20/21st June: Richard Mille Cup

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The Richard Mille Cup is a new event for which:

Entry will be open to invited owners and charterers of yachts built before 1939, or faithful replicas of such yachts. The minimum size of any yacht eligible to enter will be 10M length at the waterline.

They raced from Falmouth to Cowes via Dartmouth on the weekend of the 17th/18th June.  On watch at Lepe on the 18th I had an initial, if remote view of some of the participants. They were scheduled to race around the buoys on the 20th, 21st and 22nd (Tuesday-Thursday) before racing to Le Havre on Friday, 23rd.  On the 20th I delivered some items to the NCI Stone Point station and took the opportunity to take some photos.

I booked on watches on the next two days and turned up early on the 21st for the approximate 10:30 racing start.  Unfortunately, on the my viewing was curtailed by suddenly having my left eye and my nose starting to stream, as if I was having an allergic reaction, maybe to some pollen?  There were going to be 3 people on watch so I left the Station and Lepe Country Park early.  As a precaution I did not turn up early for my watch on the 22nd, but in any case, on that day they did not race down to the western Solent area.

Photo Gallery 18th June A few photos marking the first view of one or two of the yachts with Jolie Brise amongst them.
Photo Gallery 20th June A grey and slightly misty day. Moonbeam IV appeared to do a practice sail past Gurnard. The yachts raced down to the East Lepe buoy and back towards Cowes. The 3 masted schooner Atlantic appeared to be spectating rather than racing.
Schtandart arrives  The replica of a 1703 Russian frigate arrives at the Beaulieu River during the Richard Mille Cup event.
Photo Gallery 21st June A sunnier day, but from Lepe one is looking into the sun! The yachts raced to the yellow buoy off the Beaulieu River entrance, across to East Lepe buoy and then back towards Cowes. Once again the 3 masted schooner Atlantic appeared to be spectating rather than racing.
List of Contestants Size and age of the yachts racing