In 2003, Ross Elliston (Metropolitan Police) won the PAA Police National Offshore Championship which was organized by Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and thus qualified to represent the British Police during Cowes Week, 2004

The MPSC team consisted of Ross Elliston (rtd), Mark Donnelly, Mark Hodges, Ian Slade, Graeme Walker, Guy Smith, Andy Parker and Colin Locke (rtd).

In "Mist", a Nicholson 33, the team entered under the flag of the Metropolitan Police Sailing Club representing POLICE SPORT UK.

This is the story of their week at Cowes.

"Mist" at the start of Day 4 of the Class 7 IRC race

The eight days racing had the complete range of conditions from zero wind on the Monday to gusts reaching 40 knots with an average wind speed over the race period of 28 knots also one day of total misery RAIN, DRIZZLE, yet warm enough to be in shorts and T-shirts.

A mooring had been found with the Sigma 33's at a very reasonable charge and good access to Cowes.

The first day's racing, Saturday 7th, was hot and sunny with starts postponed until sufficient sea breeze arrived. This was our best result in our class with a second place finish.

Sunday 8th: steady 10-12 knots easterly with our course into the East Solent resulting in a 7th.

Monday was a committee boat start in the vicinity of Browndown and as often happens, the winds from the East fight it out with the Westerly Solent breeze resulting in calms and holes out by the Brambles, with the accompanying rain and drizzle. Half the regatta fleet ran out of time at 1800hrs. I must say this was the worst condition for sailing I have encountered in the last 5 years. We came 8th.

Tuesday 10th was a perfect day for racing with fair wind, 15 knots from the south west with a course sending us down the Solent towards Lymington against the flood tide. You do everything right, the crew are great, kites are put up and come down without problems and we ended up with a 15th

Wednesday was another committee boat start again in the east. Again we thought that nothing went wrong but only achieved 14th

Thursday 12th another course to the west and a 15th place.

Friday 13th And for some it was indeed black Friday. The wind was hovering on 28 knots at the time of our start. One reef in and a bladed jib, 5 guys on the rail, a navigator to give us food below and two in the cockpit.

We were sent westward against the tide with the first mark opposite Newtown Creek on the mainland shore across the tide to the Island then back towards Beaulieu where the wind had now got up to 33 knots. One of the competitors in our class - a J24 - decided that spinnakers were the order of the day and after successfully hoisting that sail powered off on the tops of the waves until the inevitable broach some 100 yards from us and within 3 minutes had completely capsized. By the time we passed them on our next beat all had been saved by patrolling safety craft. The lesson to prevent sinking, put your hatch board in and keep the cabin hatch shut - or don't fly spinnakers. On the return down-wind leg with the winds blowing 35 knots and gusts over 40 knots coming off the island, sails were splitting and yachts broaching along with several dismastings. We achieved an 11th place.

The last day was again a perfect day on the water. Start westward with the tide to Champagne Mumm run back to East Lepe, a beat to Macmillan Reeds then a very long run cheating the tide along the Lepe shore until the Calshot Spit and rounding East Bramble with a beat back to Cowes. 7 to 9 knots of wind with a cloudless sky - finishing up in 12th

Top row L to R:   Mark Donnelly, Colin Locke, Ross Elliston, Mark Hodges(The Red Fox)
Bottom Row:   Ian Slade, Graeme Walker, Andy Parker (1st mate Vindaloo) Guy Smith(Too Tall)

In Class 7 we were 11th Overall. In Black Group we were 149 out of 465 yachts. In Class 7, there were four past winners of the Island race.

The organisation is A1. The evenings could become hectic; the alehouses are full. Cowes Marina is like a cattle market, but good fun.

Courses are sent out via mobile phone texts, which is an asset for the navigator.

We managed to have Police Sport UK broadcast on Cowes Radio a number of times and behaved ourselves.

Ross Elliston, MPSC.

Race result details provided by the Scandia Cowes Week website.