Spring Regatta at Royal Channel Island Yacht Club - Preview
by Bill Harris 5 Apr 2009 23:13 PDT
18-19 April 2009
The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual Spring Regatta, taking place in St Aubin’s Bay over the weekend of 18th and 19th April, is sponsored for the first time by Jersey’s public transport company Connex. This brand new deal will see the company’s name closely linked with the Island’s sailing scene for some years to come. Eric Le Roux, Connex’ Managing Director, said that Connex is delighted to support this exciting event involving Islanders from a very wide cross-section of the community and wishes competitors and organisers alike a very successful Regatta.
The Regatta is open to visiting boats and features two days of competitive racing for sportsboats, cruiser/racers, dayboats, dinghies and sport catamarans, finishing with a prize giving and supper in the RCIYC clubhouse on the Sunday evening.
The 2008 edition saw superb racing on the Saturday but competitors will undoubtedly recall the black clouds, stillness and oily seas of a frustrating Sunday morning spent waiting for a thunderstorm to pass through. The wait was in vain and racing was abandoned, diminishing but little the crews’ later enjoyment of the prize-giving..
Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan’s J92S, Jaya of Jersey won IRC class 1 whilst Steve Pearl & partners X79, Less Xpense carried the day in class 2. Ian Vidamour, sailing the Etchells Bacchanal, won the club handicap class. In the ‘small’ boat classes, Gordon Burgis’ Hobie 16, Pure Energy, came first in the sport-catamaran class whilst Heather Speller sailing her Streaker, Flasher, won the open dinghy class. It is expected that they will all be in action in the Spring Regatta to defend their titles.
The schedule includes two races back-to-back ‘around the cans’ each day for the cruiser/racer classes and three back-to-back Olympic course races for the sport catamaran and dinghy classes. The first warning signal is scheduled for 10.55 a.m. both days. With up to thirty boats racing regularly in the cruiser/racer classes and a very strong local Hobie fleet the weekend promises some really competitive racing.
The published closing date for entries is Wednesday 15th April although late entries may be accepted.
The Notice of Race and entry form are on the RCIYC website and hard copies are available in the Island’s clubs. Further information may be obtained from the RCIYC administrator, tel. +44 (0)1534 745783 or e-mail 
