#cowesweek – Nine boats has given the J70 design its first start in Cowes week this week as the new 22–foot sportsboat class debuts on UK and Irish waters, the latest addition to Britain's biggest sailing regatta.
With 800 boats competing, Cowes week is twice the size of its Irish counterpart, Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.
Sunday's day 2 of the Aberdeen Asset Management sponsored event looks set to produce some good breezes and bright sunshine.
The forecast is for a warm and clear day with a classic steady south-westerly airflow of 16-20 knots in the western Solent, with the breeze likely to be a little less strong and slightly veered towards the west-north-west in the eastern Solent.
Large windshifts and gusts to around 25 knots will be experienced at the edge of any clouds that pass overhead, making for exciting and tactical racing.
Stuart Quarrie, CEO Cowes Week Limted, commented on the weather situation: "Although there is a low pressure system off the coast of Cornwall that's moving west, it is tracking slowly. The lighter airs early in the day are likely to be very shifty, with oscillations between 180 and 230 possible, although as the breeze strengthens it's likely to become a little more stable around 210 degrees."
As far as courses go, Black Group will start from both the Bramble/Royal Yacht Squadron line and from a committee boat, and finishing off the Royal Yacht Squadron line (RYS).
The first Black Group start from the Bramble line is IRC1 at 1030. This class is racing for the Glazebrook Challenge Cup. The Black Group committee boat first start for Multihulls is at 1100. Black Group committee boat will be positioned near Browndown, with racing taking place in the eastern Solent. Classes starting here will have a possible committee boat finish at the end of a windward leg, rather than joining the rest of Black Group in a finish from the west on the RYS line.
The majority of the White Group will start from the RYS line, initially head west before heading to the eastern Solent. They will finish at Shrape.
White Group committee boat for XODs and the second race for J/70s and SB20s will be close to William Shipping, near the north shore, close to the entrance to Southampton Water. For the first time ever the new Bramble finish line will be used for some of the White Group classes.
