J's in the Chocolates for Myth of Malham Race
by J/Boats 6 Jun 2021 01:38 PDT
2021 RORC Myth of Malham race © RORC / Paul Wyeth
One hundred and twenty-five boats started the 125.0nm RORC Myth of Malham Race, held over the United Kingdom's Bank Holiday Weekend. Twenty-seven J-Boats were racing with the J/133 PINTIA winning IRC Two and placing second IRC Overall.
There was more much to smile about for the J/Boats family and not just the spectacular weather! Michael O'Donnell's J/121 DARKWOOD was second in IRC One. Christopher Daniel's J/122E Juno was third in IRC Two class. Maxime Mesnil's J/99 Axe Sail, taking part in its debut race, was third in IRC 3 class by just 19 seconds. David McGough's J/109 JUST SO was third in IRC 4 Class.
Ten J/109s were in action, Mike Yates' JAGO was the first J/109 to finish, racing double handed with Eivind Bøymo-Malm.
High pressure at the start of the race, delivered light to moderate conditions with brilliant sunshine for a magnificent spinnaker run down the South Coast of England. On the morning of Day Two, as the majority of the fleet were rounding the Eddystone Lighthouse, the wind speed increased to over 20 knots from the northeast. A feisty beat in confused seas lasted for about seven hours. The wind faltered later in the race creating calm seas, which combined with a strong unfavorable tide, to slow the progress of the smaller boats.
Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine's French J/133 PINTIA won the Jamarella Trophy for IRC Two Class and placed second overall for the fleet. IRC Two produced the most competitive contest for a class podium with less than 20 minutes separating PINTIA from the other two boats on the podium after 36 hours of racing.
"We are very pleased to race the Myth of Malham Trophy Race, our first race since Cherbourg in 2019," commented PINTIA's Gilles Fournier. "We were very eager to come to England in spite of the pandemic. Even with all the safety measures in place, we received a good welcome in Cowes. For the race, we had friendly and well-sailed competitors, and PINTIA is delighted to have won our class. On the way back, Portland Bill was tough with a lot of tide, and we were overtaken by our competitors. But, we got back, which was so nice. Thank you to the RORC for a great race!"
More RORC Myth of Malham sailing information here...