Stuart Quarrie responds

Following Chieftain owner Ger O'Rourke's open letter of complaint about canting keels at Skandia Cowes Week

From Stuart Quarrie, Chief Executive, Cowes Week Limited

In Ger O’Rourke’s recent communication regarding canting keels at Skandia Cowes Week, he raises some interesting issues but overlooks many more.

It is worth mentioning up-front that if there were half a dozen or so owners of boats with canting keels who wanted to come and race at Skandia Cowes Week 2008 then I am sure the sailing committee would look favourably on having a class for them. Please let me know.

However, I would like to set the record straight from the viewpoint of the Cowes Week sailing committee and our decision on canting keels.

1. In 2006 we allowed boats with canting keels to race against the mainstream, fixed keel fleet. Mike Sanderson and his Volvo 70 proved unbeatable. As a direct result of that performance, several fixed keel owners were very unhappy that racing was not level and would not return to the regatta unless canting boats were separated out.
2. As a result, in 2007 (a Fastnet year) we offered large canting keel boats their own class and ended up with only 2 badly matched, super-maxis racing.
3. Given that 2008 is not a Fastnet year, there are no indications from any of the maxi skippers that they might be considering coming to Cowes for 2008; most of those which are in Europe will be in the Mediterranean.
4. Most people who have raced in mixed canting and fixed keel fleets agree that the types of boat are as disparate as monohulls compared to multihulls. Even if rated fairly for average conditions, the two types of boat will never have good racing against each other because their characteristics are so far apart. Thus most people would agree that in the ideal world, there would be separate classes for the two types of boat.
5. Recent history shows us that there are simply not enough canting boats currently around to make even half-decent fleets and that this situation is almost certain to continue at Cowes in 2008.
6. There are safety issues with canting keels and Ger’ is obviously right in saying that his boat would be overcanvassed in anything above 10 knots of breeze if its keel was fixed. However, that does not mean that it would (or should) be dangerous sailing in that configuration. If that was the case, then it brings into question the validity and overall safety of his boat offshore when, as we have seen many times in the past, the canting mechanism could easily fail.
7. It is interesting to note that Chieftain has not taken part in Skandia Cowes Week in recent years when she would have been eligible to race with her canting keel and has certainly not made any overtures to us regarding the 2008 event.

Just to re-iterate that if there are half a dozen or so owners of boats with canting keels who want to come and race at Skandia Cowes Week 2008 then please do get in touch.