Sailing: Jane-Air breezes in to take top marks

Jane-Air, a production J35, steered by Sim Rogers for the Netherlands II team, won the 170- mile Red Funnel Channel Race, the third event of the inaugural Rolex Commodore's Cup, yesterday, writes Our Correspondent from Cowes.

In a decreasing wind Rogers and his Dutch/English crew held high towards the mainland shore on the first leg to the East Shambles mark off Portland Bill, and was one of the earliest boats to benefit as the wind shifted to the north-west.

Bolstering the inherent light- wind prowess of the J35 by choosing the favoured gybe on the leg out to the Mid-Channel EC2 mark, they were fortunate to catch the tail end of the favourable tide at each mark, but had the skill to take advantage.

Jane-Air won the race, which carries a triple point bonus, by just under 10 minutes from the modified Apple one-tonner, Inter- Loper (ex Mean-Machine), sailing for Argentina.

The seemingly spurious results from the first two races have now been recalculated, a computer utilising the performance curve scoring application of the International Measurement System, which this new event is endeavouring to promote.

Sunstone, the 27-year-old English boat, had thus been stripped of her double victory under earlier calculations, dropping to sixth in Wednesday's Solent Round the Buoys Race.

The Americans now hold first and second places, with only one second separating the Nelson- Marek 46 collaboration and the Farr 44 Gaucho in that race. The Argentinian Farr 40 Buana is currently regarded as the second race winner.

ROLEX COMMODORE'S CUP (Cowes) Red Funnel Channel Race (subject to protest): 1 Jane-Air, S Rogers (Neth II) corrected time 20hr 31min 39sec; 2 Inter-Loper, J Oyanhart (Arg) 20.40:52; 3 Outstripper, M McIntyre (Eng) 20.43:39. Team: 1 Argentina 520.87pts; 2 United States I 507.37; 3 Jersey 466.50; 4 Netherlands II 420.75; 5 England 388.5.