Spring Regatta at Royal Channel Islands YC overall

by William Harris on 4 May 2012 Connex Spring Regatta, organised by the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, was held in St Aubin’s Bay over the weekend of 28th and 29th April 2012. The event was sponsored for the fourth year in succession by Connex Transport, providers of Jersey’s public bus services.

Regatta organisers had spent a long anxious week scanning weather forecasts that were predicting gales at some point during the weekend. As things transpired, although with only a very occasional glimpse of the sun through the prevailing cloud cover, conditions were good on Saturday with fresh northeasterly winds providing excellent sailing over slight seas in the Bay. Sunday was a different story with the wind having veering southeasterly and increasing to force 6 gusting 7, coupled with heavy continuous rain. This led to the cancellation of racing for all but the cruiser classes meaning that all races to date would count in the small boat classes, there would be no discard.

As usual, the fleet was split into two with one committee boat, under race officer Bill Harris, running the cruiser programme to the south of the Bay and another, under race officer Tony Eggleston, running that for dayboats, sport-catamarans and dinghies close inshore.

Saturday opened with the sport-catamaran class, all Hobie 16s, starting the first of four back-to-back races shortly after nine o’clock, racing around a trapezoidal course. Three wins put 2011 winner Gordon Burgis’ Pure Energy well in the lead despite some very close racing. Peter Graham’s Kat Man Do won the second race but it was Luc Richard’s Ches la Vie that take took overall second ahead of Stuart McCue’s Salty Bean. A DNF in the fourth race saw Kat Man Do’s very promising performance slip to fourth overall.

The fast dinghy class, following on from the sport-catamarans, also sailed four races with Martin Speller sailing his Laser Standard, Liquid Logic, notching up three wins to establish a clear lead over Laurence Carter’s Laser Standard, RUS. Mark Lamy’s RS200 Twinkle Toes, having won the first race, was just a point behind in third place overall, a less than desirable result in race two probably costing the boat second place.

Eleven boats raced in the junior dinghy class, each one an Optimist. Two wins and a second place gave last year’s winner, David Raimbault’s More Mischief, a very clear lead over second placed William Holden’s Whatever! Déjà vu for William who was second in 2011. Elana George, sailing Optimist 5965 and with a win in the first race to her credit, was just one point behind to take third overall. This class sailed just three races.

Two races were run in the dayboat class with Mike Harrison’s La Rocque One Design, Jigsaw, winning the first race and Ben Jones’ Cornish Coble, Baloo, the second. Likewise, the second race saw the tables turned and each ended with a first and second place. Her win in the second race saw Baloo in top spot, with Jigsaw second. Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina, with two thirds was third overall. Laurence Curtis’ Cherbourg One Design, Moana, still enjoying racing having, maybe, passed her 100th birthday, was fourth.

Saturday’s racing in the cruiser classes saw Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan’s J-109, Jai Ho, the 2011 winner, take both races ahead of David Jones and Guy Pipons’ First 34.7, Jackana. Although sailing short-handed, Jackana’s performance in the second race saw her pipped by just two seconds on corrected time after an hour and a quarter’s racing. The wind direction was ideal for a mile-long windward leeward course with the Baleine buoy, just to the west of Elizabeth Castle, as the windward mark and the Les Fours buoy, off Noirmont Point, to leeward. The wind shift to the southeast on Sunday still saw the Baleine as the windward mark but the leeward mark was now the St Aubin’s race mark off St Aubin’s Fort. Both boats turned out in Sunday’s very brisk and exceedingly wet conditions, this time with Jackana fully crewed. Jai Ho, however, was not to be beaten, finishing seventeen seconds ahead of Jackana after forty minutes racing. There were no takers for the fourth race.

Cruiser classes two and three started together, on both days, shortly after the faster boats had been sent on their way. Saturday saw last year’s winner, Steve Pearl’s X-79 Less Xpense, take both races ahead of Julian Barber’s Farr 727 Super Q by approximately a minute on corrected time in both races. With a third and fourth place each, Jeff Speller’s Farr 727 2Farr and Peter Crabb and Peter Williams’ Starflash, Jackflash, finished the day with seven points each, 2Farr taking third on countback. Sunday’s unappealing weather saw a diminished fleet on the start line but once again it was Less Xpense that saw off the opposition. The margin between Less Xpense and Super Q was much as before in the first race but it was 2Farr that moved up to second just eight seconds ahead of Super Q after a short fourth race in building winds and seas. Overall, Super Q took second spot with 2Farr third.

Three boats raced in cruiser class three, all turning out on both days. Last year’s winner, Chris Fritot’s Hunter Sonata, Rondo, won all four races. Tom Vallois’ Sonata, Moonlight Sonata, took two second places on Saturday, ahead of Kevin Holden’s UFO27, Matchless. Whilst all three boats started the first race on Sunday, Moonlight Sonata thought that discretion was the better part of valour and retired some short way into the first leg of the first race. The heavier conditions were clearly to Matchless’ benefit for, while she did not manage to pip Rondo in either race corrected time difference was well under a minute on both occasions.

Despite the forecast and despite the loss of a day’s racing for the small boats, the Regatta was deemed a great success with both the Regatta supper on Saturday and the reception and prize-giving on Sunday being very well-attended indeed. The place prizes were presented by Mr and Mme Eric Le Roux of Connex. Regatta organiser Bill Harris thanked them both and Connex for four years of excellent sponsorship of the Club’s Spring Regatta.

Results:
Class 1 cruiser/racer
1 Jai Ho - Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan (3)
2 Jackana - David Jones and Guy Pipon (6)

Class 2 cruiser/racer
1 Less Xpense - Steve Pearl (3)
2 Super Q - Julian Barber (6)
3 2Farr - Jeff Speller

Class 3 cruiser/racer
1 Rondo - Chris Fritot (3)
2 Matchless - Kevin Holden (7)
3 Moonlight Sonata - Tom Vallois (9)

Class 4 - Dayboat
1 Baloo - Ben Jones (3)
2 Jigsaw - Mike Harrison (3)
3 Jamesina - Malcolm Annan (6)

Class 6 - Sport catamaran
1 Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis (7)
2 Ches la Vie - Luc Richard (13)
3 Salty Bean - Stuart McCue (18)

Class 8 - Open Dinghy (Fast)
1 Liquid Logic - Martin Speller (50
2 RUS - Laurence Carter (14)
3 Twinkle Toes - Mark Lamy (15)
4 Aquaholic - Emma Speller (15)

Class 9 - Open Dinghy (Slow)
1 More Mischief - David Raimbault (4)
2 Whatever! - William Holden (10)
3 Optimist 5965 - Elana George (11)
4 Slipstream - Peter Raimbault (11)

RCIYC Diary Dates:
19th May – Connex Glenham Trophy Races to Dahouët
9th June – Pallot Glass Race to St Cast-le-Guildo
7th – 9th July – 17th Waller-Harris Two Handed Triangle Race
11th August – British Airways Round Jersey Race
24th – 26th August – Brewin Dolphin British Hobie Cat National Championships
7th – 9th September – Brewin Dolphin 14th Jersey Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club website