A SCORCHER of a day on the Solent and a fresh easterly breeze saw the 900 crews in Skandia Cowes Week enjoy another superb day’s racing. As usual, the competition is nowhere tighter than in the classic X-One Design class, where Ado Jardine in Lucrezia is at the top of the 68-strong fleet.
In yesterday’s fourth race of the series, Jardine, sailing with Angus Fryer and Nicola Wise, began as the most inshore boat on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, calculating that Lucrezia would be lifted to the windward mark, which he rounded in seventh.
Jardine, who won the X-OD class nearly 50 years ago as crew for his twin brother, Stuart, and won a bronze medal in 5.5 metres at the 1968 Olympics in Acapulco, picked off one boat on the first run and then was delighted to overtake Peter “Basher” Baines, the four-times Cowes Week winner, in Palassie, on the next beat.
A fourth-place finish to follow a fifth and two thirds has left Jardine 12 points clear of Baines, who, with Willy McNeil in Blue on Blue — thirteenth overall — will threaten once the first discard comes into play. Jardine knows he has his work cut out to win the Captain’s Cup. “Willy McNeil is looking very strong to windward, while Basher knows his way around the Solent very well,” he said.
Stuart Jardine, also a four-times title winner, languishes in Lone Star in an unaccustomed fortieth place. His best result was seventh yesterday.
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In Class 0, for the biggest boats, the IRM yachts have rejoined the fray, but it was a return to the Admiral’s Cup fare as Nick Lykiardopulo’s brand new Ker 55, Aera, whipped the three Farr 52s, Volvo For Life Team Tonic, Bear of Britain and Chernikeeff 2.