With eight classes staying ashore today, it was left to the bigger boats to joust with some tricky conditions. The classes running downwind from the western Solent were rolling heavily – those with spinnakers up anyway – and several boats broached heavily providing the sailmakers with more work.

In winds of 25 knots and building towards the end of the day under cloudy skies, some of the heavier boats came alive. Foremost among them was Richard Loftus’ Swan 65 Desperado, winning the Bathsheba Trophy for Classes 0 and 1 under three minutes ahead of the former Farr 40 world champion Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad.

Class 0 didn’t make it onto the rostrum for the Bathsheba Trophy but Peter Odgen’s Swan 60 Spirit of Jethou continued her excellent week with a second place today, behind Adam Gosling’s Mills design Yes! T&G but ahead of David Lowe’s Farr 52 Loco.

Class 3 IRC sees the Solent’s heavy hitters going head to head. Today it was Graham and Libby Deegan’s Swan 441 Menenes. Having narrowly missed out on overall victory in the Swan Europeans, the Deegans – renowned Solent experts – are relishing their confrontation with the Solent’s very own oracle, Peter Bruce.

Bruce’s HOD 35 Owl came off second best today by just under three minutes on corrected and Menenes will swap her sixth place for Owl’s fifth after today’s result. Jim MacGregor – another noted Solent sage – finished another three minutes behind Elan 33 Triple with a Flair.