21st JERSEY REGATTA
Race Report
The twenty-first combined clubs’ Jersey Regatta, held from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September, got off to an excellent start on the Thursday evening with a packed reception in St Helier Yacht Club where Commodore David De Carteret opened proceedings with a warm welcome to a packed club house. Eighty boats had entered this three day jamboree and it seemed that most skippers and crews were there.
The first of the Class 1 cruiser races set off from St Aubin’s Bay at ten o’clock Friday morning on a six mile run to the Canger Rock buoy to the southeast of the Island. With a moderate westerly breeze blowing, this was to be a fast passage on a dying flood tide. The beat back on the now ebbing tide took the fleet to the Passage Rock, off St Brelade’s Bay, before returning to St Aubin’s Bay for the finish. Noirmont Point with wind over tide is not always a nice place to be! The Class 2 cruisers sailed a slightly reduced course whilst Class 3’s was even shorter. In Class 1, Guernsey ‘s Roger Martel’s Sunfast 3600, Kaya II, took line honours clear of Alex Ohlsson’s J109, Jai Ho, to give her the race by just over thirty seconds on corrected time. Rhys Perkins’ Archambault 35, Abracadabra, was third. Julian Barber’s Farr 727, Super Q, won the Quarter Ton Class ahead of David Hall’s 727, Fahrenheit, whilst Chris Fritot’s Sonata, Rondo, put in a good performance in Class 2 to finish ahead of Fahrenheit on corrected time. Leo Jeune’s Squib, Helio, won Class 3 ahead of Paul Raimbault’s Sadler 29, Ruby.
As ever, the dayboat, dinghy, sport catamaran and windsurfer classes were scheduled to race that evening. Force 6 westerly winds gusting to force 7 led to all races being abandoned. However, Friday’s races were standalone and would not be counted in the overall Regatta results.
Saturday and Sunday’s conditions were excellent, the sun was shining, the wind had veered and dropped and the Bay was flat, ideal conditions that provided some really interesting and exhilarating racing across most classes. There’s no doubt, of course, that the sport catamaran, dinghy and windsurfer classes, at least, would have preferred to see the breeze a notch or two higher. Happily, despite the wind going fairly light on occasion, to the consternation of the race officers, almost every race in the Regatta programme was completed allowing all boats to benefit from their single discard.
Racing for not only the Regatta trophies and prizes but the Spinlock IRC Channel Islands Championship also, competition in the Class 1 cruiser fleet was really keen throughout, especially so between Jai Ho with two wins, Kaya II with two wins and Abracadabra, finishing with 4, 5 and 7 points respectively after the four races. Allen Brown & partners Melges 24, The Dog’s ……..!, the lone sportsboat, raced with the Class 1 fleet and returned the fastest corrected time in all four races, winning the sportsboat trophies and prizes.
The Quarter Ton boats sailed with Class 2 to produce a combined result for the Class 2 IRC Championship. Save for a course error in the first of six races, Super Q sailed well to take first in all five remaining races to win her Class and the IRC Championship as well as the Island Ark Quarter Ton Trophy. Guernsey’s Matt Knowles and David Aslett’s HB31, Glory Days, was second in the Championship and first in Class 2, ahead of Rondo.
Five Hobie Wildcats came to the line in the F18 Sport Catamaran class. Sailing over relatively long Olympic courses in the south of the Bay, under the direction of the cruiser committee boat, Darren Stower and Graeme Monks sailing Flying Circus, Hobie 403, with four wins to their credit, fought off Adrian Jesson and Paul Martin’s Hobie 618’s challenge to take the overall result by three points. The equally competitive team of Andy Hart and Michael Kinross, on Hobie 517, had to settle for third place.
Eight boats turned out in the Dayboat Class, including a number of stunning old traditional boats, one of which, Don Thompson’s beautifully restored Falmouth Work Boat Lena, was out for her very first race in local waters. Two boats dominated this class, Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina, and Ben Jones’ Cornish Coble, Baloo. After four races, each had a win on both days finishing with equal points. Jamesina won on count-back. Laurence Curtis’ veteran Cherbourg OD, Moana, was third. Lena was a creditable fifth.
Ever a challenge, the veteran duo of Gordon Burgis and Kenny Snell, sailing Purr Energy in the open sport catamaran class, every boat a Hobie 16, won all but one of their six races to be seven points clear of Grant Neale and Karen Larose’s well-sailed i-Gatto whilst Aaron Le Cornu and Rachael Vibert, challenging hard, were a close third on Top Cat.
