7th Jersey Telecom Regatta

Toybox wins at the 7th Jersey Telecom Regatta in IRC1 © Bill Harris

The seventh combined Jersey yacht clubs’ Jersey Telecom Regatta, held over 9th to 11th September was blessed by fair weather, somewhat tempered by light airs that were a major feature on both the Saturday and Sunday as the days wore on.

However, following the opening reception at the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, this year saw the first-ever Regatta Round-the-Island race when a small but keen fleet of seven boats came to the line early on Friday morning to circumnavigate the Island. The gentle south-south-westerly breeze proved to be the most consistent of the weekend, ensuring that all were round in good time for the evening’s warm-up races in St Aubin’s Bay. Unsurprisingly, it was Simon Benest and Sean Fellowes’ smart new boat, the Ker 11.3 No Fat Chicks, that led the field to the windward mark where she bore away on a shy spinnaker run down to the distant Violet Channel buoy, ultimately to lead the fleet home in just over six hours. Victory in the IRC cruiser class, however, went to Bob Milner’s Laser 28, Shasa, beating the Ker by just under fifteen minutes on corrected time thanks to some diligent tide dodging along the south-west corner on the last leg home. Visitor Andy Hill’s J-92 Just Enough came a very close third. Clearly a force to be reckoned with in the future. Finishing just two minutes after Shasa, the Sigma 33 Canders, skippered by Mike Seguss won the club handicap class ahead of Paul Tinley’s Beneteau 393 Blue Mistress.

Friday evening saw warm-up races for all but the junior classes. Traditionally, these races do not count in the overall reckoning, being intended to allow committee boats and competitors to iron out any last minute problems before the Regatta really begins the following morning. However, these races were a preview of what was to come.

Allen Brown and partners’ Melges 24, The Dogs’ ……..!, won in the Sportboat class from the Myatt/Treliving The Bees …..! (The Dogs’ …….! Had the unique distinction of winning every trophy in the Sportboat class throughout the event).

Guy Pipon and partners’ J-92 Jammin’ won in the IRC class from No Fat Chicks and Richard Sugden and partners’ Toybox who finished equal second on corrected time.

In the club handicap class, Vince Smith’s Starflash Jackflash won ahead of Team Micmac’s Farr 727 and French visitor the Morvan/Carcaillet Sun Legend Moustique.

Sadly, only the vintage gaffer Jesse, helmed by Cath Challinor, turned out in the Dayboat class but what she lacked in competition was more than compensated for by the sight of her sailing gracefully round the course.

Friday evening also produced the first of several wins for Dave Carter and Simon Le Huray, in the Sport-catamaran class, on their recently-acquired Hobie Tiger Rear Wedge, winning from Glynn Mitchell’s Hobie 16 Madonna and Matthew Dale’s 16 Ches la Vie (subsequently, at the age of 16, winner of the prize for the Best Boat in the Hobie B fleet).

Eight dinghies raced that evening with Steve Pearl’s Laser Stratos V beating Heather Speller’s Streaker, Flasher, ahead of Tony Newcombe’s Cloud Nine

Saturday dawned with a steady gentle northerly breeze that promised a good day’s sailing. This was not to hold, however, as the breeze dropped during the day to become light and variable, keeping the race officers on both committee boats on their toes and the competitors on their mettle. Despite the abandonment of one cruiser race where boats started going backwards on the tide, a fair part of the schedule was completed successfully, particularly in the case of the ‘small boat’ classes, whilst several races were held over to be raced on Sunday, in the cruiser classes.

The day did, however, produce three wins and two trophies for The Dogs’ …….!, and one for No Fat Chicks in the IRC class just ahead of Toybox and Rhys Perkins and partners X-332 Xtravaganza. Jackflash chalked up her second win from archrival Micmac ahead of Canders, in the club handicap class. Sailing single-handed, Mike Harrison’s La Rocque One Design gaffer, Jigsaw, took the Dayboat class’ Wings Trophy, after two races, ahead of Malcolm Annan’s Cornish Crabber Jamesina and Jesse. There were three races for the Gaiety Bowl, in the Sport-catamaran class, each won by a different boat but it was Gordon Burgis and Ken Snell’s day, having clinched a first and two seconds to beat Rear Wedge by three points ahead of Grant Neale and Karen Larose’s new Hobie 16 iCat.

Saturday saw another win for Stratos V, in the Open Dinghy class, but beaten into second place overall by Martin Speller on his Laser Standard rig TBA who took the other two wins in the series to win the coveted Howard Trophy. Flasher came third.

