Jersey Telecom Regatta - Overall
by Bill Harris 13 Sep 2007 07:54 BST
7-9 September 2007
Racing on day one of the Jersey Telecom Regatta © Bill Harris
Nearly eighty boats turned out last weekend to compete in the 9th Jersey Telecom Regatta. With the weather dominated by a high-pressure system, the light northerly winds were in stark contrast to last year’s strong southerlies that produced somewhat challenging but exhilarating conditions. Notwithstanding the vagaries of a wind that blew fairly fitfully and changeably over the weekend, there were few that did not enjoy basking in the sunshine on generally calm seas off the Island’s south coast.
The Regatta opened early on the Friday morning with a race for the cruiser classes to the Northwest Minquiers buoy and back. With the wind a little to the east of north, a running start in St Aubin’s Bay saw a flurry of spinnakers as boats hoisted and settled down for the fifteen mile leg to the distant mark. Allen Brown and partners’ Melges 24, The Dog’s ……..! led the way to the Passage Rock buoy and onwards to eventually take line honours off St Helier, just one minute ahead of visiting French competitor Marc Noel, sailing the J105 Moontiger. After five hours sailing, Moontiger took the race over five minutes ahead of the Melges on corrected time with Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclahlan’s J92S, Jaya, third.
Local man Steve Pearl’s newly-acquired X79, Less Xpense won IRC Class 2 whilst French competitor, Loic Gourio’s Malouine, won the club handicap class with compatriot Patrick Carcaillet’s Moustique second. Mark Tucker’s Weesterly Merlin came third. This race enjoyed the strongest breezes of the Regatta, producing a fast spi run to the Minquiers and a quick beat home via the Hinguette Buoy.
This year, Jersey had the great pleasure of welcoming the UK Quarter Ton fleet, joined for the occasion by French boat 45o South and the Jersey quarter tonners. Friday saw their first outing when seventeen boats came to the line at midday for the first of three back-to-back races over a two-mile windward-leeward course set between the Les Fours and Hinguette buoys. The twelve-knot easterly breeze, coupled with fairly flat seas and plenty of sunshine provided ideal conditions for the photographer/film crew’s boat as it followed the fleet around the course. The cloud of spinnakers viewed from astern made a tremendous sight, as did the various tactics employed by bunched boats as they rounded the leeward mark. It is a mystery that the weekend failed to produce a single protest in this class!
Darren Marston’s Catch won two races to take the day just one point ahead of Howard Sellars’ Bullet. Chris Frost and Kevin George’s Tom Bombadil won race 2, coming third in the day’s series. Paul Treliving’s Odd Job was the best-placed Jersey boat, with a 9th overall.
Saturday saw a repeat performance with all three boats holding the same positions after three races although Bullet had notched up her first win in race 2. Peter Crabb, sailing Jackflash, put in the best performance for a Jersey boat, with a seventh overall. A fourth race had been scheduled but was abandoned due to the arrival of a ferry that chose to drop anchor in the middle of the racing area. It was, however, getting late and the lure of the rugby match growing stronger by the minute.
Catch completed the hat trick on Sunday. This time, however, Graydon Dawson’s Diamond sailed consistently well, in very light airs, to come second overall, relegating Bullet to third place after two races, the third having been abandoned due to a severe shortage of wind and excess of tide. RCYC club secretary and Quarter Ton Association organiser Louise Morton clinched a first place in the second race, with her Farr 727 Super Q to give her fourth overall on the day. This was certainly a great regatta for Catch!
Thus, Catch won the Best-in-Class prize with an aggregate of 10 points (after discards) over the three days. Bullet was second with 13 and Diamond third with 22. Oddjob, Jersey’s best, came eighth overall with 49 points.
In IRC Class 1, Rhys Perkins and partners first outing of the Regatta in their Archambault 35, Abracadabra, on Saturday, saw them winning the Ken Budden Trophy, successfully fighting off The Dog’s ……..! and Simon Benest and Sean Fellows Ker 11.3 Voodoo Doll. David Jones’ Bénéteau 365S, Jackana, won the second race of the day for the June Kingham Trophy. Huge wind shifts caused a fair degree of confusion on the course, not an easy problem to resolve with multiple class racing. Sunday was little better with the wind looking promising at first but dying away to almost nothing as the day wore on, with the inevitable result that racing was abandoned at about 2.00 p.m. However, racing for the St Helier YC Commodore’s Cup was successfully completed with The Dog’s ……! winning both races. Abracadabra came second whilst visiting French competitor Eric Mordret’s Leonardo was third.
The Dog’s ……! won the Best-in-Class prize with Abracadabra second, two points behind whilst Voodoo Doll came third, just one point behind.
