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Kung Fu Fighter sees off big boys

The victorious Kung Fu Fighter crew pose with British yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur

COWES, Isle of Wight, England -- Small boats dominated at Cowes as the Class I entry Kung Fu Fighter saw off the bigger Class 0 boys to win the prestigious New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup.

It was a satisfying victory for Rob Greenhalgh in the diminutive 11-metre (37-feet) Kerr-designed yacht having finished fourth last week in the month-long Tour de France a la Voile with his Panther Team GBR.

Next week Kung Fu Fighter represents the Commonwealth Team in the Rolex Commodore's Cup in Cowes.

Thursday's NYYC Challenge Cup is considered the most prestigious trophy of Cowes Week, along with the Britannia Cup, won by Team Tonic on Wednesday. (Full story)

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Thursday started with another postponement, the fifth in six days, as the race committee waited for wind to build up. The first guns were fired shortly before noon and by the end of the day the wind was about 20 knots.

Class 0 and Class 1 were both racing for the Challenge Cup, although the two fleets stuck to their different start times -- Class 0 beginning 10 minutes before their smaller sisters.

Both classes sailed the same course, but with the tide changing during the race and the wind picking up, there was an advantage to the smaller boats.

Bear of Britain: Fast but not fast enough

Bear of Britain had the best race in Class 0, beating her two other Farr 52ft rivals, but could not match Kung Fu Fighter.

For the 8,000 competitors, the stronger winds were a welcome arrival, although some were caught unawares, with a couple of men overboard.

The Farr 40 Lion, sailed by Anthony Canning, lost a man just east of Egypt Point during a big broach but got him back on board without trouble.

Cowes Week, which ends on Saturday, is the world's longest running and most famous race week. It was first held in 1826 as the Cowes Town regatta. This year 900 entries are competing in about 245 races in 33 classes.

It is a key event on the social calendar too, with about 30,000 glasses of champagne expected to be drunk.

Cowes Week day six results

NYYC Challenge Cup (Class 0 & 1 combined)

1. Kung Fu Fighter (Rob Greenhalgh)

2. Desperado (Richard Loftus)

3. Kirribilli (Douglas & Lynne Flynn)

Class 0 IRC

1. Bear Of Britain (Kit Hobday & Tim Louis)

2. Spirit Of Jethou (Dr Peter Ogden)

3. Mandrake (Peter Morton & Adam Gosling)

Class 1 IRC

1. Kung Fu Fighter (Rob Greenhalgh)

2. Desperado (Richard Loftus)

3. Kirribilli (Douglas & Lynne Flynn)