Pre-Skandia Cowes Week Regatta held on Saturday 22 July 2006 Billed as a pre-Skandia Cowes Week Regatta, the IRC Solent Series 5 run by the Royal Yacht Squadron on Saturday 22 July, started from the Squadron Line with as many similarities to Skandia Cowes Week as possible. With a forecast of light southerly winds veering to the west during the morning, the RYS race committee sent the fleet down tide into the Western Solent where they would complete a number of theoretically windward leeward legs before the run home to Cowes on the flood. The 20-25 mile courses were planned accordingly and the fleet, comprising 28 boats in classes 1,3,4,5, and 6, all got away on time, followed by Deep Seeker RYS with a shorten course race committee on board.

The forecast westerly never materialised, with the light southerly prevailing. However, the potential boredom of endless reaching was soon dispelled by a major thunderstorm, very heavy rain and numerous wind shifts. Deep Seeker reported that the wind boxed the compass from every direction except north. The race committee shortened all classes except for Class 1 at Salt Mead, approximately two thirds along the course. The only Class 1 boat, the Swan 45 McFly, continued up to the Squadron line beating against a very light easterly, completing the course in five and a quarter hours. All other finishers (75% of the fleet) completed the shortened course in around four hours elapsed time.

The weather may have been uninspiring, but it was agreed that as a Skandia Cowes Week warm-up it was a great success.

Full results can be found on the RYS website www.rys.org.uk (report courtesy of John Grandy) IRC Solent Series 5 Pre-Skandia Cowes Week Saturday, 22 July 2006/ Class Finishing Order/First Class 1/McFly Class 2 no entrants Class 3 /Chimaera Class 4 /Just Plane Sailing Class 5 /Spellbinder Class 6 /ASAP Overall Finishing Order /Top 3 1 Spellbinder 2 ASAP 3 Whistler IRC Solent Series organised by the SCRA (Solent Cruising & Racing Association) and sponsored by key yachting partners Ancasta, Hamble Yacht Services, J-Boats UK and North Sails.