6 Meter World Championships, , – report by Guy Gurney

Atlantic 25 has been missing for the past several weeks. Chris Wittstock and his four crew members, including CPYC members Gordon Dailey (foredeck) and Guy Gurney (mainsheet and tactics) successfully raced his classic 6-Meter Carin II at the World Championships at Cowes, , off the South Coast of England. This is a big year for the Sixes which are celebrating 100 years since the introduction of the International Rule that produced the Meter boats. A record fleet of 49 6-Meters raced at Cowes in two divisions -- Classic and Modern. Chris's boat, which has been in his family for more than 50 years, is a beautiful wooden 37-footer designed in Finland in 1938 that he now keeps at Cowes and goes over to race from time to time.

Chris and his four crew members, finished 10th out of 25 boats in the Classic Division. On the way, they won the sixth race in fine style in the moderate air, flat-water conditions that Carin II likes. The rest of the week it mostly blew hard and rained hard, as England experienced its wettest weather conditions on record.

After the Worlds the held a centennial regatta for all sizes, including two ex-America's Cup Twelve Meters, a beautifully restored gaff-rigged 10-Meter from 1912, a bevy of elegant 8-Meters, the Sixes, 5.5-Meters and a couple of rare 5-Meters. Again it was blowing dogs off chains, and two of the four days of racing had to be cancelled. Carin II did well to end up third overall among the classic Sixes in tough conditions with the wind gusting up to 32 knots in the final race.