Northern Ireland for the warmth of the welcome they have given to our members of the British Dragon Association and our visitors over the last two weeks.  Its been a great championship, we've had an outstanding turnout and we're going home very happy sailors."

The Northern Area Championship and Edinburgh Cup in Cultra formed the first two events in the 2012 Brewin Dolphin Irish Grand Slam. From here to crews move onto the Irish Championships in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin from 4-7 June, then the Irish South Coast Championship in Kinsale from 1-2 September and the final event in the series is the Dragon Gold Cup, also in Kinsale, from 8-14 October.

The 2013 Edinburgh Cup will take place from Portland and Weymouth Sailing Academy from 26-30 June and the 2013 Dragon World Championship will also be raced there from 5-13 September.

Top Five Overall

1.  IRL214 - KIN - Simon Brien - 4, (26), 3, 1, 3 = 11

2.  IRL201 - Jaguar - Martin Byrne - 8, 3, 1, (39), 8 = 20

3.  GBR763 - Alfie - Lawrie Smith - 11, 2, 5, (26), 4 = 22

4.  MON2 - Jeanie - Jens Rathsack - 2, 6, (46 OCS), 9, 6 - 23

5.  GBR720 - Aimee - Julia Bailey -  1, 1, 20, 2, (22) = 24

Royal North Sailor Simon Brien, sailing with long-standing crew David Gomes and Olympian Stephen Milne, were the top Irish boat at the 2010 Dragon Ednburgh Cup in Cowes this weekend. The last race showdown for the 2010 Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Cowes, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes, was a spectacular affair with the overall results of the regatta being decided on the final finish line.  Russia's Olga White was the star of that sixth race, winning in impressive style to take third overall in the regatta.  But while Olga led the fleet, the other big story of the day was happening back down the course as a dogfight of epic proportions took place between Germany's Klaus Diederichs, and Denmark's Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen for the right to go home with the Edinburgh Cup.  The two went into the final race in first and second position respectively with just one point separating them and they proceeded to give the watching spectators a truly edge of the seat experience as they fought it out for supremacy.

Klaus Diederichs takes up the story, "We went into the last race with a 1 point lead and we needed to make sure that Poul Richard is not coming in the top three, so that was our race strategy for the day.  We didn't have a good start at all and we missed him at the start.  He went off to the left, so we had a bad start, we went to the right and had a good wind shift in our favour and we could basically tack back on him and he was by that time already quite a bit down the fleet and we said OK from now on we just need to control Poul.  

"But Poul was steaming through the fleet and we were hanging onto him and he got ahead of us literally just a couple of hundred meters before that [the second weather mark] and from then on we had to chase him and make sure he doesn't climb up the fleet very fast as he normally does.  And so we sailed downwind and the breeze got better and that was really good for us so he couldn't run away and we rounded the leeward mark just literally a boat [length] ahead of him.  From then on it was a real match race, the last beat was a total match race up until the finishing line and with the breeze increasing it was really interesting sailing."
On the finish line Klaus Diederichs, sailing NOR272 Fever with Andy Beadsworth and Simon Fry, crossed the line in 14th place just a few inches ahead of Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen, sailing GBR745 Danish Blue with Theis Palm and Andrew Norden, to claim the historic Edinburgh Cup, presented to the Dragon Class for their Open British Championship by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in 1949.  Poul Richard-Hoj Jensen took second place overall and Olga White completed the podium line-up.

Olga White's challenge for that third place was a tough one too, but she rose to the challenge with confidence and style.  Technically six people had the possibility to take third overall going into the final race.  Lawrie Smith had held the position over night; White was seven points behind him in fourth, with Simon Brien two points behind her in fifth.  Also still just in contention were Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Mikhail Muratov and Louis Urvois.  
White, sailing RUS69 Murka 7 with Vadim Statsenko and Martin Leifelt, got an excellent start and opted for the right side of the beat whilst most of her challengers went left.  The race got underway just as the sea breeze was starting to come in and this resulted in a massive right-hander on the first beat.  At the first mark White rounded just ahead of Julia Bailey with Mikhail Muratov third, Len Jones fourth, Mike Hayles fifth and Jamie Lea sixth.  Both Smith and Brien had found themselves on the wrong side of the shift and Brien rounded in 19th place while Smith almost brought up the rear of the fleet in 29th.  All White had to do now was hold onto a good position and pray that neither Smith nor Brien could pull off a major jump on the fleet.  

