Cowes portraits

We catch up with some of the individuals taking part in Skandia Cowes Week

Today we talk to Cowes stalwart Harry Evans, find out about the Girls For Sail women's teams, while The Daily Sail's Andy Nicholson gives his account about how he and Glenn Bourke won the 1720s PLUS audio from Ben Ainslie about his racing against Shirley Robertson today in a Laser SB3, Athens, Cadiz and the Admiral's Cup


Harry Evans, owner of the new Swan 45 Alvine XIII , is one of the most regular faces on the Solent racing scene. James Boyd spoke to him about how he goes about his racing...

With the Swan Europeans in Cowes, along with the RORC's IRC and IRM races, it has been a busy year so far for Harry Evans and his crew on Alvine XIII. "We have been out in every event this year with the boat. I think we are the only ones who have been... We did the Spring Series and every series since over here," he says while supping a post-race beer on the back of his boat in Cowes Yacht Haven.

This year Evans has a new boat - a one design Swan 45. This is the 13th race boat he has owned. "The first one was in 1969 or 70. It was a Swedish Viga. Then I had a Trapper 500, a Sadler, two Sigma 33s and then we moved into One Tonners. I'd made a bit more profit then so I could afford it! I had the Lightwave for nine years. That was the one we had most fun on."

Alvine XII was a Swan 44, so the move to the new one design was an easy one for Evans to make. "There are seven of them now. McFly is a Swan 45. We were here for the Swan Europeans and we had the Europeans for the Swan 45 the week before.

"This one is a lot of fun. I have a Swan 44 Alvine XII and that one does about 6.7 upwind, 7 if you crack it off a bit. This does a knot faster - 7.7, 7.8. It is a foot longer, 3.5 tonnes lighter and a more modern design. She's on a par with the IC45s. The nice thing about these is that they are a fast boat, but the bad thing is they are expensive."

Does he thing that the Swan 45 will eventually become the replacement for the Farr 40? "It's too expensive. It is the best part of £500k on the water once you've got sails, so I think it is a jump too far when you can go and buy a Beneteau 47.7 for half that price. It is alright when you're my age and haven't got anything else to do. If I don't spend it, the kids will! People of 40 or 50 I couldn't afford that kind of money. When I was 40 I was busy trying to put it together..."

Evans says he has done Cowes Week for as long as he can remember and has only missed one or two - certainly none in the last 15 he thinks.

He tried some while ago to get into the Admiral's Cup but didn't like it. "I tried the Admiral's Cup with the Beneteau One tonner but we weren't up to the standard. I am very much a Corinthian sailor. I don't pay people. We don't bring anyone on board other than sailing friends. Some of the lads have sailed with me for 10 or 20 years. I think once you start having to pay for your sailing it is a different sort of sailing. I've tried it once or twice - it's not for me."

Originally from Merseyside where he started sailing during World War II, Evans has lived in Poole for the last 37 years. Now 72 years old, he is retired and appears more enthusiastic about his racing than ever, although he is less active on board.

"I don't do any helming. I'm too old for that now. Duncan McCarthy was doing it today and one or two of the lads do the helming. I can't get my arms up, you see. But I've also got a wooden X Boat 194. I can helm that alright because my arms are down here. Last week we had a third at Parkstone. And also with my age, my balance isn't so good. So if it starts broaching.. but I still like going out."