Chernikeef 2 wins IRM

Mini series now complete at Skandia Cowes Week reports Andi Robertson

With two back to back wins and a second place Peter Harrison's Farr 52 Chernikeeff 2 added the Delta Trophy for the top boat at Skandia Cowes Week's IRM mini-series to the IRM Class UK National Championship title they won in the Spring.

The third of the three days racing was worth waiting for, proving the most competitive and even of the series as the E to SE'ly breeze piped up to 12-16 knots at times. While Chaernikeeff 2 lead to the first mark and across the finish line it was never clear cut, and the leading three big boats were rarely more than a few boatlengths apart.

Chernikeeff 2 gained a slight overlap at the windward mark, rounding just ahead of Volvo for Life Team Tonic and Bear of Britain but gybe-set to gain a couple of boat lengths as they chose to bank a little early relief fromthe tide. On the beat they were able to control the chasing pack behind them by bouncing them out into the tide initially, but by the next windward mark at Gurnard the leading pack of Farr 52s were all overlapped again.

By the next leeward mark Chernikeeff 2 was just ahead, enough to fend off a challenge for 'water' from Bear and at the turn and both Tonic and Bear could not tack and again had to suffer in the contrary tide.

By South Ryde Middle, the final turn, Chernikeeff had gained some breathing space and extended slightly to cross the line 27 seconds ahead of Bear. Kit Hobday and Tim Louis' Farr 52 had Team Tonic hard on her stern at the finish, but with a slight handicap advantage in their favour second went to Nick Hewson's Tonic crew by only one second.
If that proved a close run thing on corrected, the top Timberland Euro-Prix
45s - Victric, Tony de Mulder's chartered 45 which has Ado Stead and Tim Powell abetting de Mulder, and Ed Leask's eponymous Timberland Euro Prix, ended up on the same corrected time in fifth equal.

Another great race from David Murrin's Farr 40 2XL saw them top 40 footer, finishing only ten minutes behind the 45 Victric to take a well earned fourth overall.

Observed IRM Class chair Steph Merry: "Today was a great advertisement for IRM racing, and we have had so many compliments today it is well worthwhile. It is worth noting that on corrected time the top 17 boats were within six minutes of one another."

"Winners are grinners, and today we have the big smiles," commented Peter Harrison. "The racing was very good and I think that IRM seems to give us all the best racing."

"It was certainly the best day's racing and we really had to keep it tight. It was a hard course to really get back into it if you made an big errors early on, but in saying that there were the odd opportunities to make up a little here and there and that really kept it interesting," commented Marc Fitzgerald, Chernikeeff 2's skipper.

In the overall series the Farr 52s monopolised the top three places with the Timberland Euro Prix 45 Class winner, Ed Leask and his crew taking fourth.

Murrin's 2XL crew may forever rue their running out of time in Sunday's overlong race. With two fourth places partnered by a DNF in a no discard series they dropped to eighth overall.

Results:
Race 3:
1 Chernikeeff 2 (Farr 52, P Harrison) 03:01:28
2 Volvo for Life Team Tonic (Farr 52,. N Hewson) 03:02.09
3 Bear of Britain (Farr 52, T Louis/K Hobday) 03:02:10
4 2XL (Farr 40, D Murrin) 03:03.40
5= Victric (Euro Prix 45, T de Mulder) 03:03:52,
5= Timberland Euro Prix (Euro Prix 45, E Leask) 03:03:52.

Overall:
1 Chernikeeff 2 4pts,
2 Volvo for Life 7pts,
3 Bear of Britain 9pts,
4 Timberland Euro Prix 14.5pts,
5 Victric 16.5pts.