RACE1'S DAY AT THE AMERICA'S CUP 150TH JUBILEE.

As a postscript to Tuesday's superb Round the Island Race, Race1's Philip Crebbin and Jonny Falkner were aboard Charles Butt's splendid 143ft Frers ketch "Rebecca" - Philip calling shots for Lawrie Smith on the helm with Vincent Geake navigating and Dave Powys co-ordinating the crew, they took on Dennis Connor driving John McCaws 120ft mega-sloop "Extra-Beat".

Just as up and down the magnificent Jubilee fleet America's Cup rivalries were being celebrated, sharp memories of Newport and Freemantle were relived by the Brits and Yanks aboard these two giant c!ass 1 modern yachts. Slamming the door shut on the chasing Rebecca at the Admiral leeward turning mark set off the Needles they rounded, gybing almost overlapped. A classic duel then took place between these modern Leviathans weighing over 260 tons between their 263 foot combined lengths they executed more than fifteen gybes in quick succession between Alum Bay and Hurst Castle. Lawrie once pushing Dennis into the spectator fleet and Dennis twice forcing Lawrie out into the foul tide these graceful colossi fought a private battle seemingly oblivious but skilfully avoiding the myriad of comparatively tiny craft scattered around them.

As well as her Main, Mizzen and masthead spinnaker, Rebecca was also setting a mizzen asymmetric which had to be snuffed before gybing giving Extra-Beat a 30 second warning of the impending manoeuvre until, that is, Lawrie snuffed and didn't gybe leaving Dennis's half-gybed response in irons whilst Rebecca slipped past breaking the cover. The joust completed Rebecca picked up her skirts and went on to beat her great rival by nearly 10 minutes at the finish. In truth though, as Tim Jeffrey so aptly wrote in the Telegraph, the rarity and splendour of the Race made for winners all.

Jonny Falkner,
Race 1.