12th Waller-Harris Race at Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club

Strong winds for the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s 12th Waller-Harris Two-handed Triangle Race © Bill Harris

Strong winds for the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s 12th Waller-Harris Two-handed Triangle Race © Bill Harris

Strong south-westerly winds greeted the eleven-strong fleet that turned out for the first leg of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club’s 12th Waller-Harris Two-handed Triangle Race on 30th June.

With Binic (Cotes d’Armor) being the first port-of-call, the promise of a forty mile race with the wind on the nose in rough seas unsurprisingly meant reduced numbers; most years have seen anything up to twenty-five boats competing in this classic event. However, whilst conditions throughout the three days were fairly challenging there were no complaints, many devotees remembering all too clearly the lack of wind that plagued last year’s event.

The fleet, comprising IRC and club handicap classes were sent on their way at 9.00 a.m., on the Saturday, from a starting line set in St Aubin’s Bay by the Club’s Rear Commodore Ken Le Marquand. A clean start saw boats beating up to the Grunes du Port buoy before bearing away for a shy reach and bumpy ride on the fast-ebbing tide to the Passage Rock buoy where they settled down for the long beat to the finishing line off the Caffa buoy, a few miles east of Binic.

In the IRC class, Rhys Perkins and Bob de la Haye’s Archambault 35, Abracadabra, appearing for the first time in the Triangle, led the way to the Passage Rock to be overtaken by Charlie Gruchy and Mike de Figuereido’s Dufour 44, Deckadent, the bigger boat carving its way through the moderate seas to take line honours in a little more than seven hours, finishing some forty minutes ahead of Abracadabra. This lead was more than sufficient to give Deckadent the race on corrected time. Ian Jones and Angela Le Couteur’s Bénéteau 31.7, Gingazing, put in her best performance of the event with a third place.

Top performer in the club handicap class was Arthur Manning’s Sadler Starlight 35, Knight Star, crewed by race organiser and sponsor Bill Harris, finishing some twenty minutes ahead of David de Carteret and Phil Burton’s Bénéteau 393, Oz.Pom. Trevor Beaton and Jane Mourant’s Sadler Starlight 35, Ocean Star, came third.

Whilst the body of the fleet arrived in good time, three boats missed the gate at Binic and continued on their way to the nearby deep-water marina at St Quay-Portrieux. In keeping with tradition, crews spent the evening together, swapping yarns over dinner in Binic’s Nord-Sud restaurant.

Sunday morning dawned bright and breezy with the wind having veered westerly overnight. After a slightly delayed start, the race committee (Knight Star) sent the fleet away at 0845 from a start line set just outside Binic harbour. Spinnakers were quickly hoisted as boats set a northerly course to take them to the Men Marc’h buoy, some seventeen miles distant, before heading westward for the finish line off the Basse Crublent buoy at the entrance to the channel leading to Tréguier. This leg was tremendously scenic, superb visibility with a strong gusting breeze to keep the spi trimmers on their toes. The leg also produced the heaviest rain of the weekend as huge dense black clouds emerged over Bréhat to give the front runners a good dousing.

Once again, Abracadabra and Deckadent quickly left the body of the fleet to have their own race with the Archambault excelling on the reach whilst the Dufour came into her own on rounding the Men Marc’h, beating westwards in the rolling westerly swell. This time, however, Abracadabra had done sufficiently well on the reach to clinch first place on corrected time whilst Deckadent had to be content with line honours and second place. Triangle newcomers, Werner and Andrew Toporis, sailing their recently-acquired J-105, Jubilee G, sailed well to clinch third on corrected time.

Mark Tucker and James Wilding, sailing the Westerly Merlin Lisia, having brought up the rear on the first leg, beat Ocean Star on corrected time to take the club handicap class with Oz.Pom third.

Mooring in Tréguier was without the excitement that occasionally accompanies berthing when the river is flooding. With a few hours of R&R to their credit, crews descended on the Hotel L’Estuaire for dinner, where they were joined by co-sponsors Rodney & Denise Waller.

Crews awoke to fair weather on the Monday morning and were soon making their way downstream to the assembly point at the Basse Crublent buoy for a 10 a.m. start. Conditions at sea, however, were somewhat livelier with a fast-ebbing tide, huge westerly swell and about thirty knots of south-westerly breeze. Unsurprisingly, the itinerant race committee aboard Knight Star was keen to get the race under way without delay, a feat accomplished without a hitch in very boisterous conditions.

Given that the wind was straight down the rhumb line to Jersey, tactics varied greatly with some boats opting to gybe either south or north whilst others settled for a course dead down-wind with or without a poled-out genoa. The northerly gybe took some boats on a visit to the Roches Douvres whilst those running straight down the rhumb line cast apprehensive glances at the depth sounder as they navigated the Barnouic plateau.

Whilst many might have thought about it or even came close to it, no-one ventured to hoist a spinnaker in the big following seas. Some boats were already recording fifteen knots of boat speed, the slower ones something just over ten!

Abracadabra again took line honours in the IRC class after six and half hours sailing, just four minutes ahead of Deckadent and beating her on handicap. Jubilee G put in a sparkling performance to take second place on corrected time forcing the Dufour into third.

Lisia chalked up another win in the club handicap class, beating Knight Star by just four minutes on corrected time. Oz.Pom came third.

With all three legs run in the face of stiff competition and in less than ideal conditions Abracadabra and Lisia celebrated overall victory in their respective classes. The event closed with the place prize-giving, held at the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club on Thursday evening.

Overall Results:

IRC Class
1st Abracadabra, R Perkins/B de la Haye 4pts
2nd Deckadent, C de Gruchy/M de Figuereido 6pts
3rd Jubilee-G, W Toporis/A Toporis 10pts
4th Gingazing, I Jones/A le Couteur 13pts
5th Malinou, D Halford/S Halford 14pts
6th Kalina, C Challinor/R Challinor 18pts

RCH Class
1st Lisia, M Tucker/J Wilding 7pts
2nd Oz.Pom, D de Carteret/P Burton 8pts
3rd Knight Star, A Manning/W Harris 9pts
4th Ocean Star, T Beaton/J Manourant 9pts
5th Premier Pelfe, P Sands/M Jackson 13pts

Forthcoming events:

British Airways Round Jersey Race – 19th August
9th Jersey Telecom Regatta - 7th to 9th September

Visit www.rciyc.org for results and notices of race.