Rossborough Round the Island Race at Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club
by Bill Harris 23 Aug 2018 06:48 PDT
19 August 2018
Rossborough Round the Island Race start © Simon Ropert
The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club's annual Round the Island Race, held on Sunday 19th August, saw twenty-five boats on the line in St Aubin's Bay for the ten o'clock start of this annual forty mile anticlockwise circumnavigation of Jersey.
Whilst the sun failed to shine, conditions could hardly have been better even if a little challenging and, certainly, very wet at times. There was no shortage of breeze; fresh to strong westerly winds were bound to provide great racing coupled with plenty of variety in tidal and wave conditions throughout.
The early start on the flood meant that records were unlikely to be broken with boats facing foul tide for a large proportion of the race once the tide had turned. Tactics were to be all important from the northeast corner of the course and onwards with boats that chose to hug the coast making significant gains.
The wind gods really did smile on the race committee, that day, as they set the line off the Vrachière buoy with the Diamond Rock buoy, the first mark, half a mile dead to windward, the wind having backed, unexpectedly, to the southwest for the start, veering as the race progressed. The sight of the fleet tacking through the Bay was stunning!
Philip Burton's Arcona 410, Arctic Tern, led to the mark with Allen Brown and partners' Melges 24 sportsboat, The Dog's........!, just seconds behind, quickly hoisting her spinnaker for the reach to the five miles distant Violet Channel buoy. The Melges, having passed the Arcona off the Demi de Pas lighthouse, was clearly in her element, arriving at the Violet six minutes ahead.
With these two exchanging the lead as the race progressed, it was the Melges that crossed the finish line, off the Diamond Rock buoy, to take line honours in just under five and a half hours, returning the fastest time for the IRC fleet overall and winning the Sportsboat Trophy. It was, however, David Myatt's elegant and highly competitive 8 Metre, Erica, that won the day and the much-coveted Jesse Boot Trophy in the IRC 1 class, finishing well ahead of David Carter's Sunfast 3200, Lady Penelope, in second place with Arctic Tern third.
Never shy to hoist her spi at every opportunity, Julian Barber's Farr 727 was the star performer in IRC 2, completing the race in just under six and a half hours to almost pip the Melges on corrected time. Tactically, things went well for her despite duelling and being constantly under threat from Peter Crabb and Peter Williams' X95, Paper Tiger, whose affinity to a lump of weed in the turbulent waters off Grosnez was a factor in letting Super Q escape down St Ouen's Bay.
The X95 managed to overhaul the Farr again once through the equally sporty waters off Corbière lighthouse during the challenging spinnaker ride to Noirmont and the finish. Whilst Paper Tiger was first to the line, Super Q took the race by ten minutes on corrected time to win the Cabot Memorial Trophy. Nick Bailhache's Moody 31, Fillipene, was third having duelled throughout the race with St Malo-based Jacque Minet's Symphonie 29, Gwez Gwern that finished fourth.
Honours in Class 3 (NHC) went to Rodney Challinor's Buchanan 41, Kalina, who, was seen to be having mainsail problems off Grosnez despite which she finished well ahead of the pack on elapsed time and twenty minutes ahead of Paul Ellison's Strider catamaran, La Vitesse. Andrew Pearce's Sigma 362, Odin's Raven, brand new to Jersey and on her first outing was third. A promising start!
Starting ten minutes after the cruisers, Darren Stower and Graeme Monks' Hobie Wildcat, Smurf, was the first of the five-strong F18 fleet to the Diamond with Andy Hart and Michael Kinross' Wildcat 517 and Adrian Jesson and Paul Martins' Wildcat 565 in hot pursuit. A shy spinnaker run to the Violet saw boats averaging fifteen knots whilst a gybe northwards gave speeds of up to nineteen knots until boats dropped spis to come on the wind for a tacking duel along the north coast.
Speed over the ground dropped to an average of eight knots until boats rounded Grosnez for a fifty minute dash past L'Etacq, through St Ouen's Bay, a surf round Corbière and spinnaker run home in big seas. Smurf took the race in a little under four hours to win the Stower Trophy with the Hart/Kinross partnership second and Jesson/Martin third. Whilst not in podium positions, much credit is also due to Steve Longstaffe and Matt Ruane sailing Wildcat 1 and Jimmy Fullerton and Gemma Newman sailing the Hobie Tiger Fearful Symmetry for their successful circumnavigation.
Just two Hobie 16s competed in the 'slow' sport catamaran class, having started with the F18s. Ollie Voak and Owen Harper, sailing Rubicat, were first out of the Bay to lead Double Trouble with Declan Flambard and Megan McDonagh aboard. All went well for Rubicat who sailed to victory after exactly five hours, no easy feat given the turbulent seas off the headlands. Sadly for Double Trouble, retirement was the only answer when her man halyard snapped as she sailed up the east coast, eventually beaching in Rozel harbour. A valiant effort, nevertheless.
With all boats safely home, it was time to hotfoot it to the RCIYC, the place prize-giving and supper. In a packed Clubhouse, Rear Commodore Kevin Newman expressed the Club's thanks to all who had contributed to the success of the event mentioning, particularly, the RIB crews who had had the wet and lumpy task of escorting the sport catamarans around the Island.
Following on, he took great pleasure in introducing Mr Clive De la Cour, Group Chairman of Rossborough Insurance, thanking him for their three years' sponsorship and for his personal participation in and support for this race, in particular. Bringing the event to a close, Mr De la Cour raised a great round of applause when he announced that Rossborough Insurance will continue their sponsorship into 2019.
An important Diary date: UBS 20th Jersey Regatta, 14th - 16th September (entries close 7th September). See details here
Rossborough Round the Island Race Results:
Class 1 Cruisers
1. Erica - David Myatt (5.31.15) t(Jesse Boot Trophy)
2. Lady Penelope - David Carter (5.42.39
3. Arctic Tern - Philip Burton (5.57.26)
4. Grace - Bob Milner (6.05.14)
5. Morrina IV - Peter Funk (6.29.24)
Class 0 + 1 Sportsboats and Cruisers
1. The Dog's........! - Allen Brown (5.27.08
Class 2 Cruisers
1. Super Q - Julian Barber (5.29.55) (Cabot Memorial Trophy)
2. Paper Tiger - Peter Crabb and Peter Williams (5.40.34)
3. Fillipene - Nick Bailhache (5.55.54)
4. Gwez Gwern - Jacques Minet (5.59.29)
5. Moonlight Sonata - Tom Vallois (6.03.08)
6. Wandering Star - Micheal Foreman (6.09.47)
DNF Arrasy
DNF Gemini
Class 3 Cruisers
1. Kalina - Rodney Challinor (5.53.36)
2. La Vitesse (catamaran) - Paul Ellison (6.12.13)
3. Odin's Raven - Andrew Pearce (6.25.01)
4. Starbound - Emma Makin (7.07.05)
Class 4 - F18 sport catamarans
1. Smurf - Darren Stower and Graeme Monks
2. Wildcat 517 - Andy Hart and Michael Kinross
3. Wildcat 565 - Adrian Jesson and Paul Martin
4. Wildcat 1 - Steve Longstaffe and Matt Ruane
5. Fearful Symmetry - James Fullerton and Gemma Newman
Class 5 - Sport Catamarans
1. Rubicat - Ollie Voak and Owen Harper
DNF Double Trouble