Jackson Yacht Services Bay Race at Royal Channel Islands YC

The fleet start in the Jackson Yacht Services Bay Race © Bill Harris

The fleet start in the Jackson Yacht Services Bay Race © Bill Harris

The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual Jackson Yacht Services Bay Race Series was held in St Aubin’s Bay on Sunday, 15th October. A strong easterly breeze gusting to nearly thirty knots, promised some exhilarating if somewhat challenging sailing for a mixed fleet comprising sportboats, cruiser/racers, dayboats and sport-catamarans. As ever, given the easterly breeze, there was not too much sea in the Bay but a leeward mark laid a mile to the south of the Ruaudière buoy took the sportboat and cruiser classes into some very interesting conditions, fortunately mitigated by the neap tide.

The sportboat and IRC cruiser/racer classes were first away at 11.40, presenting a stunning, noisy spectacle on the start line as boats jockeyed for position before setting off on a course that took them to the Balleine buoy then onwards to the St Aubin’s Race Mark, Grunes du Port and out of the Bay to the Demie-de-Pas lighthouse and the distant leeward mark, returning by the same route to the Grunes and the finish. This course provided a fair mix of points of sailing that included a nail-biting spinnaker run from the Demie to the leeward mark.

The sportboat class excelled in the brisk conditions with Allen Brown and partners’ Melges 24, The Dog’s…! winning both races with David Myatt and Paul Treliving’s Melges, The Bee’s …..!, taking two seconds. Andrew Hosegood’s new J80, Chilli Jam, performed well to come a creditable third in the first race.

Similarly, the Sugden/Baines ILC30, Toybox, put in a couple of excellent performances to win both races in the IRC cruiser/racer class. Winner in the two previous years, Guy Pipon and Peter Williams’ J92, Jammin’, came second in the first race but a breakage forced her to retire from the second. Simon Benest and Sean Fellows’ Ker 11.3, Voodoo Doll, the fastest IRC boat on the course, took line honours in both races but had to settle for third in the first race and a very close second place in the second. David Jones’ new First 34.7, Jackana, clinched third place in the second race. Toybox won the class, overall, with Voodoo Doll second. Nigel Guenier’s J105, Jubilee G, came third, having placed fourth in both races.

The first race for the club handicap boats started ten minutes after that for the IRC fleet, sailing a slighter shorter version of the IRC course. Sadly, the spinnaker run to the south mark saw the departure of Team Micmac’s Farr 727, Micmac, one of the hot favourites, due to a breakage in the boisterous conditions. Chris Weeks’ and Chris Petra’s Starlight 30, Cassiopeia, went on to take line honours in just under two hours hard sailing but it was Nathan Turner’s Egythene 24, Van Diemen, that took the race on corrected time with Mark Tucker’s Westerly Merlin a close second and Cassiopeia third. Lisia went on to win the second race, run over a somewhat shorter course in the Bay, whilst Wally Battrick’s Mischief, Miss Mischief, came second and Cassiopeia third. The overall class winner was Lisia with Miss Mischief second and Cassiopeia third.

Three gaff-rigged boats turned out in the day boat class to race around a triangular course set in St Aubin’s Bay. These beautiful boats added a genteel touch of yesteryear to the proceedings although their looks belied their skippers’ competitive spirits. Mike Harrison, sailing solo in his diminutive La Rocque boat, Jig-Saw, won the first race from Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina but the tables were turned in the second race with Jamesina beating both Jig-Saw and sponsor Mike Jackson’s Charity. Jamesina won the series on countback.

Whilst the strong conditions deterred a number of the sport-catamaran fleet and, to the dismay of the junior sailors, kept the Dragoon class ashore, six Hobie 16s came to the start line for what transpired to be a very successful series of three back-to-back races around Olympic courses, notwithstanding the odd spectacular capsize. Sailing true to form, Hobie 16 Champion Darren Stower with last-minute stand-in crew Aaron Le Cornu, sailing Suma’s, won all three races, approximately a minute ahead of Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell on Pure Energy on each occasion. Grant Neale and Karen Larose took a third in the first race but Peter Scriven and Yvonne Winspear’s Bladerunner saw them off in the second and third races to take third. Suma’s won the series with Pure Energy second and Bladerunner third.

Once ashore, competitors gathered at the RCIYC for a reception at which Michael and Kay Jackson presented prizes on behalf of Jackson Yacht Services. Commodore Tony Eggleston thanked the sponsors for their continuing support of this very popular event, the final mixed classes’ regatta of the year.

With winter fast approaching, the winter programme is under way with the next Hobie Fleet winter series races on 29th October, the Winter Dinghy Series starting on 11th November and the Frostbite Series for the sportboat and cruiser/racer classes kicking off on 12th November.