BLAST-OFF ABOARD BLUE ORBIT.

Race practice is useful for any new crew stepping aboard a boat like the Ker 11.3 - and we didn't have it. Masthead kites,end-for-end gybing and a stiff breeze can make you look fairly average and as well as the ignominy of being lanced by a J-145 in the first race, we struggled to beat the other leading 11.3s On a High and I-Site.

Hanging a sponsored boat in the Cowes Yacht Haven slings for overnight repairs is an old publicity stunt and the large hole through the transom was expertly repaired by local boatbuilder Adrian Stone.The yacht's structure was intact. although not looking her shiny best, and Blue Orbit survived the rest of the week's punishment without a moment's worry.

It was disappointing that the IRM class was canned just as Cowes Week arrived but as our crew weight was far in excess of the certificate maximum anyway the added interest of the combined Class 0 and Class 1 results turned out to be a bonus. After some complex courses early on in the week which must have been a kite packer's nightmare on the big boats, Wednesday and Friday saw us at opposite ends of the Isle of Wight.

A lasting image of Cowes 2001 will be the run back to the Squadron line from the Needles Channel Bridge buoy, where in a rising breeze the 11.3 gave us a memorable 16-knot rollercoaster ride that finally gelled our crew into producing a perfectly executed gybe at the Gurnard Ledge buoy. The windward wipeout 30 seconds later rather spoiled the display and reminded us this boat is no pussycat. Nonetheless we had finally achieved our only single-figure result of the week and with the consistent showing of the leading 11 .3s under the IRC rule, the future of boats like these seems assured with or without IRM.