Mike Broughton's Cowes Week nav tips

Former Whitbread navigator and Cowes veteran Mike Broughton gives his top tips for winning this week

Great gains at Gurnard - Many Cowes Week races involve getting close up the Island as you approach Cowes from the west. There are several important hazards to negotiate that are very well documented in Peter Bruce's book Solent Hazards. Knowing the route inside Gurnard Ledge can be a real winner, though is not for the faint hearted. During the Swan European Championships a few years ago, I took a large Swan through at half tide against the ebb. While the rest of the more conservative/more sensible fleet, struggled in much greater negative tide, we wriggled through and saved two minutes on our closest competitors and made it into the 'chocolates'!

Winds Bends and shadows - The river valleys in the western part of the Isle of Wight have a marked effect on the wind in the western Solent. With a wind left of 250 degrees, the valleys such as the Newton River, create relatively large 'lefthanders' over a local area, as the wind funnels out of the estuary and then fans out, creating significant gains on port tack. In east/west winds, there is a wind bend around Egypt Point as well as an area of lighter winds close into Gurnard Bay. In an easterly wind, this is created by the hill directly inland, whilst in westerly winds, is created by the wind detaching from the surface to get over that same hill. In an easterly, it is quite possible to find an extra couple of knots of wind towards the north shore of the western Solent, as it becomes a convergent shoreline; likewise a stronger band along the Lee on Solent shore in a south easterly. While in the Eastern Solent watch out for a 'split breeze' in a light southeasterly wind, due to the effect of the land on the light breeze, behind Ryde. The light SE wind generates right handers closer to the shore, which never seems to spread across the whole Solent. In a light southerly wind, the wind oscillates a great deal, again due to the effects of the hills and valleys of the Isle of Wight.

Find a transit for the helm - If the next leg is a reach, give the helm a course corrected for tide just prior to rounding the mark. Then just as soon as you have found the next buoy, verbally agree a transit. Apart from ensuring that you sail the shortest course, it focuses the importance of transit sailing and gives the navigator more time to work out the call for the next spinnaker pole and just periodically check if the transit is moving. If racing with a pretty steady wind, try and give the foredeck team the next two pole requirements. This allows them to plan ahead and decide what sort of drop is required at the next leeward mark. Hence saving the requirement to have a crewmember off the rail to 'spin the kit' (change sides with the spinnaker sheets, guys and halyards).

Bullets from on high! - A northwesterly wind is often gusty and allows for decent gains, if you can read the wind as it rolls down the racecourse towards you. After a cold front, a northwesterly wind, is unstable polar maritime air that mixes in the lower levels and often creates stronger winds and gusts on the leading edges of clouds. This stronger wind from aloft, is veered by about 20 degrees, creating down drafts that are often experienced as bullets of wind on your boat, giving significant local right handers.

Mini Tidal Races - Even though this years Regatta has been specifically moved a little later to ensure that we sail in neap tides, tidal gains/losses will still be very significant, particularly in light winds. There are three mini tidal races inside the Solent that can produce big tidal gains. A small race about 200 metres wide and 400 metres long is produced off Stansore Point, particularly on the ebb as the water sluices around the point towards the south west coming out of Southampton Water. Two other small tidal races are produced just south of North Sturbridge buoy in the east Solent and very close to Black Rock buoy, close to Yarmouth. Caused by seamounts on the seabed, the water rushes past and can produce a great gain when played well. Note the extra chop in the sea, around these areas.