Running from July 22 to 25, the Special Edition of the Superyacht Cup Cowes was hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron. As part of her Diamond Jubilee’s celebrations, the final day of the regatta saw Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, aboard the 75 metre luxury charter yacht Leander, make a Parade of Sail. As the Queen passed each of the racing yachts, three cheers rang out from the crew and the Yacht Squadron lawn. Much to the pleasure of 10,000 well-wishers gathered on The Esplanade, Her Majesty alighted at Trinity landing to inspect the spectacular sailing yacht Athos.
75m charter yacht Leander in Cowes hosting HM The Queen escorted by Royal Navy
The historic venue and heavenly weather provided a magnificent setting for the three-day regatta featuring a dazzling array of some of the world’s finest superyachts. The winners of both classes were not decided until the final race and, after three days of light airs racing in glorious sunshine, The Superyacht Cup Cowes drew to a close with a prize-giving reception on the lawn of The Royal Yacht Squadron.
The last race was started from the RYS committee boat in the western Solent as the breeze started to build in the mid afternoon. Before the race, in Class 1, the 34m superyacht Unfurled was tied for first place with the 62 metre Schooner Athos. However, the 55 metre luxury yacht Adela won the last race of the regatta to claim second overall with Athos scoring a third to class victory by a single point. Unfurled finished the race in 6th place just 3 seconds behind Savannah superyacht in 5th place.
Tony Brooks, Skipper of megayacht Athos described the regatta as one to cherish for many years: “There is a great spirit of competition but also camaraderie between Adela and Athos, we race to win but we also have great respect for one another. During the last race, we were converging on the bottom mark. We felt that we could just cross Adela’s bow. However, obeying the 40-metre rule, we ducked Adela and let her through. Adela went on to win the race but our overall results gave Athos the prize. Athos’ owner made this his red-letter event of the season especially as The Royal Yacht Squadron is such a prestigious venue to experience. So much so that the crew of 46 crew aboard include a significant number of the owner’s guests. Having Athos presented to Her Majesty the Queen was a moment we will all treasure. The memory of thousands of spectators waving flags, as the Queen inspected Athos was a momentous occasion.”
Superyacht Cup Cowes 2012 - Photo credit: Claire Matches
Greg Perkins, Skipper of Adela echoed the fellowship shared with the crew of rival Athos and is looking forward to their next encounter with some relish: “Racing a 280 ton schooner in the Solent is extremely challenging, especially with a ripping tide and little breeze but Adela had another epic encounter with Athos. The Superyacht Cup events are always well managed and the Royal Yacht Squadron’s race officers did a great job getting all of the races in. However, the sunshine was very welcome and Adela’s owner enjoyed the sailing immensely, even though this time out we had to take second place to Athos. However, I would like it known that as Her Majesty passed Adela, the crew gave the biggest cheer of all, we even had several American’s in full voice! I am sure Adela will have further encounters with Athos, perhaps in the Caribbean where charter yacht Windrose might join in, to have three schooners battling it out would be a great occasion.”
Sir Charles Dunstone’s sleek, powerful Wally Cento Hamilton superyacht was making her regatta debut and celebrated a fine win. The 30 metre high performance racer-cruiser won not only Class Two but also took the overall win for the Superyacht Cup Cowes 2012. Dunstone was understandably elated to win with Hamilton at their first ever regatta.
WallyCento superyacht Hamilton - the overall winner of the 2012 Superyacht Cup Cowes
As Hamilton crew and veteran round the world yachtsman, Jason Carrington explained. “Charles runs a highly professional programme and he really enjoys sailing and this regatta was one that I know he thoroughly relished. For a crew who have had so little time on the water, their performance was exceptional and a big part of the success but we have had little time to sailing Hamilton and we feel there is a lot more performance to unlock.”
Mike Slade’s 30 metre Supermaxi charter yacht ICAP Leopard holds multiple world records but was competing at a Superyacht Regatta for the first time. ICAP Leopard was level on points with Hamilton going into the last race but had to settle for second in Class by just a single point. However, Mike Slade clearly enjoyed his first Superyacht outing:
“Without a shadow of a doubt that was one of the most enjoyable regattas I have competed in. Leopard has undergone major changes including a full interior to qualify for Superyacht events and my first impression is that of an extraordinary environment with a variety of stunning yachts. It was a great pleasure to be up against Charles with his new yacht and I offer him and his crew my sincere congratulations. As far as Leopard is concerned, I think that after our substantial refit, we can be very happy that we are able to compete with a superb yacht such as Hamilton but I have come to understand that Superyacht events are about the enjoyment and the ambience rather than a win at all cost atmosphere – Brilliant fun and highly enjoyable.”
