The Cowes-based J109 Jukebox crew, led by John Smart, sailed a smart race on Tuesday to take the lead in a highly competitive IRC 3 fleet at the 2023 Cowes Week Regatta. The team, which has Royal Cork's Mark Mansfield racing as tactician and the National Yacht Club's Alan Roche onboard, sailed a flawless race to beat out Ed Mockridge and the team on Elaine Again (ranked number 1) for the top spot.
The 14-strong IRC3 fleet saw Brita Van Rossum on the HOD35 Zarafa leading going into Tuesday's race. This team, which took third place at the European championship last year, is in top form, but the Irish crew on Jukebox managed to take the lead by a slim margin.
The quality fleet also includes Jamie McWilliam and Jamie Boag racing on the J109 Witchcraft, who are currently lying in fourth overall.
Despite the excitement on Tuesday, the race committee has made the decision to abandon racing for all classes on Wednesday due to the Met Office yellow wind warning in force for the south coast.
The results of Tuesday's race can be found here