Ultimately White successfully defended her lead all the way to the finish although she had to sail her socks off to do it with a hard fought tacking duel against Jones and Lea lasting the length of the final beat. On the line White took the honours, Jones finished second and Lea third.  Brien and Smith did their best with Brien managing to pull back up into 10th place and Smith into 19th, but it wasn't anywhere near enough and so Simon Brien, sailing IRL212 Kin with Stephen Milne and David Gomes, took fourth place overall and Lawrie Smith, sailing GBR751 Alfie with Ossie Stewart and Bill Masterman, was fifth.

Speaking after racing Olga White was delighted with her first podium finish at an International Dragon Ranked Event.  "It's the first time we've won a race in a regatta of this size, grade two or above, and it's the first time we've been on the podium so it's fantastic."  She also joked about the competition between herself and husband and Murka team mate Mikhail Muratov saying, "Of course there's a little bit of rivalry between the two of use, although we never do anything nasty to each other, but we still like to win between the two of us so we have two races going on, one between me and Mischa and the other race as well.  Mischa's getting a bit upset about being recognised as the person that's always following his wife - so we'll try and keep that up!"
In the Corinthian Division for the all-amateur crews Ireland's Simon Brien, took overall victory from local Solent sailor Eric Williams, sailing GBR682 Ecstatic with Joanna Richardson and Rory Patten. Cowes Dragon Fleet Captain Richard Cullen, sailing GBR669 Supremacy with Alex Dobson and Matthew Hill, rounded out the Corinthian top three.  The Corinthian Division is a new introduction to the Dragon fleet and the organisers were delighted that it generated such an enthusiastic response with a third of the fleet qualifying to compete.  Speaking after racing Richard Cullen said, "I was delighted how well some of the Corinthian sailors were doing against the professionals at times this week.  It's really important for us to encourage the Corinthian teams as without them the grass roots of local Dragon fleets around the world will not be able to continue to build world class events with good numbers of competitors. Congratulations to Simon and Eric - we've had fantastic racing all week."

At the final prize giving Regatta Chairman Colonel Tony Singer paid tribute to all the many volunteers who had worked tirelessly to make this event such a huge success.  This was without doubt the most competitive fleet ever assembled for a Dragon Edinburgh Cup and this combined with outstanding race management, a superb social programme and exceptional weather conditions ensured that not only was it the most competitive, but that it was also one of the most enjoyable. He thanked the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club who hosted the regatta, the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club, Royal London Yacht Club, Island Sailing Club, Royal Yacht Squadron and Sir Max Aitken Museum, which all hosted social events for the sailors during the week and Aberdeen Asset Management for their generous ongoing sponsorship support of the British Dragon Association and the Edinburgh Cup.
Although sadly unable to attend the prize giving, Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, sent a message to the competitors and the organisers saying "Congratulations to Edinburgh Cup winner Klaus Diederichs and his crew.  We're delighted to continue our support of the British Dragon Association and the Edinburgh Cup.  Well done to everyone involved in the organisation of this outstanding event." 

The South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, Abersoch, will host the 2011 Dragon Edinburgh Cup, which will be held between 13-16 July 2011

Dragon Edinburgh Cup is Sponsored By Aberdeen Asset Management

Irish eyes were smiling on day two of the 2010 Dragon Edinburgh Cup, supported by Aberdeen Asset Management, as Simon Brien, sailing IRL212 Kin with Stephen Milne and David Gomes, won race three. Hot on their heels came Andrew Craig, sailing IRL192 Chimaera with Mark Pettitt and Brian Matthews, who won race four of the six race series.  It was a very challenging day with the wind constantly flicking around between 200 and 225 degrees and varying from lows of 6-8 knots to highs of circa 17 knots.

If there was ever a day of yachting snakes and ladders this was it.  The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club's Race Committee headed by PRO Robert Lamb, had their work cut out to keep the courses as fair as possible and at every mark rounding there were significant position changes throughout the fleet. 

After his all-conquering open day, Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen, sailing GBR745 with Theis Palm and Andrew Norden, found himself under considerably more pressure today.  He had moments of absolute brilliance and led race four by a significant margin at one point, but ultimately he finished the day by adding a fifth and a third to yesterday's two wins.  

