V24s Race ‘Round the Island’ in Style

Twelve V24s took part in the Round the Island powerboat race held as part of the Cowes Classic Powerboat Festival this weekend. After racing and practise was abandoned on Friday due to the conditions, Saturday dawned fair, with just a slight swell and it was all systems go for some great racing. With the start set into three ‘waves’ to safely accommodate the different classes, the V24s, the second class to start, roared down the start chute with just a couple of seconds separating all of them. With the biggest V24 fleet to date , they certainly provided a spectacle for the numerous spectator boats. Skilful driving ensured no incidents as they rounded the first mark with nothing between them and made the charge back up the Solent towards The Needles and off round the Isle of Wight.

	click to enlarge
	photograph by Harry Gardiner

The conditions around the back of the island were reported later by the drivers as ‘some chop but nothing of any consequence’ and the whole V24 fleet raced neck and neck the entire way with several changes of position en route. Tom Powell and Danielle Strawford (V7 Playfair Offshore) had managed a great start and gradually increased their lead but a navigational error put paid to their chances. However, Mark Pascoe and Peter Phillipson (V11 Sportrib.com) spent much of the race towards the back of the V24 fleet until Peter made a superb navigational call at St Catharine’s Point, giving them the best line and consequently gaining the lead which they retained for the remainder of the race.

Listening on the radio, the safety boats reported the first nine boats past Bembridge Ledge within just 200m of each other! Indeed, when the boats finally came back into view after almost an hour of flat out racing, they blasted across the Solent still racing as a pack together. A delighted Ocke Mannerfelt, designer of the V24, could not have been more thrilled as he watched his one design creation finishing with just 1 minute and 20 seconds separating all 12 boats after a 60 mile race at an average speed of 71.47mph. Fast, close racing at its very best! Mark Pascoe took the well deserved chequered flag, which he gallantly attributed to his navigator Peter Phillipson. Two delighted teams enjoyed their first podium positions of the season when Terry and son Mick Mills (V3) took second place just one second ahead of Glen Mir and Miffy Mifsud from Gibraltar, who took third place in V4 Spirit of Gibraltar.

Following the race Ricky Hill and Alan Layton (V9 Colourpro/Colourmet) and Tom Powell and Danielle Strawford (V7 Playfair Offshore) were both disqualified for having contact while rounding a mark. (The RYA and Cowes organisers had introduced a rule for the weekend that any contact would result in both boats being disqualified). The final results leave the National Championship wide open with just 360 points separating the top 6 boats. Having had a different winner in each of the five heats so far, there is most certainly everything to play for in the last round to be held in Cardiff on 2/3 October.

Racing on Sunday was abandoned due to the rough sea conditions.

Results:

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