Britain’s first match racing event for 12m class boats was scheduled to begin tomorrow in the waters off Lymington. However winds of 27 knots, already chopping across the Solent today, are forecast to rise tomorrow making racing impossible for these thoroughbreds.

Malcolm McKeag of the Royal Thames Yacht Club told ybw that racing is now scheduled to start on Thursday and finish on Friday morning, before the Berthon Source Regatta begins on Friday afternoon.

Contested under the auspices of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, this event brings together three boats that last met 14 years ago at the America’s Cup, Fremantle.

Britain’s last challenger Crusader, much modified since her purchase by Richard Matthews in 1988, will be racing against the boat that sent her home from Fremantle, US-66, now known as Ecosse since Irvine Laidlaw bought her last year. Both boats will be racing against Don Woods’ Italia, the best Italian performer in the America’s Cup prior to Prada.

Eddie Warden-Owen, warm-up helmsman in Fremantle, is promoted by 1987 sailing manager Harold Cudmore to helm for the two-day regatta.

The Berthon Source Regatta, to be held in the western Solent will be contested by 70 boats, among them the three 12m boats mentioned above plus at least three of their modern-day counterparts, the ACC boats.