Cowes Week class preview 3

Who's on form in the Contessa 32s and IRC 4-6

Contessa 32s
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first separate start at Cowes Week for the Contessa 32 fleet. It was organised by David Cox, who was class captain then, and who is racing in his last Cowes Week this year in A Toute Vitesse. However ATV, as the rest of the fleet affectionately knows her, will remain a family boat and be skippered by David’s son, Simon in the future.

24 Contessas are competing at Cowes this year based at UKSA. As with every class that competes in the event, the fleet have a full social programme, making sure they live up to their reputation of not just being highly competitive racers, but also great party animals.

Many of the Contessas are family boats with young keen crews like South Haze, who along with Blanco, Gualin and Green Pepper, are vying to make the front of the fleet. Polar Star, a new boat and helm, to the racing fleet will also be in with a chance of a top finish. Another strong contender is Geoffrey Palmer, not new to Contessa helming but new owner of Shardik. Red Apple is making a return to Cowes week with an all Australian crew.

It may be interesting to note that to helm a Contessa is not the sole prerogative of the males. Angela Mitchell returns this year helming Connie and 20-year-old Lizzie Vickers is to helm her father’s boat Wild Thyme. Lizzie is in the Oxford ladies team which has just won the British University Sailing Association Championships. Ann Jennings, Publicity Officer
IRC 4-6

Although smaller than the boats competing in classes 0-3, the boats in these classes produce equally close and exciting racing. Many of separate starts, such as the Sigmas and Contessas, started out sailing on handicap starts like these.

The Mustang 30 is currently one of the growing fleets, starting in IRC5, with entries up to seven. This is a quarter of the IRC5 start. East Wind III, second in class five last year, is likely to be one of the main contenders in this class. It is unlikely East Wind IIIi will have it easy as Eric the Red, also a Mustang 30, has finished with several top five finishes this season - enough to prove her a serious contender for class victory.

Class four is likely to be dominated by the Projection 702 Buzz Lightyear, winner of the Warsash Spring Series class two. With forty-five boats competing in this class, Buzz Lightyear will have to put together a particularly consistent series to finish ahead of the many other equally experienced competitors in this year's division.