The world championship of the legendary 6mJI was held this year in Cowes, the “Mecca of Sailing”, under the patronage of the Royal Yacht Squadron, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.
Text and photos: Yves Ryncki
Cowes has more yacht clubs than pubs, and that’s saying a lot for this corner of Britain. A dozen or so regattas are held here every weekend, not counting international events such as the historic Rolex Fastnet and Cowes Week. The Solent, the arm of the sea that separates the south coast of England from the Isle of Wight, is renowned for its sandbanks, sometimes strong currents, wind shifts and intense shipping traffic.
Swiss on a mission
From August 31 to September 8, 34 crews representing 11 nations from all over Europe and North America took up residence in this cradle of yachting to take part in the world championship. The fleet is divided into two categories: Open, often referred to as modern despite the age of some of the boats, and Classic, comprising yachts built before December 31, 1965, to put it simply. In both classes, a number of Swiss boats were present, some aiming for the title and others seeking to defend it, such as Dieter Schoen’s Momo, Open 2022 champion, and Louis Heckly’s Dix Août, also a gold medallist in the Classic class, the same year in Sanxenxo. Competition was intense among the Swiss. They included Philippe Durr’s Junior – with ten world titles in the metric series under his belt – Jan Eckert’s Ginkgo Too, one of the most recently built (2020), Hugo Stenbeck’s Sophie II and Louis Heckly’s Fun, magnificently prepared and trained for the event. The latter include Saskia II, fitted out by Rainer Mueller and sailed by a team of friends from the Cercle de la Voile de Villeneuve. This venerable old lady, a 1934 Fife design, suffered a mishap that tested the solidarity of the class. Two days before the start of the championship, during training regattas, a collision seriously damaged the boat and deprived it of the mast, which was broken into three pieces. What followed was a weekend of hard work by the ship’s craftsmen, the rest of the crew and the help of several owners – including the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos, who lent his support RIB, the only one large enough to carry a mast from Lymington, on the nearby English coast.
The Solent law
The competition had no intention of letting up, and the battle was fierce in both divisions. The first race on Monday saw the start of hostilities: Dix Août, helmed for the occasion by Géry Trentesaux, a titled sailor in both Dragon and ocean racing, won ahead of Saskia II, who had recovered from her emotions, and Bribon, the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo 6-meter, twice world champion in the classics, 2nd in the 2022 edition, skippered by His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain and helmed by Ross MacDonald, several times winner of the Star Games. In the second race, things changed: the top three finishers from the previous race placed 11th, 12th and 14th. The Solent, its tilts and current reversals, had its say! In the Open class, reigning world champion Momo struggled to find his feet with a new crew in the day’s two races. The 1st heat was his worst, but he was back in the leading group by the second; the same goes for Gingko Too, who won the second heat to show his ambitions. Junior may already have slipped back to 6th and 9th. The leading group is already asserting itself with Jamie Hilton’s American Scoundrel and Violetta Alvarez’s Stellade.
No title, just medals
The rest of the week didn’t really bring any upheaval in the leading groups of the two divisions, except perhaps for the third podium places. In the Open class, Philippe Durr on Junior was unable to get past Momo, while in the Classics, a UFD in the sixth heat deprived Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s Titia of a place of honor, to the benefit of Simon’s Silvervingen, which took 3rd place. Two medals were finally awarded to Swiss boats. Louis Heckly’s Dix Août took second place in the Classic class, while Dieter Schoen’s Momo confirmed its third place with a 6-point lead over Junior.
This world championship is yet another in a series of high-level sporting events involving new boats and talented crews. In the age of flying boats, the great metric series has not aged a bit, as witnessed by the emulation that reigns with new architects and builders, the ongoing work of the International Six Metre Association and the passion of owners such as Rainer Mueller or Violetta Alvarez. In Switzerland, with the Challenge Lémanique, and around the world, the 6mJI has a bright future ahead of it.