7 September 2023 – Cowes, UK – With zero wind forecast for the scheduled final day of racing at the Six Metre World Championship 2023 in Cowes, the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Race Committee elected to run all three remaining races, races six to eight, on the penultimate day of the competition.
After a long, hot, and incredibly intense light airs three race day, Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel, sailing for the New York Yacht Club and crewed by Mike Marshall, Dave Hughes, Allan Terhune Jr and Addison Caproni, was declared 2023 Open Six Metre World Champion with a race to spare. The battle for second place in the Open Division came down a final race shoot-out between Violeta Alvarez’ Stella of the Royal Yacht Squadron and Dieter Schoen’s 2022 World Champion Momo, sailing for the Sailing Club of St Moritz, with Stella ultimately prevailing by a single point.
“The boat goes so great, and the guys get the boat going so well, that everything just fell into place. I feel very fortunate, very luck. We had great competitors that really kept us on our toes and made us work hard.” – said a clearly delighted Jamie Hilton.
2023 Classic Division Six Metre World Champion – His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon (c) SailingShots by Maria Muiña
The fight for the Classic Division was even more intense and was only decided on the final race. As the boats crossed the final finish line, it was His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon, being sailed for the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo by Ross McDonald, Alejandro Abescal, Simon Fisher, Aleberto Viejo and Roi Alvarex, that claimed a narrow victory over Louis Heckly’s Dix Août, helmed by Gery Trentesaux under the burgee of the Yacht Club de France. Simon Williams’ Silvervingen of the New York Yacht Club took the final place on the Classics podium.
After sailing His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s pride in his team was clear as he said, “It’s a sensational team, a really good team. We’ve worked for it, we’ve fought for it, and here is the result.”.
The Corinthian Division winners were Philippe Durr and Rainer Muller’s Junior of the Club Nautique de Versoix in the Open Division, and Patrick Sandman’s May Be VI of Finland’s Nyländska Jaktklubben in the Classics.
The Official Prize Giving Ceremony will take place as planned on Friday 8 September at the Royal Yacht Squadron from 19.00.
A full press release with additional photos, video and quotes will follow.
Additional information about the 2023 International Six Metre World Championship, including a list of entries with details of each boat is available at 6metreworlds.com.
Scoundrel takes the Open Division lead after a light airs fifth race at the Six Metre World Championship off Cowes
There was plenty of French Flair in the Classic Division where Dix Août consolidated her Classic Division lead with a third race win.
Fleet celebrates the almost 100-years of yachting history between the oldest and newest boats racing.
Crews enjoy the Regatta Dinner including a circus entertainer performance.
5 September 2023 – Cowes, UK – Conditions were extremely light on the third day of the International Six Metre World Championship in Cowes. With strong spring tides to consider the Royal Yacht Squadron Race Committee knew they had just a narrow window of opportunity to run a race during the slack water period. They postponed the race for an hour initially, but then called the teams out to the race area to await wind. Fortunately, their patience paid off and five to seven knots filled in from the south-east for just long enough to allow a single two lap race for both divisions to be completed.
With the breeze coming down the course in variable bands it was a tough day for the sailors despite the relatively benign (by Solent standards) current, which fortunately was against the boats upwind increasing the apparent wind and helping them to make progress over it. The late summer sun continued to shine and once again the fleet made a spectacular sight spread out against the Hillhead shore.
In the Open Division, race victory went to Dieter Schoen’s Momo, with Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel second and Jan Eckert’s GinkgoToo third. In the overall Open standings Scoundrel has now moved up into first place, two points ahead of overnight leader Violeta Alvarez’ Stella, who finished sixth and now counts 18 points. Momo’s win puts her into third place, but she is tied on 25 points with Jeremy Thorp’s fourth placed Battlecry.
In the Classic Division the French were showing plenty of flair as reigning World Champion Dix Août, with Gery Trentesaux at the helm, took her third race win of the series. Dix Août’s owner Louis Heckly is instead sailing Fun this week and followed Dix Août across the line for second, their best result of the regatta so far. Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s Titia finished third and His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon, being helmed by Ross McDonald, fourth.
Going into the day three boats were tied at the top of the Classic Division, Today’s result means that Dix Août has taken the lead by three points from Bribon, while Titia moves up into third from fourth. Patrick Sandman’s May Be VI had another good day with a fifth and moves from fifth into fourth. But for Simon Williams and his crew aboard Silvervingen a ninth in the race sees them drop from third overall to fifth, but still on equal points with May Be VI.
