RCIYC Spring Regatta takes place on St Aubin's Bay

by Bill Harris on 11 Apr 2014 The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual Spring Regatta, sponsored for the first time by London Eye Hospital, was held in St Aubin’s Bay over the weekend of 5th-6th April. Notwithstanding the somewhat early date, sea temperature at ten degrees and a fairly dismal forecast for Sunday, over fifty boats turned out for what proved to be a superb regatta held in truly excellent conditions.

The wind, forecast to be anything between light and variable to fresh, held steady throughout the weekend, a southerly breeze gusting to force four with only slight seas. With no significant wind shifts throughout the weekend, the race officers’ brows remained unfurrowed.

Racing got under way at nine a.m. on Saturday, following the Friday evening briefing, with the cruiser classes crossing the line south of the Diamond Rock buoy for the first of the day’s two races. As usual, the Regatta involved two committee boats, A for the cruiser and F18 sport-catamaran classes and B for the smaller sport-catamaran, dayboat and dinghy classes. Thus, with three races to run, the sport-catamaran classes opened proceedings close inshore under the watchful eyes of committee boat B’s race committee.

The dayboat and dinghy classes were to follow two hours later once the sport-cats had started their third race.

Racing over courses laid to the south of the Bay and offshore, Rhys Perkins and Partners Archambault 35, Abracadabra, carried the day in the IRC1 cruiser/racer class narrowly beating Neil Maclachlan and Alex Ohlsson’s J109, Jai Ho in both races.

First blood in IRC2 went to Peter Crabb and Peter Williams’ Starflash, Jackflash, ahead of Steve Pearl and Steve Manning’s X79, Less Xpense, but with a win in the second race it was the X79 that won the day. Jeff Speller’s Farr 727, 2Farr, notched up a second place in race two.

Chris Fritot’s Sonata, Rondo, won both races in the Island handicap class ahead of Paul Stanley’s Sigma 33, Warrior.

Similarly, Mike Harrison’s La Rocque One Design won both races in the dayboat class whilst Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina, narrowly missed turning the tables in both races.

The F18 sport-catamarans, sporting black ribbons as a mark of respect for Hobie Alter, presented a very dashing spectacle, racing over windward-leeward courses throughout the weekend. Andy Hart and Michael Kinross on their Hobie Tiger, Breaching 69, won the first race by five seconds from Adrian Jesson and Bruce Steedman on the Wildcat Hobie245.

With wins in races two and three, Darren Stower and Laurence Carter took the day by just one point with Hobie 245 second.

In the open sport-catamaran class, Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell, sailing Hobie 16 Pure Energy, won two of the three races run over trapezoidal courses. Grant Neale and Karen Larose’s Hobie 16 iCAT took the last race of the day to rob them of a hat trick.

Also providing a welcome splash of colour was the Hobie Dragoon fleet manned, in the main, by RCIYC cadets. Leo Marshall’s Dragoon 1034 won two races to take the day with Tom Newman’s Dragoon 220 second. Ollie Voak’s Dragoon 1077 won race two to put him third at close of play.

Sailing his Laser Standard, Martin Speller won all three races in the ‘fast’ dinghy class with convincing wins in races one and three. Jeremy Barnes’ Fireball, Consortium, came within thirty seconds of winning race two but it was Justin Horton’s Streaker, Stormbird, that finished the day in second place.

Peter Raimbault’s Optimist, Rascal, won all three races in the very hotly contested ‘slow’ dinghy class with Elana St George’s Optimist, Shrimp, always in contention.

Sunday saw the sole sportsboat, Allen Brown and Partners Melges 24, The Dog’s ……..!, win the combined sportsboat and IRC1 group after two races. David Myatt’s beautiful International 8m, Erica, won the first race whilst Abracadabra took the second race to win overall.

In IRC2, Less Xpense sailed to victory in the first race well ahead of second placed Less Xpense but was denied a second win by Helen Barker’s Farr 727, Arbitrator, that finished thirty seconds ahead of the X79 on corrected time. Less Xpense took the overall title two points ahead of Jackflash.

Rondo had another two clear wins in class three to win overall.

The second day’s racing saw Smurf beating off strong opposition in Class 5 from both Hobie245 and Breaching 69 to take all three races and the overall top spot. Hobie 245 with six straight second places was second overall.

In Class 6, Pure Energy also had another good day winning two races but having to be content with a second place in race five that was won by Stuart McCue and Sandrine Swetenham. Pure Energy won overall with iCAT in second place.

Day two in the Hobie Dragoon fleet, Class 7, saw Dragoon 220 in top spot with two wins and a second place that put her on level pegging with Dragoon 1034 that won the series on countback.

Liquid Logic took all three races in Class 8 to give her six straight wins overall. Stormbird was second overall with Katie Bennett-Jones’ Laser Radial, Wavetrain, just two points behind.

Fortunes were mixed for Class 8. Shrimp won the first race, It’s Not My Fault (Tom Pollard) the second and Rascal the third. Rascal proved to be the clear winner overall with It’s Not My Fault and Shrimp on equal points, It’s Not My Fault coming second on count-back.

The Regatta drew to a close in a packed Clubhouse on Sunday evening when the Commodore, Darren Stower, presented the place prizes. He thanked London Eye Hospital for their keen support of what had been a very successful Spring Regatta. He also thanked the thirty-plus volunteers who had manned the committee boats and RIBs and all those who had looked after things ashore.

Principal results

Saturday
Class 1 cruiser - Abracadabra - Rhys Perkins and Ptnrs
Class 2 cruiser - Less Xpense - Steve Pearl and Steve Manning
Class 3 cruiser - Rondo - Chris Fritot
Class 4 dayboat - Jigsaw - Mike Harrison
Class 5 sport-catamaran - Smurf - Darren Stower
Class 6 sport-catamaran - Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis
Class 7 sport-catamaran - Dragoon 1034 - Leo Marshall
Class 8 open dinghy - Liquid Logic - Martin Speller
Class 9 open dinghy - Rascal - Peter Raimbault

Sunday
Combined classes 0 + 1 - The Dog's ........! - Allen Brown and Ptnrs
Class 1 cruiser - Erica - David Myatt
Class 2 cruiser - Less Xpense - Steve Pearl and Steve Manning
Class 3 cruiser - Rondo - Chris Fritot
Class 4 dayboat - Jigsaw - Mike Harrison
Class 5 sport-catamaran - Smurf - Darren Stower
Class 6 sport-catamaran - Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis
Class 7 sport-catamaran - Dragoon 220 - Tom Newman
Class 8 open dinghy - Liquid Logic - Martin Speller
Class 9 open dinghy - It's Not My Fault - Tom Pollard

Overall winners
Class 1 – Abracadabra – Rhys Perkins and Ptnrs
Class 2 - Less Xpense _ Steve Pearl and Steve Manning
Class 3 - Rondo – Chris Fritot
Class 4 - Jigsaw – Mike Harrison
Class 5 - Smurf – Darren Stower
Class 6 - Pure Energy – Gordon Burgis
Class 7 - Dragoon 1034 – Leo Marshall
Class 8 - Liquid Logic – Martin Speller
Class 9 – Rascal – Peter Raimbault