high winds continue to make it a spectacular Cowes Week.

With gusts of over 25 knots, all classes had plenty of excitement on their downwind legs yesterday morning. The first of the Black Group finishers were crossing the line just after 1500, with True Look, Carl Hennix's Seacart 30 trimaran the first multihull to finish, blasting across the line at 1513. Phil Cotton's Buzz, another Seacart, was second at 1526.

A thundery shower scattered on-shore spectators just as the first Sigma 33, Richard Puddifoot’s Whippa Snappa crossed the line.

In IRC Class 7 Madelaine and Isobella Donald’s Folkboat Madelaine executed a spectacular broach 200m from the finish line, but recovered to win their race.

Jethou finished with no other Class Zero boats in in sight, but was unable to save her time on Charles Dunstone’s Rio, winner by eight minutes on corrected time.

Tonnerre de Breskens was the first Class One boat to finish, three minutes ahead of Richard Matthews’s Crusader, giving Matthews an advantage of more than five minutes on corrected time. Tokoloshe took second.

La Response maintained her lead in class two, taking honours in IRC Class 2 with a big enough margin to win her race by six minutes over Jim Macgregor’s Elan 410 Premier Flair.

Peter Robson’s Playing Around won the 40.7 class and Bernard Olesinski’s X-40 Xinska took line honours in IRC Class 3, although Lance Adam’s Corby 33 Banshee, and Iain Kirkpatrick’s X-37 FatJax were ahead on corrected time.