In the Corinthian Division for amateur crews (note – in this division each vessel may carry one professional Category 3 sailor who must not be the helmsman) the Open ranking is now being led by Philippe Durr and Rainer Muller’s Junior, who leads Reigh North’s Duclop and Bob Gatehouse’s Bravade. In the Classic Corinthian Division the overall leader if Patrick Sandman’s May Be VI, with Andy and Jan Short’s Nancy second and Thomas Kuhmann’s GER96 Hanko III third.
The minimum required number of five races have now been completed and there are three races remaining to be sailed between now and Friday 8 September. Once the sixth race is completed the single scoring discard will be introduced. The forecast for the penultimate day of racing looks promising with eight to fourteen knots from the east-south-east anticipated. Unfortunately, Friday’s forecast is very light again, so the Race Committee has announced that it will bring the start of Thursday’s racing forward half an hour to 11:00 and may elect to run all three remaining races to secure the championship.
Whilst racing may be the primary objective of this World Championship, it is also a celebration of the amazing history of the Six Metre Class. The boats participating represent almost a century of yachting history and for the owners, particularly those in the Classics, maintaining and enjoying that history and keeping the boats alive and racing is as important as the results.
All shoreside/social images (c) SailingShots by Maria Muiña
The oldest boat competing is Fenton Burgin’s GBR17 Sioma, which was designed by Johan Anker in 1926 and built by his Anker & Jensen boatyard for Mr Claud Allan, a Swedish shipping magnate, who raced her on the Clyde, which was then a hotbed of yacht racing activity. She was converted for ocean racing in the early 1930’s and raced under the name of Sona as one of the Royal Yachting Association Offshore Class, based at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. She eventually made her way into the hands of Jonathan Fairchild and Roger Baker who commissioned Clare Lallow’s yard in Cowes to undertake a massive rebuild and modernisation. This included a new Ian Howlett designed rig and considerable strengthening to take the resulting increase in rig tension. She was relaunched in 1997 and went on to win the 1998 European Classic Championship at Cowes. She was purchased by her current owner in 2008, who has continued to maintain her in superb condition and races her regularly with the British fleet.
Fenton Burgin explained the differences between sailing a Classic and a Modern Six. “The main differences are really around the rig tensions you can run, how hard you can push the boat. The Classics are much more a boat that needs care and tender loving. You need to think that this is 100 years old nearly and treat it as a piece of equipment that’s got some age to it.”
Anderin and his team are still on a steep learing curve as he explained, “We have about 20 days of sailing on her so it’s really new for us still, but it’s so much different than the old Moderns. There are much more electronics on board. We have ten sensors on board so we can collect data and maybe learn a little faster!”.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have Henrik Andersin’s FIN81 Oiva, an Allan Svolainen design built by Red Sky Yachts in Finland and launched in 2022. Henrik is an experienced Six Metre owner who has already owned several Classic and Modern Sixes and wanted a new build challenge. The design and build utilised the very latest technology and after eight months under construction Oiva, which translates to English at “Fantastic” hit the water on 28 September 2022 for a brief period of pre-winter training. Since then, she and her crew have been preparing for this, their first World Championship. To read more about the construction of Oiva click here.
Also, very dear to any Six Metre sailor’s heart is a good party! Wednesday evening saw the crews gather at the Cowes Yacht Haven Events Centre for the Regatta Dinner. The evening featured sunset drinks on the balcony, a delicious three course dinner, a speech by the Class’s always entertaining President Louis Heckly, and a truly mesmerising performance by a professional circus performer.
The regatta continues until Friday 8 September with up to three more races still to be sailed. A single discard will be introduced once six races have been sailed. No warning signal will be made after 15:00 on the final day of racing.
Additional information about the 2023 International Six Metre World Championship, including a list of entries with details of each boat is available at 6metreworlds.com.
Provisional Top Five Open Division after five races
Violeta Alvarez’ Stella takes a two-point lead in the Open Division at the halfway stage in the International Six Metre World Championship at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes.
Dix Août, Bribon and Silvervingen in a three-way tie at the top of the Classic Division.
Tanker ship movement causes abandonment of fifth race.
