Perfect conditions for RCIYC Spring Regatta

by RCIYC on 25 May 2017 What a weekend! Blazing sunshine and fair breezes that made both days of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual Spring Regatta, held in St Aubin’s Bay over 20th and 21st May, a resounding success.

Sponsored for the second year running by the Salty Dog Bar and Bistro, one of the Island’s most popular restaurants and a near neighbour to the clubhouse at St Aubin, the Regatta attracted a fleet of fifty two boats racing in seven classes, ranging through dinghies, dayboats, sport catamarans and cruiser/racers.

As ever, a separate race committee was designated to run racing for the cruiser classes and another for the sport catamaran, dayboat and dinghy classes, a formula that has proven itself in the beautiful but limited confines of the Bay.

Saturday dawned bright with slight seas and a gentle to moderate southwesterly breeze that stayed put throughout the day even as a front moved in later in the afternoon to produce the only cloud cover and spot of rain experienced over the weekend.

Come Sunday, the wind had dropped a notch and backed to the southeast. Whilst this was no big problem for the cruiser race officer things were a little different for his opposite number close inshore in the face of shiftier breezes. Suffice to say that all of the scheduled races were completed. A really satisfactory outcome for all, officials and competitors alike.

In line with the Island’s clubs’ established practice, the cruiser classes were dual-scored under NHC and IRC. David Myatt’s elegant 8 Metre, Erica, took top spot in Class A/1 under both systems, overall, with Darren Stower’s Projection 762, Crumpet, second under both and Allen Brown and partners’ Melges 24 third under NHC. All three boats finished the event with at least one win, out of four races, all with five points!

Jeff Speller’s quarter tonner, Farr 727 2Farr, won all four races in Class B/2 with Helen Barker’s 727, Arbitrator a very creditable second throughout. James Wilding’s Pandora 22, Boy Blew, and Leo Jeune’s Squib, Helio, were third and fourth, respectively, finishing the event on equal points after much cut and thrust between the two.

Three of the four dayboats chalked up at least one win in the four races with Ben Jones’ Cornish Coble, Baloo, pipping Mike Harrison’s La Rocque One Design, Jigsaw, by one point that was, in turn, one point ahead of Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina.

Ten Hobie 16s raced in the sport catamaran class with just one, Jeremy and Elsa Swetenham’s Zig Zag, choosing to fly a spinnaker. This, evidently, paid off with the boat winning race five of six to be second overall but well behind the experienced combination of Gordon Burgis and Kenny Snell on Pure Energy who chalked up four wins to finish well ahead. Also with one win to her credit, Grant Neale’s i-Gatto was third, just a point adrift of Zig Zag.

Despite it being exam time for Jersey’s teenage sailors, the dinghy fleet put up a good showing with twenty-three boats coming to the line for six races in the ‘fast’ class. The stronger winds on day one suited Guernsey’s Adam Knight’s RS800, The Contractor, to give the boat two firsts. The lighter winds of day two, clearly, did not.

Nick Querée, sailing the RS200 Over and Out, having switched from his dayboat the day before, did well on day two with a first and second whilst Guernsey’s Henrik Asplund’s RS200, Mrs Norris, clinched a first in the final race. It was to be the sister island’s overall win, however, with Andrew Bridgman well ahead with two wins to his credit and, otherwise, well-placed throughout, sailing a borrowed RCIYC Laser.

Eight boats raced in the ‘slow’ dinghy fleet with Finn Rogers, sailing Optimist ‘Warrior’, winning all but one of the six races, adding a second place to his account, to finish well ahead of arch-rival Tom Blackstone sailing Optimist ‘Slam’ who won the final race. Jack Horton sailing Optimist Little Dipper was third. Ollie Cadin, sailing Topper ‘Mad Hatter’ was fairly consistently fourth to finish fourth overall.

The Spring Regatta was brought to a close at a reception in the Clubhouse on Sunday evening when, following a welcome by Commodore James Wilding, Mrs Natalie Duffy, owner of the Salty Dog Bar and Bistro, presented the many place prizes and, to great acclaim, confirmed that the Salty Dog would be back to sponsor the event in 2018.

Results

Saturday
Class A/1 - Crumpet - Darren Stower
Class B/2 - 2Farr - Jeff Speller
Class 4 - Jamesina - Malcolm Annan
Class 6 - Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis
Class 8 - RCIYC Laser - Andrew Bridgman (Guernsey)
Class 9 - Warrior - Finn Rogers

Sunday
Class A/1 - Erica - David Myatt
Class B/2 - Jeff Speller
Class 4 - Jigsaw - Mike Harrison
Class 4 - Overall - Baloo - Ben Jones
Class 6 - Zig Zag - Jeremy and Elsa Swetenham
Class 8 - Mrs Norris - Henryk Asplund (Guernsey)
Class 9 - Warrior - Finn Rogers

Overall
Class A/1
1 Erica (NHC 5; IRC 4)
2 Crumpet (NHC 5; IRC 4)
3 The Dog’s ……..! (NHC 5)

Class B/2
1 2Farr (NHC 3; IRC 3)
2 Arbitrator (NHC 6; IRC 6)
3 Boy Blew (NHC 10)
4 Helio (NHC 10)