Day 4 Cowes Week: more stars in the Open 60s

With the Americas Cup sailors now departed from Cowes following the close of the iShares Cup, it's now the turn of the solo stars to light the stage in the Solent. At 1000 this morning, eight Open 60s, all with British skippers (bar Seb Josse in BT), will be tormenting the Royal Yacht Squadron start line. And, to further fuel public interest, there's a 'celebrity' aboard each boat too, including Alastair Campbell and Davina McCall. Racing under the IMOCA rules, the fully-crewed boats are competing for a £10k prize fund which will be donated to the winning team's choice of charity. But there's no doubt the various skippers will be taking this 50-mile race quite seriously, as it provides a great opportunity to compare speeds before the Vendee Globe start in November. Brian Thompson's 'Pindar', Jonny Malbon's 'Artemis', Mike... [read full story]