Brilliant Start By Rainbow II

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 19

Brilliant Start By Rainbow II

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

LONDON. Rainbow 11, the Auckland vacht fresh from her victories in the One-Ton Cup series, has started her warm-up to Cowles Week brilliantly.

She won her class II handicap on Sunday and almost beat the class I boats as well In the Royal Thames Yacht Club regatta at Cowes.

Rainbow Il’s victory came in the class for 19ft to 25ft boats and she was racing in the Queen Victoria Cup—the event for the big cruisers. The “Daily Express" yacht- ■ ing correspondent said the Rainbow’s performance was the most amazing of the day. “Rainbow started 10 minutes after the big boys, sailed the same course, and at times led everybody,” he said. “Obviously ' she is one to watch in Cowes Week. But, happily for her bigger rivals, she is too small to be eligible for the main trophies." Rainbow’s navigator, R. Dickson, said yesterday that conditions at Cowes were “terribly flukey. The wind seemed to be coming from two directions at once.” With the exception of the skipper, C. Bouzaid, this is the first time Rainbow’s crew have raced at Cowes. Rainbow arrived at the Isle of Wight on Saturday after leaving the scene of the OneTon Cup triumph, Heligoland, on Wednesday morning. “We had a very leisurely sail across,” R. Dickson said, “and had the spinnaker up all the way. Rainbow came across with the German Admiral’s Cup boat, Klaarklimming, and Apecist.” Cowes’ Week racing will start in earnest for Rainbow with the start of the channel race on Friday night. She will race again on Tuesday and Thursday of next week before the big Fastnet race of 600-odd miles which could take between three and five days. I