Four Hobie Dragoons raced in the junior open sport catamaran class. Luke Paxton-Garnier and Annie Brownrigg’s Usain Boat was truly consistent in winning every race, no doubt inspired by a certain famous runner. With a string of second places, Juliette and Russell Walton’s Dragoon 1370 was second overall with Archie and Jamie Willetts Dragoon 1076 a close third.
Peter Raimbault’s Laser Radial, Rascal, won all three races in the fast dinghy class on Saturday giving way to Martin Speller’s Laser Standard, Liquid Impulse, on Sunday. Despite Raimbault’s four wins to Speller’s two in the series, the overall result went to Speller, beating Raimbault by just one point. Jonathan Pollard sailed his Laser Standard equally competitively to take third place overall.
As ever, those sailing Toppers and Optimists, in the ‘slow’ dinghy class, were no less competitive than the adults! Pete Washington had a great day with his Topper on Saturday whilst Will Dengate’s Optimist, La Fuite, turned the tables on Sunday. Washington’s overall result, however, put him three points ahead of Dengate to take first place overall. Olin Rogers’ Optimist, Warrior, with four second places, finished with equal points to La Fuite but slipped to third on countback.
In the windsurfer class, all Konas, Justin Horton sailed consistently well to win all six races whilst Chris Le Masurier, with five second places, was second overall, having discarded a third place in the first race. With five third places and a second to his name, Henry Horton third was third. This class would have, no doubt, thrived in Friday evening’s conditions!
The social programme ran well throughout the Regatta, culminating in the prize-giving in St Helier Yacht Club when Commodore David De Carteret thanked and congratulated the competitors and all who had made the regatta such a success. Bill Harris, Regatta Chairman, added his thanks, particularly to the visiting crews, race committee, mark layers, guard boat drivers and beach officers. He then introduced Mrs Susie De Carteret and Mr Chris Carpenter who presented the prestigious Spinlock IRC Championship prizes and the copious hard fought Jersey Regatta trophies place prizes.
To resounding applause, Bill Harris announced that leading Law firm Carey Olsen had generously sponsored the place prizes presented that evening. He went on to thank Carey Olsen and to warmly welcome them as the incoming sponsor for 2020. Chris Carpenter, from Carey Olsen, said that they were delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Jersey Regatta and were truly looking forward to being part of the team in the coming year. The meeting, thus, concluded on a very high note.
The Carey Olsen Jersey Regatta is scheduled for 11th to 13th September 2020
Principal Results (Detailed results are available through www.jerseyregatta.com)
GBR Spinlock IRC Channel Islands Regional Championship:
Class 1
1 Jai Ho – Alex Ohlsson (4)
2 Kaya II – Roger Martel (5)
3 Abracadabra – Rhys Perkins (7)
Class 2
1 Super Q – Julian Barber (5)
2 Glory Days – Matt Knowles & David Aslett (10)
3 Fahrenheit – David Hall (13)
Friday
Class 1 – Kaya II
Class 0+1 – The Dog’s ……..! – Allen Brown
Class 2 – Rondo – Chris Fritot
Class QT – Super Q – Julian Barber
Class 3 – Helio – Leo Jeune
Saturday
Class 1 – Cruiser – Jai Ho
Class 0+1 – Sportsboat & Cruiser- The Dog’s ……..! – Allen Brown
Class 2 – Cruiser – Glory Days
Class QT – Quarter Ton – Super Q
Class 4 – Dayboat – Jamesina – Malcolm Annan
Class 5 – F18 Sport catamaran – Wildcat – Adrian Jesson & Paul Martin
Class 6 – Open Sport catamaran – Purr Energy – Gordon Burgis & Kenny Snell
Class 7 – Open Sport catamaran – Usain Boat – Luke Paxton-Garnier & Annie Brownrigg
Class 8 – Open Dinghy – Laser Radial – Peter Raimbault
Class 9 – Open Dinghy – Topper 55413 – Peter Washington
Class W – Open Windsurfer – Kona 2866 – Justin Horton
Sunday
Class 1 – Jai Ho
Class 0+1 – The Dog’s ……..!
Class 2 – Glory Days
Class QT – Super Q
Class 4 – Jamesina
Class 5 – Flying Circus – Darren Stower & Graeme Monks
Class 6 – Purr Energy
Class 7 – Usain Boat
Class 8 – Liquid Impulse – Martin Speller
Class 9 – La Fuite – Will Dengate
Class W – Kona 2866
Best-in-Class
Class 1 – Jai Ho
(Class 0+1) – The Dog’s ……..!
Class 2 – Glory Days
Class 3 – Helio
Class QT – 1 Super Q
Class 4 – Jamesina
Class 5 – Flying Circus
Class 6 – Purr Energy
Class 7 – Usain Boat
Class 8 – Liquid Impulse
Class 9 – Topper 55413
Class W – Kona 2866