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Eric Williams Wins Cowes Week…
After 8 long days the team from “Ecstatic” owned and helmed by “Solent Legend” Eric Williams, crewed by Katie Cole & Joanna Richardson achieved the ultimate challenge of inshore Yacht Racing, they won Cowes Week !
For those of you that have not had the pleasure of sailing in Cowes, let me tell you first hand it is not easy ! First you have over 1500 boats racing all over the Solent scattered around various courses. Then you have 4 or 5 ferries running to and from the mainland every 2 hours.. Then there are a number of large Tankers, Cruise Liners and over-stacked Container Ships entering and leaving Southampton Docks 24 hours a day. On top of that the wind can begin the day flat calm, develop to a good breeze by noon, then increase to 20+ kts by mid afternoon! Oh… then of course there is the tide… Did I mention the tide ? Yes it comes in and goes out, but usually at around 2 to 3 knots, 4 knots at times !! However, it’s not that simple because it changes on the North Shore and the Island Shore much earlier… beginning to understand Cowes now?
Finally there is the “Brambles Bank” to negotiate !! A huge lump of sand that sits right in the middle of all this activity… Believe it or not there are a group of diehard sailors who still play cricket on the Brambles Bank once a year…! Only in England can such a tradition still exist…. 🙂
So then to tell you of the competition in the Dragon Class in Cowes Week… Well if Graham Bailey (former winner of Edinburgh Cup & many top yachting trophies) finished 2nd and Gavia Wilkinson-Cox (multi Dragon Trophy winner) finished 3rd overall, I think you can all appreciate how well Eric and his Girls sailed….. Well done to team “Ecstatic” enjoy your success of 2015.
Higher, Faster, Longer………. Stavros.