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09:26 Friday 12 Aug 2016 Sue Pelling/AAMCWDay 7 preview – competition heats up as countdown begins

Photo – Paul Wyeth/AAMCW

Competition on the penultimate day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week looks set to reach fever pitch today as some classes, including the RS Elite, Sunbeam, J/80 and Victory conclude their series. The overall winner of Black Group (big boats) will also be decided.

On the racecourse, high pressure continues to dominate the weather picture, with this morning dawning bright and sunny over the Solent and Isle of Wight. There is however, a bank of cloud over the mainland shores. Once this cloud starts to break up, the westerly breeze of 4-8 knots will gradually build due to both thermal enhancement and a slowly increasing gradient wind. By midday the wind will start swinging south of west and increasing a little, before becoming a south-westerly of 8-14 knots during the afternoon.

White Group dayboats will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, initially heading west before racing predominately on the Knoll banks east of the Bramble Bank and then finishing on the Shrape line off East Cowes.

Black Group yachts starting from the Bramble line will head west to race in the western Solent before finishing from the west on the Royal Yacht Squadron line. The Black Group Committee Vessel will be stationed in the area between Lee-on-Solent and Browndown, off the north shore of the eastern Solent.

On shore later today as the sun begins to set, crowds will gather for what will be one of the most spectacular evenings of entertainment. At 1930 an RAF Typhoon will swoop in at speeds of up to 600kts (690mph) for a thrilling aeronautical display. The magnificent man in his flying machine will demonstrate the performance of this amazing aircraft, which pulls at an astonishing +9 to 3.5g.

With over 50,000 spectators expected to turn out this evening, make sure you bag yourself a good position to watch the grand firework display which blasts off at 2130. Those out on the water are encouraged to mark the start of the display by responding to a ship’s horn blasts.