Jersey to St. Malo Race at Royal Channel Island Yacht Club

Very light south-westerly winds for the seventeen boats in the annual race from Jersey to St Malo © Bill Harris

Very light south-westerly winds greeted the seventeen boats that came to the line on Good Friday morning for the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s annual race from Jersey to St Malo.

Starting one hour after high water, in just sufficient breeze to keep way on the boats, the best plan was to keep to the west of St Aubin’s Bay to make the most of the south-going tide. Boats that chose to tack into the Bay found that they ran out of wind, under the influence of the north-going tide, and had to watch as those more fortunate crept past the Grunes du Port buoy to set off on the mile-long beat to the Passage Rock buoy. The back markers eventually cleared the Bay about an hour after the start by which time the leaders were well past the Passage Rock and heading south under spinnaker.

Simon Benest and Sean Fellowes Ker 11.3, Voodoo Doll, took an early lead in the IRC class, ahead of the Bedell Group Racing Team’s Bénéteau 35s Jackana, skippered by David Jones, and the new and evidently quick Archambault 35, Abracadabra, with Rhys Perkins at the helm. Somewhat sadly, Voodoo Doll was seen to be heading for home after just a few hours’ racing, definitely not part of the team’s original strategy!

With the wind staying light but constant and the weather very fair, boats had an enjoyable spinnaker run well past the Southwest Minquiers buoy with just one gybe to port to take them to the finishing line off the Grand Jardin lighthouse.

Voodoo Doll’s retirement let Jackana through to take line honours but not without the excitement of having Abracadabra breathing down her neck, there being but sixteen seconds between the two boats. However, the Pearl partnership’s High Tension 36, finishing some sixteen minutes later had sailed a faultless race to win by a twelve minute margin on corrected time.

Chris Weeks’ and Chris Petra’s Starlight 30, Cassiopeia, was the quickest boat in the Club Handicap class, finishing some forty minutes behind Jackana to take line honours. However, the downwind conditions suited Mark Tucker’s Westerly Merlin, Lisia, just fine and, although the back marker throughout the race, she won the race by a ten-minute margin on corrected time. Julian Rogers’ Sigma 33, Canders, finishing just nineteen seconds after Cassiopeia took third.

Overall Results:

IRC Class – Commodore’s Cup
1 Contango, S Pearl & Partners, 8.03.23
2 Jackana, D Jones, 8.15.07
3 Abracadabra, R Perkins, 8.20.45
4 Gingazing, I Jones, 8.32.08
5 X2C, B Milner, 8.36.25
6 Cordon Bleu, D Langlois, 8.44.27
7 Jubilee-G, W Toporis, 9.04.10
DNF Voodoo Doll, S Benest & S Fellows

RCH Class – Cook Salver
1 Lisia, M Tucker, 9.35.30
2 Cassiopeia, Chris Weeks, 9.45.03
3 Canders, J Rogers, 9.58.35
4 Dancing Bear, M Gare, 9.59.28
5 Huff’n’Puff, B McGinley, 10.20.58
6 Never Dry, J Barber, 10.28.04
7 Premiere Pelfe, P Sands, 10.40.51
8 Minx, C Blampied, 10.43.40
DNF Seawynds, B Eld

The next RCIYC event is the Spring Regatta, sponsored by the Laryngeal Mask Co Ltd, taking place over 21st and 22nd April. Visit www.rciyc.org for full details.