Cowes - Torquay - Cowes Winner
Here is a photo that appeared on `LuvMyBoat.com showing the winner 8 miles from home really tanking it.
A few yards behind was a 41ft Pantera pushing him to the line, but failed by 8 seconds after 190 miles.
The winner was a 38ft tin hull built in 1983 with an illustrious history of wins including 6 in the Cowes event,The second place boat was a 41ft stepped mono built in 2010.Both boats had petrol engines,the winner 1450hp the runner up 1050hp.One could argue the stepped hull as a like for like should have been faster by 5mph,but had 300hp less,so nearly balanced out competitively.
Crossing the 40 miles of open water in Lyme Bay each boat were so far apart they could not see other until they closed in on Portland Bill,and from then on it was a drag race albeit in fairly lumpy conditions.
Boats with similar power and some recently built. fell by the wayside.
So in this day an age of mickey mouse circuits, we still have true offshore racing where good tactics and navigation,combined with modern machinery,well prepared and reliable,fitted into old hulls can win the day.