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Kithros II Wins Through

Rob / 01.07.2004

For the first time this year a trophy was awarded for the best corrected aggregate sailing time, based on an IRC Rating Certificate, and the winner was Kithros II, skippered by Bill Ricketts.

The race has always been an open competition for any type of yacht, from slow cruising boats to out-and-out racing yachts, competing on equal terms, and the overall results are not affected by this handicap. However, it does give all yachts with a rating the opportunity to have a race within a race, and though race winners ‘Hellefix’ have the fastest boat speed they were behind most of the yachts on the corrected sailing times.

The winning yacht is owned and skipped by Bill Ricketts who said, “We were not too impressed with our handicap to be honest, but it seems to have worked! We pushed it pretty hard and saw no one else flying the spinnaker on the way up to Whitehaven. It’s one up for twin keeled boats!�

His crew had also travelled further than anyone else, due to a family emergency during the race. Nigel Gould received news that his 18 month old son had been taken to hospital for emergency care, and Kithros II motored to the Isle of Gigha, so he could catch a ferry and meet one of the support team who drove him to Glasgow to catch a flight and get home to Derbyshire. They them motored back to resume the race from the same position. As Nigel was one of the runners crewman Neal Ricketts had to go up Ben Nevis with his brother Colin to finish the race. [Nigel’s son was diagnosed with diabetes and was fortunately out of the emergency ward by the time he got home.]

These are the (provisional) corrected results, overall and by stage;

Sailing Handicap Results

1. Kithros II - 54.04 hours
2. Tactix – 57.45 hours
3. Bombadier – 60.58 hours
4. Mous’le – 61.80 hours
5. Hellefix – 63.41 hours
6. Chilli Nomads – 65.29 hours

Barmouth to Caernarfon

1. Kithros II (8.39 x .869 = 7.29)
2. Spirit of Barmouth (7.10 x 1.067 = 7.57)
3. Hellefix (7.11 x 1.067 = 7.58)
4. Tactix (8.01 x .997 = 7.98)
5. Bombadier (8.21 x .984 = 8.078)
6. Mous’le (9.44 x .968 = 9.137)
7. Chilli Nomads (12.12 x .991 = 12.01)

Caernarfon to Whitehaven

1. Hellefix (12.28 x 1.067 = 13.10)
2. Kithros II (15.48 x 8.69 = 13.45)
3. Tactix (13.51 x .997 = 13.46)
4. Chilli Nomads (14.25 x .991 = 14.12)
5. Mous’le (15.15 x .968 = 14.66)
6. Bombadier (15.32 x .984 = 15.07)

Whitehaven to Fort William

1. Kithros II (39.27 x .968 = 38.01)
2. Tactix (36.48 x .997 = 36.37)
3. Bombadier (38.05 x .984 = 37.44)
4. Mous’le (39.27 x .968 = 38.01)
5. Chilli Nomads (39.52 x .991 = 39.16)
6. Hellefix (40.05 x 1.067 = 42.73)

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