Still all to play for with four races to sail.
Open Division – Day Two – International Six Metre World Championship 2023
5 September 2023 – Cowes, UK – The Solent was at its sparkling and most tidally challenging best for the second day of the International Six Metre World Championship in Cowes. With five races required to complete a series and light airs forecast for the third day, the Royal Yacht Squadron Race Committee did an excellent job of running races three and four of the series in a south-easterly that ranged from 6 to 15 knots. They also did an excellent job of almost completing race five, but harbour operations had other ideas and the need for a gas tanker to transit through the race area during the second run left the committee with no option but to abandon the race and ask the support and race committee RIBs to escort the boats safely out of the North Channel.
In the Open Division Violeta Alvarez’ Stella was on flying form, winning race three, taking fourth in race four and looking good for at least a second in the abandoned race five. Her consistency jumps her to the top of the Open rankings at the halfway point in the eight-race regatta. Now trailing her by two points is overnight leader Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel who couldn’t quite match their opening day performance, but none the less took a seventh and a third to put them two points behind Stella. Third place in the open division is a tie between Philippe Duur and Rainer Muller’s Junior and Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry. Junior took a fourth followed by a first and now sits in third on countback. Defending Champion Dieter Schoen’s Momo made eighth in race three and then achieved her best result of the series so far with a second in race four, putting her four points back in fifth.
After racing Violeta Alvarez paid tribute to her boat and crew for today’s performance saying, “I think the team has been doing a great job. Pablo [Inglesias Garcia] has got us on the right side of the course and the trimming of the boat is very good so I’m proud of the boys. The rest of the week is very open, there are still four races to go so still anyone can win so one has to keep focused and humble about where you are in the fleet. I think there’s great competition. Every single boat here has fantastic sailors. It’s a testament to the class how many good sailors are attracted to the class. So far, we’ve been extremely lucky, we’ve had wonderful sunshine, good wind, big tides, but then that’s what makes Cowes interesting – you always expect big tides here in the Solent.”.
It was all change in the Classic Division where Louis Heckly’s Dix Août, helmed this week by Gery Trentesaux, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon and Simon Williams’ Silvervingen are now tied on points and lying first to third respectively on countback. Dix Août and Bribon won a race apiece and each also claimed a fourth today, leapfrogging them up the ranking, while Silvervingen scored exactly the same as day one with a seventh followed by a third. Fourth place overall is also currently a tie in the Classics between Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s Titia and Patrick Sandman’s May Be VI. They lie four points behind the leaders with Titia claiming fourth on countback.
Ross McDonald, who today was at the helm of Bribon, talked about the challenges the of Solent tides. “The event so far has been quite tricky. We’ve had nice wind, but the current here is very tricky so for us trying to figure out which side to be on, like everyone else, is quite difficult. Today we had two good starts which made it a little easier and having some local knowledge on board [Simon Fisher] also helps on which direction to go, so we’re looking forward to the next few days. The forecast right now is a little bit complicated, not much wind for Wednesday or Friday, but it looks like there should be enough wind Thursday to complete the championship no problem. So, it’s up to the Race Committee and we’ll do whatever they tell us we need to do.
The loss of today’s fifth race was a blow for all concerned, particularly as there are light winds forecast for the remainder of the week and five races are required to constitute a championship. Additionally, many of the teams are carrying at least one high point result and so the introduction of a discard once six races have been completed will be much anticipated. The forecast for Wednesday is particularly light, but Thursday looks more promising, and Race Officer Peter Saxton and his committee will be doing all they can to complete the maximum number of races.
The start of racing on day three is scheduled for 11:30 and the Race Committee will update the competitors using its direct messaging system first thing in the morning to confirm their plans. Four races remain to be sailed in the eight race series which concludes on Friday 8 September.
Six Metre World Championship 2023 – Day 2 Video Report
Additional information about the 2023 International Six Metre World Championship, including a list of entries with details of each boat is available at 6metreworlds.com.
Two perfect Solent races get the International Six Metre World Championship at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, off to a flying start.
Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel tops the Open Division with Violeta Alvarez’ Stella second and Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ Maybe XIV third.
Simon William’s Silvervingen leads the Classic Division from Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s Titia with Rainer Muller’s Saskia third.
In the Corinthian, all-amateur, competition Maybe XIV leads the Open Division and Saskia leads the Classic Division.
