Fifteen teams competed at Cowes from 29th June to 6th July for the biannual Rolex Commodores Cup, one of the most prestigious amateur yachting events in the world.
Great Britain’s Red team, consisting of Fair Do’s!, Erivale and Quokka 7 brought home the trophy for the host nation.
Chris Sinclair, Joint MD of The Oxford Research Agency, was part of the winning crew on Quokka 7, and reports on the extraordinary efforts of the crew to bring the trophy home to Britain.
The Rolex Commodores Cup is one of the top amateur yachting trophies in the work. Competed for biannually, teams of three boats are invited by their countries to represent them in the regatta, with the top team being the team of three with the best results.
To fully challenge the sailors, a number of different race types are organised, with shorter 2 hour races, longer 4 hour races, a Round the Isle of Wight race and an offshore race, which this year lasted for 24 hours.
Over seven days of racing, the nine man crew of Quokka 7 pulled out all the stops to help the British team win the overall Trophy. The last 6 months has seen the crew training every weekend to develop a close bond and get the most out of the boat. The training paid off, as over the week Quokka 7 came out as the best British Boat, with two firsts, three 2nd places and 3 4th places. We were also the best placed crew without any professional sailors onboard.
The teamwork displayed during the week contributed extensively to the results. All of the crew could rotate positions, with three different helmsmen on board, several trimmers, and three people contributing to tactics.
Across the week we experienced the full extremes of the British Summer, from glorious sunshine and tropical temperatures, to gale force winds and skin-piercing rain. The boat and crew excelled in all conditions, experiencing some of the best sailing possible in UK waters.
There are many memorable occasions in the week, from sailing a 6 ton boat at formula 1 speeds in the middle of the night in the English Channel, to spending 24 hours catching up and then overtaking our fleet in the offshore race. The best moment was the release of pressure at the end of the last race, knowing that we had won The Commodores Cup, something I will not forget in my lifetime. To be best British boat was an added bonus.
The team had many sponsors through the event, covering all major elements of the equipment needed to get us around the course. We were particularly delighted to have the support of GSK, who provided the team with Lucozade Sport. The whole crew recognised the contribution to our success that Lucozade Sport gave the team.
Peter Rutter, Owner of Quokka 7 commented, “A critical element of winning the Commodores Cup was the energy and ability to concentrate given to the crew by Lucozade Sport, during the 24 hour offshore race. After a difficult initial 30 minutes we were left last in the fleet with our main opposition out of sight. Our only possible strategy was to turn our race into a 24 hour sprint with all the team on deck and in position throughout the night. We all drank Lucozade Sport throughout the race and were able to maintain concentration and stamina overnight. By maintaining focus and energy for the whole race, we are able to overtake the leading boat after 18 hours to keep the GBR team in the lead. It was only possible to entertain such a high energy strategy with the support of Lucozade Sport.”
Martin Moody, helmsman of Quokka 7 said “Without Lucozade Sport we would not have won this trophy. On top of all the technology, sails, class leading boat design, training and crew work, it was Lucozade Sport which gave us an extra edge over our competitors.”
The Quokka Team would also like to thank their sponsors, the shore team and their families for all of their support during the campaign for The Commodores Cup. In particular, we would like to thank:-
GSK for supplying Lucozade Sport
Gill Clothing
Selden Masts
John Corby, yacht designer
Lyros Ropes
Silva Nexus
Graham Moody & James McAlister – shore support team
