Jackson Yacht Services Bay Races at Royal Channel Islands YC

Jackson Yacht Services Bay Races © Bill Harris

Jackson Yacht Services Bay Races © Bill Harris

Jackson Yacht Services Bay Races © Bill Harris

The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual Jackson Yacht Services Bay Races were held in St Aubin’s Bay on Saturday 16th October. A fresh to strong northnortheasterly breeze held throughout the day, providing great if sometimes challenging sailing in a moderately choppy sea. However, with winds gusting to twenty-seven knots, the race committee reluctantly decided to abandon racing for the Hobie Dragoon fleet, very disappointing for the Club’s cadets but a demonstrably sensible choice considering the subsequent attrition suffered by the Hobie 16 fleet as the event wore on.

The event opened at ten a.m. with the first of three races for the five-strong F18 multi-hull class. This proved to be a tussle between Darren Stower and Phil Sharp (of 2006 Route du Rhum fame) sailing Hobie Tiger Angry Pirate and Andy Hart and Mike Kinross on Tiger Breaching 69. Breaching 69 capsized in the strong breeze but lost little time in righting to finish just four minutes after Angry Pirate. The tables were reversed in race two with Angry Pirate suffering a capsize, leaving Breaching 69 to take the race. Angry Pirate’s quick recovery left Steve Longstaffe and Richie Langford’s Wildcat in third place. With a first and second each for the two leaders, all was on for the third and final race. Angry Pirate had eased in front of Breaching 69 by the windward mark and led throughout to take the race half a minute ahead of Breaching 69. David Carter and Charles Perkins, having suffered mixed fortunes in previous races finished third.

Eight Hobie 16s raced on the day, four survived to the finish after capsizes and breakages had taken their toll. Starting ten minutes after the F18s, the fleet was sent on two rounds of the mile-long windward-leeward course. Peter and Kate Scriven sailing Time to Spare finished well ahead to take first place with Andy Horner and Helen Holmes’s Full Tilt achieving her best result of the day taking second. Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell’s Pure Energy was third. Race two saw the tables turned with Pure Energy outsailing Time to Spare to take the race by two minutes whilst Stuart McCue and Yvonne Winspear’s Salty Bean came a close third. Now down to four boats, it was Salty Bean that was to dominate in the final race, finishing almost a minute ahead of Pure Energy with Time to Spare second. With Pure Energy and Time to Spare finishing with equal points, the outcome was decided in Pure Energy’s favour on countback.

Racing for the two-race series for the cruiser/racer classes started at twelve-thirty with the sportsboat and IRC1 classes opening proceedings. The steady wind allowed the race committee to set a one and a half mile windward-leeward course between the Vrachière and Les Fours buoys, providing excellent racing for a rather ‘select’ fleet of boats. With Mike de Figueiredo at the helm, the Archambault A35, Abracadabra, had a convincing win over Werner Toporis’ J105, Jubilee G, whilst Allen Brown and partners Melges 24, The Dog’s ……..!, put in the fastest time overall, the race having taken a little over an hour and a half. A slightly shorter course for the second race saw the pattern repeated giving the overall result to Abracadabra.

Three Farr 727 quarter tonners turned out to race in IRC class two, sailing a shorter course than the more fleet of foot Class 1s. Jeff Speller’s 2Farr sailed well to clinch convincing victories in both races. Julian Barber’s Super Q, sailing to the same handicap as 2Farr, took second in the first race but had to give way to Nigel Coxshall sailing lowest handicapped Arbitrator in the third. 2Farr was, thus, the overall winner whilst second and third were decided on countback with Arbitrator clinching second.

Competition was equally keen in the four-strong Jersey Handicap class, starting with and sailing alongside their Class 2 counterparts. Chris Fritot’s Hunter Sonata, Rondo of Cowes, won both races convincingly, adding to his excellent record of performance throughout the year. The obvious tussle was between Kevin Holden’s UFO27, Matchless, and Mark Byrne’s E-boat, Amazing Grace, each having second and third places to their names. Happily for Amazing Grace, fortune smiled and she took second on countback.

The prize-giving was held in a packed club house that evening when Mike Jackson, representing Jackson Yacht Services, presented place prizes to the band of worthy and happy winners, announcing to considerable applause that the company will continue to sponsor the event in 2011.

Overall Results:

Class 1 - cruisers (2 races)
1st Abracadabra - Mike de Figueiredo, 2pts
2nd Jubilee G - Werner Toporis, 4pts

Class 2 – cruisers (2 races)
1st 2Farr - Jeff Speller, 2pts
2nd Arbitrator - Nigel Coxshall, 5pts
3rd Super Q - Julian Barber, 5pts

Class 3 - cruisers (2 races)
1st Rondo of Cowes - Chris Fritot, 2pts
2nd Amazing Grace - Mark Byrne, 5pts
3rd Matchless - Kevin Holden, 5pts

Class 5 - Sport- catamarans (3 races)
1st Angry Pirate - Darren Stower & Phil Sharp, 4pts
2nd Breaching 69 - Andy Hart & Michael Kinross, 5pts
3rd Wildcat 1 - Steve Longstaffe & Richie Langford, 13pts

Class 6 - Sport-catamarans (3 races)
1st Pure Energy - Gordon Burgis & Ken Snell, 6pts
2nd Time to Spare - Peter & Kate Scriven, 6pts
3rd Salty Bean - Stuart McCue & Yvonne Winspear, 8pts

Full results are available on www.rciyc.je and in the Club.

The next events in the RCIYC calendar are the first of the Pallot Windows Frostbite cruiser/racer series on Sunday 31st October, starting at 10.00 a.m. and the Brewin Dolphin Hobie Winter Series also starting at 10.00 a.m.