That was sufficient to keep him in the overall lead, but with the discard coming into play after race four that lead is now reduced to three points from Germany's Klaus Diederichs* sailing NOR282 Fever with Andy Beadsworth and Simon Fry.  Beadsworth and Fry both call the Solent home and have won multiple championships in these waters between them.  Their combined experience and local knowledge added to Diederichs' undoubted abilities as a helm made them boat of the day with a 4, 2 score line. 

Simon Brien's impressive win in the third race, where he led almost from start to finish despite constant challenges, combined with an 11th in race four takes him from sixth to third overall, seven points behind Diederichs.  Meanwhile fourth race winner Andrew Craig, who had finished eighth in race three, moves on to equal points with Brien but takes fourth on count back. 

Lawrie Smith, Ossie Stewart and Bill Masterman, sailing GBR751 Alfie, had a tricky opening race finishing fourteenth, but things looked even worse in race four when they found themselves rounding the first mark well into the 20s.  Things didn't look much better down the first run, but on the second beat they banged the right corner hard, found a nice little patch of stronger breeze and simply sailed round the fleet and up into sixth place.  

Overall that drops them down from third to fifth where they are tied on points with sixth placed Len Jones, sailing GBR708 Rumours with Pedro Andrade and Philip Catmur.  Jones had finished ninth in race three and at one point in race four was running neck and neck with Hoj-Jensen ahead of the entire fleet, but a missed shift saw him holding on as Hoj-Jensen gybed off and he'd lost half a dozen places in a matter of minutes before fighting his way back to fourth on the final beat. 

Thirteen may be a lucky number for some, but sadly not for Jamie Lea, sailing for Quentin Strauss aboard GBR723 Gorgeous Worgeous with Lars Wegener.  They went into the day in fifth place, but their neatly matched pair of thirteenth places means they move down into 11th overall.  Olga White was all sixes and sevens as well (well sixth in race three and seventh in race four) meaning that she has dropped down from fourth place into seventh.

There was high drama during race four when Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, sailing GBR716 Jerboa with Mark Hart and Henry Bagnall, and Mikahil Muratov, sailing RUS96 Murka 8 with Vladimir Krutskikh and V Uvarkin, who had gone into the day lying in 9th and 10th respectively, came together on the second beat.  Wilkinson-Cox was on starboard and Muratov on port, and initially it looked as if Muratov was going to pass ahead, but an apparent miscommunication resulted in the two boats coming together and their rigs became fatally entwined. After several terrifying pirouettes during which Jerboa came close to being towed under, the rig of Murka 8 finally collapsed, missing Henry Bagnall by a whisker on the way down, and the two boats were able to extricate themselves.  Fortunately support RIBs were immediately on hand to assist and no one was injured in the incident.  

Back ashore the protest committee found fault on both sides and disqualified both boats from the race.  We apologise for not being able to bring you the results of the Corinthian Division in today's report, but an administrative problem has meant that the list of those eligible to race as Corinthians is incomplete and at the time of going to press we await updated results. 

After racing the crews joined their sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management and their guests for a delightful drinks party at the Sir Max Aitken Museum housed in The Prospect, a converted 18th century waterside sail loft.  A newspaper magnate, world war two fighter pilot, racing yachtsman, powerboat pioneer and founder of the London Boatshow, Sir Max created the museum in his former Cowes home in 1979 and it houses a fascinating collection of marine artifacts.  The Mayor of Cowes Councillor Alan Wells and his wife Jenny attended the event and Mrs Wells kindly presented the prizes at the daily awards ceremony.
Tomorrow there will be one championship race followed by the traditional Edinburgh Cup crew's race - and with a crew list that includes the likes of Andy Beadsworth, Ossie Stewart, Graham Bailey and Martin Payne that crew's race is likely to be as cut and thrust as any other this week. The regatta concludes on Saturday.

Overall Top Six After Four Races 

1. GBR745 - Danish Blue - Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen - 5 pts

2. NOR272 - Fever - Klaus Diederichs - 8 pts

3. IRL212 - Kin - Simon Brien - 15 pts

4. IRL192 - Chimaera - Andrew Craig - 15 pts

5. GBR751 - Alfie - Lawrie Smith - 16 pts

6. GBR708 - Rumours - Len Jones - 16 pts