On Saturday morning 12th July the Royal Southampton YC's inaugural Double-handed Solent to Santander race started in bright sunshine and a gentle easterly breeze, building during the afternoon to a useful force 3-4.

Covering 510 miles altogether, the first leg was 200 miles west down the English Channel and outside Ushant, with another 310 miles southwards across the bay of Biscay to Santander on the north Spanish coast.

With only two crew aboard each boat, this can be a testing passage taking about 5 days altogether.

It continues the Royal Southampton's extensive tradition in double-handed racing and came about with the concurrence of the Brixham YC when the latter discontinued its own Santander race.

With spinnakers up soon after the start, the boats eased gently past Hurst Castle and the Needles, making good use of the strong ebb tide.

The leader from a few moments after the start and out of the Solent was the Swan 39 Flying Neleb, a Spanish entry from the Royal Santander club, fresh from a successful 5th place in class B at the Swan European Regatta in Cowes and sailed by two of that crew, Alvaro Lopez-Doriga and Antonio Cuervas-Mon.

Close on her heels was Paul Peggs water-ballasted JOD 35 Audacious.

However this is a handicap race and the early signs were that one of the smaller boats was leading on corrected time - Paul Harding's First 31.

7 Electron.

The fleet had a quick passage down Channel, with Flying Neleb the first boat around Ushant by 9.00 pm on Sunday, still holding a few minutes lead on the water over Audacious.

Next to round was Southampton-based Andy Hill's J92 Just Enough only 3 miles behind and leading on handicap as the boats set off southwards for Spain.

Several others rounded Ushant during the night, including the X332 Pyxis with the all-girl crew of Kirsteen Donaldson and Mary Sturgess.

Meanwhile some of the smaller boats were held for a few hours by the eastgoing tide just short of the corner, but all were round by 0800 Monday morning.

The breeze held through Monday for a quick passage past the Ile de Sein and out into the Bay of Biscay, but mid-way across the Bay on Tuesday the breeze was falling away to light and variable, so a slower middle section to the race looked likely, with fresh westerlies due to give the boats a lively reach into the finish on Wednesday or Thursday.