A break with tradition meant that the International 14 Prince of Wales Cup was sailed on Tuesday rather than the Thursday last week.

After the now normal general recalls, the fleet started in a Force 4 easterly in an area to the west of Pendennis Point. The sea was flat which set the race up for a drag race to the first mark. Mark Upton-Brown and Ian Mitchell were leading after the second visit to the windward mark. Stewart Sloss was on port on the port lay-line beating to the mark and when a gust hit Upton-Brown, Stewart was unable to take enough avoiding action to stop a collision. The spinnaker downhaul caught Stewart round the neck and pulled him off the wire. Both boats capsized, Mark’s spinnaker was torn and he had to retire. The subsequent protest disqualified Stewart but it took another day for the jury to conclude that they couldn’t give Mark redress as it was a one-off race.

Paul Vine and Dave Dobrejivic worked their way to the front for a deserved win and now join a very select group who have won the most prestigious trophy in dinghy racing.

The rest of the week provided more exciting racing. Wednesday was cold, wet and was blowing Force 3. The influence of Pendennis Castle tested the fleet by producing gusty and shifty winds at the top mark. Mark Upton-Brown and Ian Mitchell put Tuesday’s disappointment aside to beat Paul Vine and Dave Dobrejivic. The rest of the fleet had yet more unbelievably close racing with places changing thoughout the fleet on every leg.

Thursday brought another change to the normal POW week, with two races. The sun was out but overnight there had been quite a lot of breeze and when the competitors arrived on the start line they found a testing swell and a Force 4. Colin Goodman and Sam Gardener won this race showing excellent boat speed, most competitors were finding it very difficult to get the boats in the groove. Paul Vine had his worst results of the week with a fourth. Andy Fitzgerald, with Martin Borritt, showed used his experience to out-sail the relative newcomers in the tricky conditions to achieve a third, his best result of the series.

For race five the wind continue to drop and the sea calmed down, keeping the frustration high with the crews struggling for boatspeed.

The usual suspects made it to the front with Paul Vine and Dave Dobrejivic in first, Colin Goodman and Sam Gardener second, Mark Upton-Brown and Ian Mitchell in third, and James Fawcett with Bruce Grant continued to show excellent consistency with a fourth.

The Prince of Wales cup dinner was held in the Falmouth Hotel on Thursday night so the dinghy park filled more slowly than usual the next morning for the last day’s racing. The light winds and sunshine were pleasant, although some people were rather hoping the breeze would be light enough to cancel racing. The fleet did sail out and managed a start, but the wind was dropping and veering all the time and when spinnakers started to appear on the right-hand side of the course the race was abandoned, much to the relief of the sailors.

Overall Results

POW Cup
11444, Paul Vine, Dave Dobrejivic, Bieker 2 (mod), Bieker mast, North sails, hydrofoils half way down rudder

21451 Colin Goodman, Sam Gardener, Ovi 3, CST mast, Hyde sails asymmetric foils bottom of rudder

31476 Archie Massey, George Nurton, Bieker 3, CST mast, Alexander sails, no hydrofoil

41464 Charles Stanley, Adrian Murphy, Bieker 3, CST mast, Hyde sails, no hydrofoil

51470 James Fawcett, Bruce Grant, Bieker 3, Bieker mast, Alexander sails, hydrofoil half way down rudder

61462 Andy Fitzgerald Martin Borrit, Bieker 3, Bieker mast, Batt sails, hydrofoil half way down

Windwhisper Trophy for the points series
1stLes Couiles de Chien 1444, Paul Vine, 6pts
2ndBluey 1470, James Fawcett, Bruce Grant, 17pts
3rdHydrofoil 1451, Colin Goodman, Sam Gardener, 18pts
4thChocolate Girl 1459, Ian Teasdale, Simon Heuson, 23pts
5thEnormous Crocodile 1431, Colin Smith, Peter Helm, 25pts
6thDusk Till Dawn 1433, Chris Turner, Peter Bagwell, 28pts