Gloves Off for tough fight

The annual Skandia Life Cowes Week reaches its climax this weekend with a reported entry of more than 1000 yachts. The week has been described as a "socio-sporting icon" but for the thousands of sailors taking part, dealing with the range of strong winds has been more of a priority.

Irish boats are scattered throughout the classes but in Class One under IRC handicap, attention is focusing on two thorough-breds in particular.

Colm Barrington's Gloves Off has a record of wins from the 2000 regatta but so far has yet to pull into the top five and is currently sixth overall in the 40-boat class.

Hot on his heels is Bob Stewart's new Azure that is only just coming out of "shake-down" mode and producing consistent results.

The D·n Laoghaire boat is only trailing their club-mate from the Royal Irish YC by two places but, with two races remaining, it seems that a local battle royale is being played out in distant waters.

Following the Cowes Week finale with its famous fireworks display tomorrow night, all eyes turn to the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday.

More than 200 entries have been received for this classic event that is also being used as a practice event for the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race).

Irish interest here is limited to veteran offshore sailors led by Denis Doyle on his Frers 51 Moonduster.

After victory in the recent D·n Laoghaire to Dingle Race that encountered 50 knot winds off the Skelligs, the 81-year old Cork yachtsman is well prepared.

Others include Roy Dickson's Cracklin's Rosie and the Kieran Jameson/Aidan McManus partnered Changeling.

Meanwhile, Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher, skippered by Nick Moloney, won a hard fought battle with Mike Golding's Ecover to win leg four of the EDS Atlantic Challenge, crossing the finish line in Boston.

Kingfisher and Ecover were almost never out of sight of each other for the whole of the 500-mile leg up the eastern seaboard of the USA, a match race all the way.