Celebrities descend on Cowes Week

Vespucci's Black Sheep in IRC Class 1, powers upwind at Aberdeen Cowes Week (RICK TOMLINSON)

There was breeze aplenty in the Solent as the main prize of the day, the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup went to Robert Condon and Simon Shaw’s Ker 40 Marinetti and Niklas Zennström’s 72-foot Rán again got the better the American George David’s 100-foor Rambler on handicap.

There was also plenty for the stargazers to see as the Open 60s in the Artemis Challenge charity race around the Isle of Wight saw Ewan McGregor join Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, Zara Phillips was again with Dee Caffari along with Natalie Pinkham. The race was won just 13 seconds outside a record time by Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou.

Chris Froy, Andrew Shaw, and Alan Roberts won in the X One Designs. Doubtless they were as wet as they were elated.

In Weymouth at the Olympic Games test event, Ben Ainslie extended his lead at the top of the Finn class to seven points, Bryony Shaw goes into the women’s windsurfer medal race in third, Paul Goodison is fourth in the Laser, as are Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes after 11 races in the 49er.

Nick Rogers and Chris Grube are fifth in the men’s 470 and Charlotte Dobson has pulled her self up to 9th in the Laser Radial.

Racing in the Extreme Series for 40-foot catamarans was cancelled because of the strong wind.

Phil Sharp was the first of the four British competitors to finish the second leg of the Figaro solo race from Caen to Dun Laoghaire, finishing 23rd. Leg winner and new overall leader was Jérémie Beyou.

Mike Golding has announced that the man who partnered him in 2007, Bruno Dubois, will again join him for his seventh consecutive Transat Jacques Vabre Race on his Open 60 Gamesa from Le Havre to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica starting on 30 October.