The Cowes Torquay Cowes race was held again on Saturday 29th August as well as a Cowes Poole Cowes race for smaller race boats. Peter Delbridge of Boatshed Hamble, along with friends and family ventured out in a Cranchi Smeraldo 37 power boat to watch the action as the boats passed through Hurst Narrows.

Peter Delbridge reports:

All three races started concurrently at about 10:30am a little later than scheduled; with a fleet of 50 or so Honda and Offshore Racing Drivers Association (ORDA) craft plus over ten Sports boats and 20 Marathon class contenders. Once underway the entire fleet left the vicinity of the Red Solent Bank Buoy and headed West in one of the most spectacular race line ups in almost three decades.

Spectators gathered at the Royal Yacht Squadron Line to watch the Honda F4SA powerboats set course for Poole Bay amongst other competitors in V24 and Class 3, the larger Marathon classes headed directly to a Torquay turning mark.

Austrian Hannes Bohinc and his Wettpunkt.com team were cruelly denied victory in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes when a ruptured fuel tank forced the Buzzi-designed powerboat to retire just 1.5 miles short of the finish after almost four hours of gruelling race action. Heading for the record books as only the fourth man in history to win the coveted Beaverbrook Trophy on three occasions, the abrupt ending allowed Cinzano, piloted by Marcus Hendricks, Tim Grimshaw and Eric Smilie to take the chequered flag in a time of 3hrs 35.20, seconds ahead of Hot Lemon, the race leader for much of the 170 nautical mile distance.

As conditions deteriorated the drama increased and less than half of the 21 starters were able to complete the distance. On the outward journey, with swells of up to 2 metres hampering progress, Ocean Dragon, the former P1 SuperSport contender, ran into difficulties in Poole Bay and sunk. Thankfully its crew, owner Martin Lai and Miles Jennings were safely rescued.

When the conditions were as they were the toll on drivers, crew and boats is always going to be tough. See you out there next year maybe.