2023 Six Metre World Championship Day 1 Classic Division Leader Silvervingen.
4 September 2023 – Cowes, UK – Glorious sun, a steady south-easterly breeze of 10 to 15 knots and a stunning fleet of thirty-four International Six Metres made for the perfect start to the Six Metre World Championship in Cowes. The Royal Yacht Squadron’s Race Officer Peter Saxton set the fleet two windward/leeward courses over the Bramble Bank and got racing underway on time at 11:30. For the most part the fleet behaved well, although it did take three attempts, the third under black flag, to get the Open Division away for race two.
In the Open Division Jamie Hilton’s USA126 Scoundrel, a gleaming varnished 1989 Ian Howlett design, built by Paul Litton and sailing for the New York Yacht Club, got the regatta off to a great start with a confident win in the opening race, followed by solid third, putting them into a three-point lead.
Scoundrel’s Hilton gave credit to his boat after racing saying, “I think the racecourse, the venue is fantastic, the race committee work is fantastic, and Scoundrel is a great boat. She’s from here originally and she seems to like the breeze and likes it at home. The idea amongst the crew is to let the boat do the work and the boat is doing great work.”.
Violeta Alvarez at the helm of GBR112 Stella, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, built by Astilleros Garrido Shipyard in 2017 and sailing for the Royal Yacht Squadron, began with a fifth and then took second in race two to put her into second Open Division overall. Filling third place with a third and sixth in the opening races is Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ 1987 Pelle Petterson designed ESP70 Maybe XIV, which was built by Båtbyggarna Ab in Sweden and is based at the Real Club de Regatas de Cartagena. Maybe XIV is racing with an all-amateur crew so she also heads up the Open Corinthian Division too.
The winner of the second Open Division race was Jan Eckert’s SUI140 GinkgoToo, built in 2020 by Nene Gallardo to a Javier Cela design and sailing for the Societe Nautic Geneve, but with a fourteenth in the opener he finds himself in eighth overall. A total of eight races are scheduled and a single discard will only be introduced once six races are completely.
Speaking after racing Ginkgo Too’s Torvar Mirsky said “We’ve been in all the different positions in the fleet today. In the first race it was tricky, the two races today were in a transition of current and the current is as strong as it gets at the moment. I’m new to this area and I felt like we had a good plan, but it wasn’t a good plan! The guys who went left on the first upwind of the first race did really well, we went right, and it wasn’t so pretty. The fleet is really strong, it’s really good racing. We’re really happy to win the second race, it’s a big milestone for our team to get this boat up to speed and to win a race here at these world championships is a great thing for us and we’re looking forward to the week. Obviously tough with this first race, but it’s going to be fun.”
For defending Open Champion Dieter Schoen and his team aboard SUI142 Momo, the 2022 Vroelick design built by Wilke and sailing for the Sailing Club St Moritz, the regatta got off to a mediocre start with a ninth in race one and a fifth in race two, putting them on seventh overall, but there’s a lot of racing ahead and one would be unwise to discount this hugely consistent team this early.
The famously tricky Solent tide was turning during the races and several teams struggled to get to grips with its vagaries. This was particularly obvious in the Classic Division where the results were a much more mixed bag. Top Classic performer was Simon William’s new team aboard GBR31 Silvervingen, a 1939 Tore Home design built by Hägerstens Båtvarv and sailing for the New York Yacht Club. Since her acquisition by Williams, Silvervingen has undergone a significant refit in preparation for this event. His team may be new to Sixes, but they certainly don’t lack experience, with a crew that includes double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson and British Tornado Olympian Mark Bulkley. A steady seventh followed by a third puts them into a two-point lead overall in the Classics.
The points in the Classic Division are very close with the top nine boats separated by just four points. In second by a single point thanks to a race two win is Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s ESP72 Titia from the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo, a 1952 design by David Boyd, built by Woodnutts at Bembridge, that represented Britain at the 1952 Olympics.
Mauricio Sanchez-Bella noted, “Its been a very special day because we have done a tenth and then a first. I think it represents how difficult it is to sail in these waters. The currents can make you finish in front or last and it’s quite interesting because it’s kind of a different sport because you have to take care of the current so much, but it was fun and a fantastic day, sunshine and very good wind so happy! Who knows who is going to prevail at the end, because as we have seen today anything can happen and it’s very open to all the boats in the fleet. It’s nice to have this tension until the end.”.
