Perfect score for Langley's Gladiator team at Cowes Week
"Big Thursday" brings home the Britannia Cup
Competing in Class Zero, the Langley sailing team notched up a perfect score of 6 bullets (first places) at this year's Lendy Cowes Week and took the prestigious Britannia Cup.
Over 1000 boats and more than 5,000 participants competed in 40 different sailing events daily at this, the largest sailing event of its kind anywhere, held annually on the waters off the south coast of England since 1881.
Conditions through the week ranged from light airs, driving rain and breezy sunshine, to gale force winds peaking at over 40 knots on "Big Thursday" - when all but the Class Zero boats and Volvo Ocean racers were kept on the dock by the organisers.
Gladiator powers to win the Britannia Cup and IRC Class Zero on "Big Thursday"
Just a handful of Class Zero teams ventured out of the harbour to brave Thursday's conditions and those watching the down-wind start off the Squadron line were treated to a text book heavy airs spinnaker set that saw the Langley TP52, Gladiator, launched amidst a spectacular deluge of water and spray over her bows.
The team sailed a perfect race, leading from the start and around the course comfortably winning over the water and on corrected time and it was fitting that the trophy for Thursday's racing was Cowes Week's most prestigious, the Britannia Cup, presented by the Royal Yacht Squadron.
New world record
Meanwhile the Volvo boats were sent off around the island with the Spanish Volvo Ocean 65 Mapfre completing the 50 mile course in just 3 hours 13 minutes and 11 seconds to smash the previous outright world record for a monohull yacht.
At the Gladiator helm for the week, Langley Holdings' group chairman Tony Langley stepped aside to call tactics for son Bernard (24) at the wheel, while Will Langley (22) amazed the team by breaking a handle on the grinding pedestal in Thursday's up-range conditions.
Group Chairman, Tony Langley raises the Britannia Cup at this year's Lendy Cowes Week with sons Bernard (24) and Will (22) to his right and left.
Also on the Cowes Week team: Nick Hutton, Dave "Freddie" Carr and Matt Cornwell, home from their Land Rover BAR Americas Cup challenge; and winners of the 35th Americas Cup last month in Bermuda; Emirates Team New Zealand's Ray Davies in the strategist role.
But it was not all plain sailing for the Gladiator team. On Wednesday a gybe in 30 knots of breeze caused a baton in the mainsail to break, punching a hole in the sail and the decision was made to retire from the race, rather than continue and risk damaging the sail beyond repair with two more days of racing ahead.
The strategy payed off and with one discard allowed after five races, the team went on to score bullets in all six counting races, to finish second overall in the combined IRC fleets.
Giovanni Belgrano's 1939 built Whooper in IRC 6 took overall IRC honours, having scored fewer bullets but with a lower weighting applied to their overall score due to the respective number of boats in the fleets, narrowly pushed the Gladiator back to second place.
Next up the regular team returns to the Med September 16-23 for the final TP52 Super Series event in Menorca.
Click here for interview with Tony Langley after racing on "Big Thursday" (1:41)
About Gladiator Sailing Team
In common with all Langley businesses, the group sponsored Gladiator Sailing Team represents the very best technology in its field, attracts highly talented can-do people and conducts itself with the highest standards of integrity.
About Langley Holdings
Langley Holdings plc is a diverse, privately owned engineering and industrial group based in the UK. The group comprises 5 operating divisions, based principally in Germany, France and the United Kingdom, with a substantial presence in the United States and more than 80 subsidiaries worldwide. The operating divisions produce equipment ranging from electrical systems for data centres and machinery for cement and steel plants, to food packaging lines, automotive welding equipment and printing presses. The group was founded in 1975 by the current Chairman and sole shareholder, Tony Langley. With annual revenues of circa $1 billion, Langley Holdings is profitable, entirely debt free and employs around 4,500 people worldwide.