RCIYC Spring Regatta 2015 overall

by William Harris on 6 May 2015 Held in St Aubin’s Bay over the weekend of 25 and 26 April, the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s Spring Regatta was treated to a challenging variety of wind conditions with light and very wet conditions on Saturday and zero wind on Sunday morning, the saving grace being a fine breeze that filled in shortly after midday.

This was the first major multi-class regatta of the season, generously sponsored by Princess Yachts Channel Islands, making their debut on the Channel Islands racing scene.

As ever, race management was split between two committee boats and their respective race officers, one dedicated to running the F18 sport catamaran and cruiser classes’ program to the south of the Bay whilst the other, complemented by a finish boat, took care of the busy open sport catamaran, dayboat and dinghy classes’ program, well inshore.

Whilst the turnout was a commendable fifty-four boats, much the same as in 2014, it was the sport-catamaran, dinghy and dayboat classes that were particularly well represented. Cruiser numbers were thin indeed, leading to much speculation as to whether it was ‘too early in the season’.

Despite the rain, things went well on Saturday. In a light southerly breeze, the cruiser classes were sent off on a ‘round the cans’ course. Whilst Neil MacLachlan and Alex Ohlsson’s J109, Jai Ho, took line honours in both races in class one, she never succeeded in getting well clear of David Myatt’s eight-metre, Erica, who won both races in class one by a minute or so on corrected time. Julian Barber’s Farr 727, Super Q took line honours in both races in class two with Jeff Speller’s Farr 727, 2Farr, coming within striking distance of winning race two. Similarly, Chris Fritot’s Sonata, Rondo, carried the day in class three with James Wilding’s Pandora 22, Boy Blew, second.

Four F18s raced over windward leeward courses on Saturday morning with Phil Sharp and Andy Hart’s Wildcat taking all three races ahead of Darren Stower and Graham Monks’ Wildcat Flying Smurf. Adrian Jesson and Bruce Steedman were third on their Wildcat, Hobie 45, having retired prior to the final race.

The total absence of wind on Sunday morning eventually led to classes one and two going home just before noon, very shortly before a moderate northerly breeze filled in, as predicted. The class three boats and the F18 sport catamarans, however, persevered to enjoy excellent racing.

Once again, it was Rondo’s day, winning both races convincingly ahead of Boy Blew and Sean Scarsbrook’s mini-tonner, Miss Mischief. Just two F18s raced, Stower and Monks winning the first and third races whilst Sharp and Hart won the second with a stunning finish that saw their boat less than ten centimetres clear of their rival as they stormed through the finish line to clinch overall victory.

Racing over an Olympic course, under the auspices of the inshore race committee, Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell, sailing Hobie 16 Pure Energy, had six straight wins over the weekend, well clear of Grant Neale and Karen Larose on Hobie 16 iCAT. There’s little doubt that the race committee found conditions somewhat challenging in keeping their rather sophisticated course aligned but there were no complaints, in the final analysis.

RCIYC Cadets Leo Marshall and Megan Newstead notched up three wins on Saturday, in the Hobie Dragoon class, with a fourth on Sunday, Arthur Carey now crewing, giving them overall first place ahead of Chloë and Elsa Swetenham who had won two races on Sunday.

The dayboat class raced on Saturday, only, with Mike Harrison’s La Rocque beach boat, Jigsaw, winning both races. Ben Jones’ Cornish Coble, Baloo, was second overall on countback, pushing Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina, into third place.

Sailing his Laser Standard, Liquid Logic, Martin Speller won four out of six races over the weekend to win class eight overall, well clear of second-placed David Raimbault’s Laser Radial, Mad Dash, who had won race five on Sunday. James Michel was third in his Topper Xenon , winner of race four on Sunday.

As ever, with a significant St Catherine’s SC presence, talent was very much in evidence in class nine. All three top places went to Optimist dinghies. Phoebe Le Marquand, sailing Sky Full of Stars, was first with four wins whilst Peter Raimbault’s Rascal, with two wins, was second. Edward Poignand’s Butterfly was third overall.

The prizegiving was held in the Clubhouse on the Sunday evening when Mr and Mrs Nick Rice and Mr and Mrs Miles Strong presented place prizes for each day and replica yacht trophies as overall prizes. Commodore Darren Stower expressed the Club’s warmest thanks to Princess Yachts Channel Islands for their very kind support of this major event in the Island’s sailing programme.

Important dates for your diary:
4th – 6th July – 20th Waller-Harris Two-handed Triangle Race
8th August – British Airways Round Jersey race
22nd and 23rd August – RCIYC Channel Islands Hobie Cat Championships
4th – 6th September – Combined Clubs’ UBS Jersey Regatta

Principal results

Saturday
Cruiser
Class 1 - Erica - David Myatt
Class 2 - Super Q - Julian Barber
Class 3 - Rondo - Chris Fritot

Dayboat
Class 4 - Jigsaw - Mike Harrison

Sport Catamaran
Class 5 - Wildcat - Phil Sharp and Andy Hart
Class 6 - Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell
Class 7 - Dragoon 218 - Leo Marshall and Megan Newstead (Sat) and Arthur Carey (Sun)

Dinghy
Class 8 - Liquid Logic - Martin Speller
Class 9 - Sky Full of Stars - Phoebe Le Marquand

Sunday
Class 3 - Rondo
Class 5 - Flying Smurf - Darren Stower and Graham Monks
Class 6 - Pure Energy
Class 7 - Dragoon 1076 - Chloe and Elsa Swetenham
Class 8 - Liquid Logic
Class 9 - Sky Full of Stars

Overall
Class 1 – Erica
Class 2 – Super Q
Class 3 – Rondo
Class 4 – Jigsaw
Class 5 – Wildcat
Class 6 – Pure Energy
Class 7 – Dragoon 1076
Class 8 – Liquid Logic
Class 9 – Sky Full of Stars