Day five of the Rolex Commodores' Cup 2008 and the 45 competitors and their 15 teams found themselves challenged by a new course format. Today's single race was around a variety of marks in the central and eastern Solent, sailed in an awkward southeasterly breeze of around 12 knots. GBR teams earned the top two spots in Class One with Fair Do's VII taking second. Strong winds on Saturday led to a change of course from the planned round the island race to a 35 mile course down the Solent and around Hayling Bay, keeping the fleet out of the worst of the winds. Fair Do's VII once again benefited from leading Class 1 around the race course. In Class Two, the win for Jerry Otter's Erivale III was almost as tight, just 39 seconds ahead of Conor Phelan's Jump Juice in Ireland White. In Class 3 Peter Rutter's Quokka 7 had an easier time of it, finishing almost 3.5 minutes ahead of yesterday's winner, Marc Alperovitch's Prime Time.
In the end John Shepherd's big boat, Fair Do's VII made it around the race course cleanly to post a second place behind Anthony O'Leary's Antix Eile in Ireland White, while the two smaller GBR Red boats, Jerry Otter's Erivale III and Peter Rutter's Quokka 7 had a much harder time in their classes, the mid-boat finishing ninth and the small boat coming home fourth. But overall the results were good enough for GBR Red to win the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup comfortably, on 122 points with the two Irish teams White and Green on 144 and 161 respectively, pulling ahead of France Blue today, the defending champions dropping to fourth on 166.5.
In the end John Shepherd's big boat, Fair Do's VII made it around the race course cleanly to post a second place behind Anthony O'Leary's Antix Eile in Ireland White, while the two smaller GBR Red boats, Jerry Otter's Erivale III and Peter Rutter's Quokka 7 had a much harder time in their classes, the mid-boat finishing ninth and the small boat coming home fourth. But overall the results were good enough for GBR Red to win the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup comfortably, on 122 points with the two Irish teams White and Green on 144 and 161 respectively, pulling ahead of France Blue today, the defending champions dropping to fourth on 166.5.
