News - 2014

14:40 Saturday 9 Aug 2014 Sue Pelling/CWLSquib sailors take victory for the second year running

Photo – Rick Tomlinson/CWL

Squib sailors Malcolm Hutchings and Andy Ramsey sailing Lady Penelope have scored a hat-trick with a class win, the White Group win, and the Aberdeen Asset Management Overall Winner Trophy for the second year running.

These leading Squib sailors from Burnham-on-Crouch on the east coast, didn’t particularly have it all their own way this week, with a second on Day 2, but a string of first places in their overall scoring was, once again enough to take a class win and overall White Group win. This means they have now won the Squib fleet at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week for four years in a row.

A class win is fantastic enough, but a White Group win, and an overall Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week win, for the second year running, is remarkable. It is also remarkable that Lady Penelope’s closest rival for the second was Yes! – Adam Gosling’s impressively sailed Corby 36 – winner of Black Group overall.

Hutchings commented: “Winning overall last year came as a bit of a surprise, and we are just as surprised this year. Although of course it is absolutely fantastic to have taken an overall win of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, I do feel deeply sorry for the Yes! team who sailed consistently well all week and looked to be on target. We narrowly beat them last year, and we've done it again this year, so it is a real shame for them. However, it is wonderful to be taking this magnificent overall winners trophy back to the east coast once again, where I am some extremely big celebrations are definitely on the cards."

Winning White Group is something you can never control it is just a matter of doing the best you can in class. Our fleet was boosted this year with 30 boats in class, which helps a lot, and of course I have a fantastic crew in Andy. We have been sailing for four years now and he is exceptionally good on navigation so, where others tend to make errors, Andy doesn't and that helps us greatly.”

Chatting about the week in general, Hutchings concluded: “It is always a fantastic week. We come down here for the great competition, fun and the fantastic social scene and this week reveled in it all. The only damper on the week was the loss of two days races for some, which is really unfortunate for the sponsors as well as the sailors who put so much effort in turning out. Today, the final day, however was perfect.”