In IRC Class 2, Saturday saw a clean sweep for Less Xpense, winning both the Nautilus and St Helier YC Cruising trophies. Vince Smith’s Laser 28, Shasa, came second in the Nautilus but bagged a DSQ in the Cruising Trophy. Kevin Holden’s UFO27, Matchless, had a good day, chalking up a third and second. Sunday saw a repeat performance by Less Xpense winning both the Tregear Cup and RCIYC trophy with Shasa notching up two seconds. Ian Jones’ Bénéteau Gingazing, crept into the limelight with a third in the final race.
Less Xpense won the Best-in-Class prize with Shasa second and Matchless third.
In the club handicap class, Lisia won both the Mavourneen and 1st Elfin Cup on Saturday with Chris Weeks’ Starlight 30, Cassiopeia, second on both occasions. Third places went to Malouine and Moustique respectively. Sunday saw Cassiopeia winning the Bolitho Urn with Malouine second and Sloop John B third. Andy Pitter’s Sigma 33, Warrior, took the Bill Coom Cup with Lisia having recovered to take second ahead of Malouine.
Lisia clinched the Best-in-Class prize by one point from Cassiopeia with Malouine just one point behind.
In the Dayboat Class, a darkening Friday evening saw Mike Harrison’s diminutive gaffer, Jigsaw, win the 2nd Elfin Cup from Cath Challinor helming the 101-year-old Jesse with Malcolm Annan’s Jamesina third. On Saturday, Jigsaw narrowly beat Jamesina to win the Wings trophy with Jesse third, each boat having won one of the three races. Sunday saw a clean sweep for Jigsaw with Jamesina and Jesse having to be content with second and third again. Jigsaw was a clear winner for the Best-in-Class prize with Jamesina and Jesse five and six points behind.
In the fast sport-catamaran class, Friday evening saw the Ratner trophy go to Darren Stower on his Hobie 16, Suma’s with Gordon Burgis second on his 16, Pure Energy. Peter Scriven took third with FLP International, also a 16. Suma’s went on to win the Gaiety Bowl after three races on Saturday, just one point ahead of Pure Energy with Andy Hart’s 16 Hang Over, the only boat to fly a spi, third. First blood in the Caprice trophy on Sunday went to FLP International but wins in the next two races clinched another first for Suma’s with FLP second and Matthew Dale’s 16 Ches-la-Vie third.
Suma’s won the Best-in-Class prize, Pure Energy was second and FLP International third.
The small catamaran class, all Hobie Dragoons, only raced on Sunday and was won, after three races by Emilie Harris sailing Eric Young with Hannah and Laura Voak coming second on the Orchid. Helming for first time, Thomas Harris was third on First Up.
In the fast dinghy class, Friday evening produced a win and the Benson and Hedges Transom for Heather Speller’ Streaker, Flasher, with Lydia Carter coming second on her Laser Low Fly. Saturday saw some very close competition for the ancient and coveted Howard Trophy with Tony Newcombe’s Streaker, Stormbird, Martin Speller’s Laser, Liquid Logic, and Flasher each with a win. Martin pipped his wife on countback, each having 6 points. Stormbird was third. Sunday produced two wins for Flasher to clinch the Canadian Club trophy by two points from Liquid Logic with Stormbird once again third overall. Flasher won the Best-in-Class prize from Liquid Logic and Stormbird.
Friday evening saw 12-year-old Laurence Carter set the pace sailing his Optimist, Funki Fly, to win the RCIYC prize. Charles Perkins sailing Y2K and George Moisan with Ooh la la!, both Optimists, were second and third. Laurence went on to have a clean sweep for the Nick Orchard trophy on Saturday leaving Harry, Fleur and George Moisan to fight over second and third places in the three races. With Laurence well clear, Harry came second overall with George two points behind. Competition for the Enterprise trophy on Sunday proved a bit stiffer with Fleur Moisan sailing her Topper, Topsy Turvy, winning the first race, Funki Fly the second and Ooh la la! the third. Funki Fly won by a margin of two points from Topsy Turvy and Laura-Jane Carter’s Deely Bopper. The Best-in-Class prize went to Funki Fly, well clear of Ooh la la! and Slipstream.
The prizegiving reception was held, on Sunday evening, in St Helier YC where the Island’s Lieutenant-Governor, Lt.-General Andrew Ridgway, accompanied by Mrs Ridgway and Mr Tim Ringsdore of Jersey Telecom, presented the many trophies and prizes. Jersey Regatta Chairman Bill Harris announced that the tenth Jersey Regatta is provisionally scheduled for 5th – 7th September 2008, After such a successful Regatta, this is definitely a date for the diary!
Sandpiper CI, Bedell Group, Trant Construction, Jersey Tourism and Jersey Harbours also sponsor the Jersey Telecom Regatta.
Detailed results have been posted on www.rciyc.org and www.shyc.je