The Junior Dinghy class, a little diminished by the absence of a number of normally-regular contenders due to a conflicting event in the UK, resulted in the Nick Orchard trophy for Lydia Carter with two wins on her Laser Low Fly, ahead of Henry Legg on his Optimist, This Way Up, and Tim Faudemer’s Laser.

Simon Thébault, sailing with Bianca Kempster, beat off the opposition in the Junior Sport-catamaran class to win both races on the RCIYC Hobie Dragoon, Sonny G, ahead of Laura-Jane Carter and Thomas Harris on First Up.

Predictably, perhaps, the day’s light airs racing gave rise to a number of technical incidents that kept the protest committee busier than usual. The Regatta party that followed was tremendously successful and any cares and woes were soon forgotten in the tremendously warm ambience generated within St Helier Yacht Club, hosts for this year’s Regatta.

Sunday promised no more wind than before and, with the breeze still in the north and dropping, the race officers were taking no chances with the tide and all racing was kept within the confines of St Aubin’s Bay. This enabled virtually all of the races to be completed, including the backlog from Saturday.

Only one race was sailed in the Sportboat class, producing a final win for The Dogs’ ……..! Racing over short Olympic courses, Toybox proved to be a convincing winner taking all three IRC cruiser class races although Jammin’ was within just four seconds of denying her the June Kingham trophy. Despite all her efforts No Fat Chicks had to be content with two seconds and a third place.

In the club handicap class, Ben Jones and partners’ Micmac won the first race comfortably from Mark Tucker’s Westerly Merlin Lisia with Jackflash third. From that point on, Jackflash turned the tables and won the following two races from Micmac whilst Canders came third.

The Dayboat class enjoyed just one race with victory going, again, to Jigsaw with Jamesina second and Jesse third, a repeat of the previous day’s result.

With the winds going light, the Sport-catamaran class was not exactly in its element. However, ten boats persevered to ensure a result for the Caprice Salver, a series of three races. Pure Energy took the first race ahead of Simon Swain’s Salty Bean and Darren Stower’s Goanna whilst the Tiger, Rear Wedge, was the only boat to finish in the second race, the 16s having timed out. The third race saw all boats finishing with Rear Wedge winning by a minute on corrected time ahead of Goanna and Pure Energy.

The Streaker, Flasher, sailed well to win both races in the Open Dinghy class, with TBA taking second in both. Kate Amy on her Laser Radial, Fickle Treacle, took a third as did Nick O’Hare on his Laser Standard rig, Barts.

Only one of the two scheduled races was run for the Junior Dinghy class with the Optimist This Way Up beating Low Fly into second place. Tim Faudemer’s Laser Radial came third.

The day also went to Simon Thébault and his crew Winnie Rice on Sonny G, in the Junior Sport-catamaran class, taking a first and a second in the two races. Emilie Harris and Emily Hart on Eric Young were second, overall, with a first and fourth, and Laura Voak and Rhiannah de Carteret third on Runrig with a fourth and second.

Needless to say, the light airs racing did, again, give rise to a little more work for the protest committee but the principal issues were resolved in time for the prize giving to run to time on Sunday evening.

Again, the atmosphere in St Helier Yacht Club was bubbling, the club bursting at the seams with happy competitors, both local and visiting, who were joined by His Excellency Sir John Cheshire, Lt-Governor of Jersey, Lady Cheshire and Mr Bo Pinel, Director of Sales and Marketing for the event’s principal sponsor, Jersey Telecom.

Having enjoyed the buffet, everyone’s attention turned to the prize-giving. St Helier YC Commodore Rodney Challinor opened proceedings with a short speech in which he welcomed distinguished guests and visitors and thanked all those who had organised and participated in the Regatta before presenting visiting skippers with mementoes of the Regatta. He then handed over to Bill Harris, Chairman of the organising committee, for the prize giving.

Sir John and Lady Cheshire ably assisted by Bo Pinel kindly presented the many trophies and presentation boxes of champagne and wine, completing the proceedings by presenting the Summerland Salver and Jersey Telecom Best Boat in the Regatta trophies to the well-deserving skippers.

The combined RCIYC and St Helier YC organising committee expresses its sincere thanks to all who competed in the Regatta, especially to the visitors from the UK, Guernsey and France. The 8th Jersey Telecom Regatta will be held from 1st to 3rd September 2006 when visitors will, once again, be assured of a very warm welcome.

The organising committee particularly wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the sponsors of the 7th Jersey Telecom Regatta, Jersey Telecom, Channel House Trustees Ltd, Jersey Tourism, Education Sport and Culture and Jersey Harbours for their invaluable support.

The list of trophy winners follows and further details of the results are to be found on the clubs’ web sites, www.rciyc.org and www.sthelieryachtclub.com