With just a single point delta on Titia sits Saskia II, Rainer Muller’s 1934 William Fife design skippered by Pierre Geux. A second and eleventh on their card put them into third Classic overall and first Classic Corinthian team. Saskia’s achievement is all the more impressive when you note that she lost her mast during warm-up racing and has had to borrow, rerig, measure and step a new mast in just 48 hours.
The defending Champion, Louis Heckly’s Dix Août, on loan for this regatta to top French offshore and Dragon sailor Géry Trentesaux, got her defence off to a great start with a win in race one, but then fell foul of the changing tides and found herself down in fourteenth in the second race. It was also a mixed day for Heckly too, who this year is sailing Fun, a 1937 Olin Stephens design sailing for the RYS, who was pleased with a third in the opener but understandably disappointed with a twelfth in the second, which leaves him seventh Classic overall.
Six Metre sailors love nothing more than an opportunity to talk about their beloved boats, and the regatta social programme has been perfectly crafted to facilitate that. On Sunday evening the teams came together at the Royal Yacht Squadron in the presence of His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain to enjoy delicious champagne and canapés, catch up with old friends and make new ones, and look forward to an exciting championship to come, all set against a spectacular Solent sunset.
On behalf of the Royal Yacht Squadron Commodore Sir James Holman noted the club’s very long-standing relationship with the Sixes, which began when the class was first introduced in 1907, and expressed the club’s delight that over a century later that link is as strong as ever. “The Royal Yacht Squadron are privileged and delighted to welcome the Six Metre class to their first Worlds in the U.K. for fifteen years. There is growing excitement as these beautiful and classic boats and their outstanding crews gather in Cowes from throughout Europe and Northern America, and we look forward to some close and thrilling racing.”
After sailing today, the teams gathered at the waterside Cowes Yacht Haven race village where they enjoyed a hog roast and made to order cocktails courtesy of Tipsy Wight’s horsebox cocktail bar.
The weather forecast for Wednesday is for very light airs and so the Race Committee has announced that tomorrow it will bring the start of racing forward thirty minutes to 11:00 and they plan to race three races. Once five races have been completed the championship will be secure and after the sixth race a single discard will be allowed. Championship racing continues until Friday 8 September with up to eight races scheduled.
Additional information about the 2023 International Six Metre World Championship, including a list of entries with details of each boat is available at 6metreworlds.com.
Provisional Top Five Open Division 1st Scoundrel, USA123, Jamie Hilton – 1, 3 = 4 2nd Stella, GBR112, Violeta Alvarez – 5, 2 = 7 3rd Maybe XIV, ESP70, Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas – 3, 6 = 9 4th Sophie II, SUI132, Hugo Stenbeck – 2, 10 = 12 5th Battlecry, GBR89, Jeremy Thorp – 8, 4 = 12
Provisional Top Five Classic Division 1st Silvervingen, GBR31, Simon Williams – 7, 3 = 10 2nd Titia, ESP72, Mauricio Sanchez-Bella – 11, 1 = 12 3rd Saskia II, SUI19, Rainer Muller – 2, 11 = 13 4th Hanko III, GER96, Thomas Kuhman – 12, 3 = 14 5th Nirvana, GBR33, Andy & Lisa Postle – 6, 8 = 14
Cowes, UK – 2 September 2023 – A second day of warm-up racing for the thirty-four strong fleet preparing for the International Six Metre Worlds in Cowes saw two final practice races run by the Royal Yacht Squadron. With the wind in the south-east and ranging from 7 to 14 knots the course was set up over the Bramble Bank to avoid the worst of the very strong spring tides and the fleet got underway on time at noon for two great races.
In the Open Division Hugo Stenbeck’s Sophie II was the top performer adding a third and then a first to yesterday’s fifth, giving them overall victory in the warm-up series. Jamie Hilton’s Scoundrel was the other race winner, but an eleventh in the third race added to yesterday’s third put them into third overall. Meanwhile yesterday’s race victor, Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry, had a mixed day, but a tenth followed by a third was more than enough to give them second. Others who showed serious potential but only completed two races apiece included Basil Vasilou’s Jane Ann with a sixth and second, and Jan Eckert’s Ginkgotoo with a pair of fourths. Defending World Champion Dieter Schoen’s Momo was OCS in the third race but counted a second and an eighth and were very happy with their performance to date.
