An early hat-trick at Cowes week (From Daily Echo)

An early hat-trick at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2012

10:41am Tuesday 14th August 2012 in Sport

THE opening races for the Victory Class at this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week have been met with the usual high class sailing despite the highly changeable conditions.

Saturday’s race saw high dramas in the strong and gusty winds, before Z78 helmed by Jim Downey took line honours.

Day 2 saw lighter winds but equally exciting racing.

Again positions changed frequently as the fleet paced back and forth until Z78 owned by Mark Dennington won the day.

And yesterday’s Day 3 races provided yet another different set of conditions, with lighter southerly and unpredictable winds.

With the boats spending the first half of the race on the northern side of the Solent, the racing was close as could be with Z57 and Z49 battling it out before returning to the Island shores.

As with all Cowes Weeks, under the lee of Norris Point the winds faded and in the strong tides place changes became random and frequent.

Z78 kept in deep water and with better wind crossed the line in first place making it a hat-trick for the week so far.