Chernikeef takes first matches

Harriet Prest reports form the race course of Cowes

A side wager for £5,000 between Peter Harrison and Kit Hobday? This kind of frivolity could only result in a full scale match racing series for charity during Skandia Cowes Week. Tuesday evening the first two matches provided two clear victories for Chernikeef.

"We reproduced some of the images and pleasures of racing in the America’s Cup in New Zealand… primarily its about getting young people in and getting them experienced in match racing," Peter Harrison told The Daily Sail afterward. The match racing between the two black Farr 52s certainly excited spectators; the parade being a fantastic vantage spot for the windward mark.

Kit Hobday’s Bear of Britain won both of the starts. Unfortunately for the young crew, guided in this occasion by Chris Law, Chernikeef seemed to have much better upwind speed. The initial match provided two dramatic tacking duels: the first, an attack by a trailing Chernikeef, shortly followed by a defensive play instigated by Bear. It was all over quickly as Bear of Britain luffed Chernikeef; a desperate and ultimately terminal manoeuvre that left Chernikeef free to round the windward mark with enough in hand to put in two gybes and gain a much better angle for the second and final leg.

The second match started in much the same way with Andy Beadsworth losing the start to Bear’s driver, Mark Campbell-James. This time Chernikeef employed ‘dummy’ and ‘double’ manoeuvres to outsmart Bear upwind. It did not take them long to establish another strong lead.

When asked why Chernikeef took chunks out of Bear on every tack, Peter Harrison explained: "Today we had a little edge on the upwind speed but also our crew handling was exceptionally good…we had to come from behind. We managed to achieve that by fast tacking." Although Peter Harrison did not surround himself by an all powerful GBR team for the event, five of the Auckland team were on board, including Beadsworth and Ian Budgen.

Over the winter Chernikeef has had some extra weight put into her keel without increasing the surface area. With her victory in the three day IRM regatta at start of Skandia Cowes Week and now this match racing supremacy, this work seems to be paying off. Peter Harrison is hoping to draw Nick Hewson’s Volvo for Life - Team Tonic in further match racing "as the three boats are very closely matched and it produces excellent racing."

With two more evenings of match racing in the series. Bear of Britain will undoubtedly pull out all the stops to destroy Chernikeef’s undefeated record. Peter Harrison is looking forward to the next two days… "It’s been a tremendous evening and it’s been a tremendous idea of Kit's and I think we have done well for each other."

The money from the wager and other proceeds arising from the event are to be donated to Sail 4 Cancer, the Cowes official charity and Ignorance Isn’t Bliss; a prostrate cancer trust.