Open 60 wins Sailing Speed Challenge at Cowes
A kitesurfer, windsurfer, and a foiling International Moth took on Alex Thomson's mighty Hugo Boss in the Volvo Speed Sailing Challenge held at Cowes Week... here's the video of the action
Monday evening and visitors to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week were treated to a different kind of race. A race between a solo round-the-world yachtsman, Olympic gold medallist, double Olympic windsurfing medallist and an extreme kitesurfer in the Volvo Sailing Speed Challenge.
The spectacle, held in aid of charity, featured Alex Thomson in his Open 60 Hugo Boss, Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison in a foiling International Moth (see 10 Fantastic Foiling Boats), double Olympic medallist Nick Dempsey in a windsurfer, plus world record holder Sam Lutman-Pauc in a kitesurfer.
So who won? It was a close thing, but in an unexpected twist, solo Round-the-World Yachtsman, Alex Thomson, who was the sailor least expected to win ahead of the race, nailed it taking the speed title and £1,000 for 'Sported' - the UK’s leading sporting legacy charity of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
Watch the video to see the highlights!
“That was great fun! Paul Goodison is officially a lunatic on the racecourse, was not giving even an inch of any boat. I didn’t expect to win but really I owe it to the two guys onboard with me, grinding away, so they can take all the glory not me.” Commented Alex.
The conditions in the Solent were challenging and tricky, the wind varied from 10 to 15 knots, but, second-placed Nick Dempsey on his windsurfer enjoyed the battle. “All day there’s been no wind and we really didn’t know if we would actually be able to do [the race], so after all the preparation and excitement, when the wind came in it was amazing. It was close, Goody (Paul Goodison) and I had a brilliant first reach, we were neck and neck, but when we gybed and headed up for the second lap, the wind had shifted a bit and we couldn’t get back up to the next mark in one tack, so we had to double-tack.
Everything I Iost there meant that Alex was just getting further and further ahead, but it was still so close! There was a lot of current out there today, it wasn’t easy. It was a really good race, very exciting – amazing to race next to Alex in Hugo Boss.”
Alex Thomson in Hugo Boss Vs a foiling International Moth in the Volvo Sailing Speed Challenge.
Paul Goodison, best known for his skill in the singlehanded Laser dinghy, reached 18 knots once up foiling. “It was a great race, really good fun to be out there with all the other guys burning around at different speeds. I thought I won the start, had a nice lead going down the first leg. Nick was a little bit faster and started reeling me in, and then just before the gybe mark I got quite a lot of weed on the foils. I had to stop, capsize the boat and clear the weed off, which is never fast. I want a rematch in the flat water so we can have some real action! Classic race though!"
