Tom Owen, President of the British Six Meter Association, welcomed teams from around the world to take part in the 2023 International Six Meter World Championships in Cowes, which will be hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron from Monday 4 to Friday 8 September. “We are delighted to welcome thirty-four six-metre teams to the waters of Cowes. It is a historic place to compete. We have two days of practice racing and five days of championship racing ahead of us, and we can’t wait for the racing to start. We have boats from almost all over the world, such as Canada, the United States and Finland Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, France, Germany and of course the United Kingdom, and I believe the competition will be excellent.. -Tom Owen.
King Juan Carlos has already gone out to train with his crew on board the “Prepon” and in the first test regatta he took second place. The King accompanied by Infanta Elena.
From Tuesday 29 August, teams arrive in Cowes and undergo measurement checks and registration at the main Cowes Yacht Harbour. Boats built between 1930 and 2022 are competing in the regatta, posing a particular challenge to the measuring team, captained this week by six-metre international David Chivers. One of the secrets to the longevity and popularity of the Six Meter Race has been the careful management of the rules by the International Class and their strict enforcement to ensure that all boats are able to compete on the field.
Each team must ensure that their boat has been fully measured and has an up-to-date measurement certificate prior to the event, and those measurements, individual sails and equipment to be used in the competition will then be re-checked at the time of registration. . The championship race doesn’t start until Monday, so some crews are still on their way to Cowes, but most boats have already successfully completed the measuring process.
The Royal Yacht Squadron’s highly efficient race management team is led by Race Officer Peter Saxton, one of the most experienced officials in the UK. This experience was put to the test today when the race committee had to deal with very light winds at the start as they prepared to race in the first of the warm-up races. Wisely, they decided to announce a two-hour postponement to allow conditions to improve, giving the teams more time to work on their boats and sample delicious cuisine at the many wonderful cafes in Cowes. The wait was worth it, and with the sun breaking through the gray clouds, competitors enjoyed an excellent downwind/windward race in 12 to 16 knots of westerly wind.
Although not all boats participated, the race was a good indicator of what was to come. In the Open division, Jeremy Thorpe’s GBR89 Battlecry was the winner and beat Dieter Schwinn’s SUI142 Momo, defending the world title. Jimmy Helton, who drove the USA126 Scoundrel, was third and Jan Eckerts, who drove the SUI140 Ginkgotoo, was fourth.
In the Classic division, the winner was Mauricio Sánchez-Bella’s ESP72 Titia, followed by the 2022 European Champion ESP16 Bribon, driven by King Juan Carlos of Spain, and the GBR33 Nirvana of Andy and Lisa Postel. Click here to see full results.
Further preparatory races will be held on Saturday 2 September, while the International General Assembly of the Six Meter Class will be held on Sunday, followed by a briefing by race officials and an opening race reception at the Royal Yacht Squadron. The championship regattas will begin on Monday, September 4, with eight races scheduled through Friday, September 8.
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