On the tidal rollercoaster

Andy Rice was on board Flica II for the America's Cup Jubilee's historic round the island race

The UBS Jubilee Around the Island Race was massive, in every sense. I doubt the Solent has ever been so chopped up with racing yachts and spectator craft as it was today.

The start was something to behold, with a half-mile-wide alley way up the Solent between the thronging masses of onlookers on their boats. I just wanted to get my camera out and look round so I could take in the enormity of it all. But we had, as they say, 'a bit on' just navigating our classic 12-Metre Flica II safely up towards Bembridge.

I'm not sure we ever would have got out away from Cowes without the 3-knot spring tide that launched us off the start line. A couple of overeager Grand Prix 12s got a bit carried away on tide and adrenalin and were called over early by the race committee over the VHF. Automatic 3% time penalty for that one - ouch!

We had done a timed run on the 3-knot tidal conveyor belt and our skipper Thierry Peponnet felt pretty confident taking us up to the line at start time. We got a great start, but we were soon gasping for air as the likes of Australia II and Kookaburra came surging past us just minutes into the long beat up towards No Man's Land Fort.

Then our arch rivals on the Classic 12 Nyala tacked on our face. Torben Grael, the Olympic multi-medallist, appears to be a man who takes no prisoners under any circumstances. Thierry was not happy, to say the least, and we struggled to bounce back after sucking bad air for a long way up the beat as we passed Ryde.

Not long after, the America's Cup Class yachts came surging through like we were stood still, and what a race they were having. It was great to see the Brits out in the lead.

Once we got past the Nab Light Vessel, the race took on a more tranquil air. And after battling through a short period of adverse current, we were launched down the back of the island, making 8 knots through the water but 12 knots over ground. What I expected to be a boring drift past the south side of the island went by in a flash. After hoisting the kite when we passed St Catherines Point, the Needles were there in no time. Way up on the cliffs were the spectators, who must have enjoyed an incredible view from their vantage point.

Meanwhile, rounding the Admiral buoy in the Needles washing machine told us the sleepy phase of the race was well and truly over. Now I had to get my charts out and earn my keep as navigator. We'd wanted to get past Hurst Point and dive off out of the 4-knot adverse current by hugging the Lymington shore.

But with the southerly wind direction it just looked too expensive getting over there. We decided to stay put and battle it out with the 12s on the Wight side of the western Solent. And what a battle. Inching up inside a rival, trying to cheat the tide to the nth degree. Watching the depth gauge like a hawk, the crew crouching lower to the deck each time the instruments dipped below 0.5 metres. It's funny how the boat gets more silent the more shallow the water beneath you, the way you see submariners in World War II movies go quiet when the water above them gets too deep.

We had a great joust with Sovereign, our other arch rival in the Classics, but unfortunately the Saniflo-sponsored team flushed us out the back after a particularly daring move through the moored yachts outside Yarmouth. We thought about having a go through the inside of Gurnard Ledge, but thought again when we saw another 12-Metre Valiant stuck well and truly on the treacherous rocks. They were to be there for some time that evening.

Eventually we recrossed the Squadron line almost exactly seven hours after we had departed, not bad for an old wooden-rigged 12. And we'd taken quite a few Grand Prix 12 scalps along the way. In appearance the old and new 12s are worlds apart, but in pure speed terms there's still little in it. Russell Coutts and John Bertrand in South Australia and Australia II respectively finished just a quarter of an hour ahead of us.

Flica II was third Classic across the line, but tomorrow we resume the real challenge when we have two more races in the Prada 12-Metre World Championships.