UBS Jersey Regatta gets underway this weekend
by Bill Harris on 13 Sep 2017
Class 1 JR16 – UBS Jersey Regatta Simon Ropert
The 19th edition of the combined clubs’ Jersey Regatta, sponsored for the fifth year in succession by UBS AG Jersey, gets under way on Thursday evening, 14th September, with an ice-breaking reception at St Helier YC where Commodore Steve Pearl will, on behalf of the Island’s three clubs, welcome all to this leading event in the Channel Island’s busy sailing calendar.
This year sees seventy boats signed up for what promises to be three days of exciting and competitive racing coupled with the traditional friendly rivalry and fun that always accompanies the Regatta. Despite the inclement weather, so much a feature of September to date, things look to improve for the weekend with ‘only’ a fresh northwesterly breeze in view.
With strong contenders arriving from France, Guernsey and the UK, local boats will need to be on their mettle in the face of what will, surely, be stiff competition.
The cruiser classes open proceedings on Friday morning with a 30 mile coastal race that will see the fleet racing on a course set to the south of the Island. The dinghy, dayboat, sport catamaran and windsurfer classes come on the scene late in the afternoon for a single race in the beautiful confines of St Aubin’s Bay.
With the windsurfer class having made its first colourful appearance in the Regatta in 2016, things have moved up a gear in that the Regatta hosts the British Kona Championship this year.
St Aubin’s Bay will, undoubtedly, present a spectacular sight over Saturday and Sunday when all classes come to the line for the first of three back-to-back races each day. Again, the cruiser classes will be racing to the south whilst their smaller counterparts race over an Olympic course set in the Bay itself.
However, the Regatta is not entirely about the cut and thrust of racing. With receptions each evening and Saturday’s party night there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to relax and enjoy the warmth of the welcome that awaits them in the clubs.
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