After racing Dieter Schoen commented, “Yesterday we finished second, so it was a good race, today’s first race we were I think ninth and the second race we were OCS, we won it but we were disqualified. It’s difficult for us to sail on the Solent and it will be interesting going forwards. We have Jules Salter on board, he’s a local navigator, I sailed with him a few years ago in a few long-distance races so I know him very well and it’s good to have him with us. The fleet is stronger than last year, and boats are closer together so it will be good racing. I think there will be six or seven boats that could win the Worlds – Junior, Ginkgo Too, Junior, Battlecry, the two US boats, Stella, so it’s a strong fleet.”
Andy and Lisa Postle’s Nirvana topped the Classic rankings overall, but top Classic performer today was Peter Hofmann and Rainer Muller’s Llanoria with a fourth followed by a win, which puts her in second place overall. Patrick Sandman’s May Be VI was the only other classic to complete all three races and rounded out the top three. Of the boats that only completed two races it was clear that reigning Classic European Champion Bribon, skippered by His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, was on flying form with second and third place finishes. Debutant Six Metre sailor Géry Trenteseaux, racing the defending World Champion Dix Août, won race two and then took a fifth in the final race firmly declaring himself in contention to defend his boat’s title.
Explaining how he came to lend his beloved Dix Août to Géry Trenteseaux and to be racing Classic Six Metre Fun himself, ISMA Chairman Louis Heckly said, “Before the Worlds last year, I knew I was going to lend my boat, because my late father would have loved this champion to come to the Six Metre Class, but he wasn’t able to make it happen. So, I rang Gery a couple of months before the 2022 Worlds and I said ‘next year the Worlds are in the Isle of Wight at your club [the Royal Yacht Squadron] so I’m going to bring the boat up there and you are going to try the Six Metre Class, and maybe you will have a title to defend.’ As a matter of fact, we were lucky enough to win that Championship and the evening we won I called him and said – ‘You have to defend the title now!’.”
Asked about how he was feeling about this momentous challenge Géry Trenteseaux said, “I have no challenge I am just here to sail the best with my crew, but I have no pressure and I am just very proud to sail on Louis’ team. The boat is a good one, we won the first race today so it’s a good boat, but the best is to be in Cowes, it’s the main place in the World for racing and we are both Squadron members so it’s important to be here.”
The camaraderie of the Six Metre Class is renowned, and we have seen a wonderful demonstration of this over the past 24 hours. In the pre-start of Friday’s first warm-up race Pierre Geux and Rainer Mueller’s Saskia was involved in an altercation that saw her loose her mast. The team rapidly got the broken rig back aboard and returned to the marina, uncertain whether they would be able to race in the Worlds or not. But Six Metre sailors never like to see a fellow crew in trouble and as the rest of fleet returned to shore plans were already being hatched to mount a rescue.
Pierre Geux takes up the story; “These things happen on the water, but the true asset of our class is being able to bring together people from different crews to find a solution when one of the teams needs help. Our thanks must go to Violeta [Alvarez] who had a spare mast in Lymington that she was able to offer us. We have crews from several other boats helping us re-rig the mast, including Andy Postle and some of his team from AllSpars. Another problem for us was finding a big enough RIB to be able to bring the mast from Lymington to Cowes, and I must thank His Majesty King Juan Carlos who most graciously lent us Bribon’s RIB, which he was happy to make ready for us at 7am this morning so that the mast could be here in Cowes by 9am. It will be two days of hard work for the Saskia team and our many helpers, but thanks to our wonderful friends we will be ready to race again in the first of the World Championship races on Monday.”
Sunday is a day off from racing, but the Six Metre owners will be attending the International Six Metre Association AGM during the morning and then in the late afternoon there will be a World Championship briefing by Race Officer Peter Saxton. In the evening everyone will come together to officially declare the championship open at the Regatta Opening Reception at the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Racing will commence on Monday 4 September with a first warning signal scheduled for 11:25 and a total of eight races are planned between then and Friday 9 September.
Additional information about the 2023 International Six Metre World Championship, including a list of entries with details of each boat is available at 6metreworlds.com.
International 6 Metre Association 