Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta 2023 at Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club
by Bill Harris 22 May 2023 16:53 BST
Class 6 start - Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta at Royal Channel Islands YC © Bill Harris
The second edition of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club's Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta saw fifty boats racing in St Aubin's Bay, Jersey, over the weekend of 13th and 14th May. Entries in the cruiser classes were thin but more than compensated for by strong attendances in the dayboat, dinghy and sport catamaran classes.
Following the established format of the combined clubs' annual Carey Olsen Jersey Regatta, cruisers raced 'around the cans', two races per day, to the south of St Aubin's Bay whilst the dayboat, dinghy and sport catamaran classes raced over a laid rectangular course, three races per day, to the north of the Bay with independent race committees running each fleet.
Weather-wise, a fluky gentle northerly breeze held throughout Saturday enabling the full programme to run. Sunday proved to be somewhat different as the anticipated north-westerly breeze had transformed to a light south-easterly by the morning leading to an hour's postponement whilst the race committees waited patiently for the forecast to come true.
The breeze eventually veered to the west and things got under way, once again allowing the virtually the entire programme to be completed. Sunshine was a scarce commodity; skies were overcast with intermittent fog banks being a constant threat from midday on Sunday leading to the abandonment of the final two races for the junior dinghies. The gloom, however, did nothing to detract from the keen competition and enthusiasm that was evident across all classes.
With two wins on Sunday overall honours in the IRC cruiser fleet went to Team Fahrenheit's Farr 727, helmed by Justin Horton, just pipping Allen Brown and partners' Melges 24, The Dog's........! which had won both races on Saturday. Nigel Coxshall's Sunfast 3600, Solis Ortus, was third. Just two boats raced in the YTC class with Karen Roworth's First 21.7 taking Saturday and the Soling, Dirty Harry, skippered by Malcolm Hartigan, Sunday.
Ben Jones swept the board with Baloo, his Cornish Coble, in the Day Boat class with Malcolm Annan's Oysterman, Jamesina, a consistent second in all four races. Laurence Curtis sailing his centenarian Cherbourg OD, Moana, on Saturday was pipped to third place, overall, by Matthew Thompson's Drascombe Lugger, Hobgoblin, the latter having raced on both days.
A fleet of ten Hobie 16s raced in the highly competitive sport catamaran class, many of the participants having had significant experience of national and international events in recent years. Overall victory went to Luke Paxton-Garnier and Kai Surcouf's Time2Spare, three points clear of Aaron Le Cornu and Rachael Smith's Top Kat, the latter having won all three races on Saturday but slipping on Sunday. Ollie Voak and Ben Fosse on Ships & Giggles were third, beating Adrian Jesson and Sandrine Martin on Don't Tell Malin on count back.
In the Hobie Dragoon class, Ollie Hunt and Jamie Washington fought off a challenge from the father and daughter duo of helm Lottie and crew Alex Ohlsson to pip the latter by two points. Alf Barrowcliffe and Henry Lucas were third. As well as being keenly contested, the Club's Dragoons produced some of the most impressive and colourful starts of the whole event.
With strong support from St Catherine's SC, bolstered by boats representing Guernsey YC and Delph SC (Bolton), serious competition was the order of the day in the fast dinghy class. With six races completed, it was Guernsey's Jessica Watson, sailing a Laser Radial, who was a clear winner with six points, four wins, a second place and a discarded fifth. Pete Washington with a win on Saturday and overall strong performance sailed his Laser Standard into second place just half a point ahead of Guernsey's Arthur Collenette's Laser Radial, also with one win to his credit.
Just three boats raced in the junior dinghy class. Kirk Ingram sailing his Topper, took all three races on Saturday and the single race on Sunday ahead of Henry Edwards' Optimist, consistently second and Oliver Haslam's Optimist third. The threat of fog led to the final two races being abandoned.
The Regatta was brought to a close on Sunday evening when Mrs Michele Cousins presented the many place prizes won over the two days. Mrs Cousins also presented the perpetual Nick Cousins Youth Trophy to Jessica Watson, the top performing young sailor of the event. To great applause, Commodore Kevin Newman thanked Mrs Cousins for her keen and very kind sponsorship, congratulated the winners and thanked all participants and all who had helped to make the Regatta the success that it surely was.
Some diary dates:
10th & 11th June - Savills 32nd Channel Islands Hobie Cat Championships www.rciyc.je/racing
8th to 10th September - Carey Olsen 25th Jersey Regatta www.jerseyregatta.com and GBR IRC Channel Islands Championships www.ircrating.com
For Simon Ropert's photo gallery for Saturday, please see www.flickr.com/photos/simon_ropert/albums/72177720308246692
For the detailed results please go to www.rciyc.je/racing
CLASS 0 - CRUISERS:
Saturday & Sunday - The Dog's........! - Allen Brown & partners
CLASS 1 - CRUISERS:
Saturday - Solis Ortus - Nigel Coxshall
Sunday 1 - Solis Ortus - 2 Jewel - Jeff Chinn
CLASS QT - CRUISERS:
Saturday & Sunday: Fahrenheit - Justin Horton
IRC CRUISERS - OVERALL:
1. Fahrenheit (Farr 727)
2. The Dog's........! (Melges 24)
3. Solis Ortus (Sunfast 3600)
4. Jewel (J105)
CLASS 3 - CRUISERS:
Saturday - Jacamol - Karen Roworth (First 21.7)
Sunday - Dirty Harry - Malcolm Hartigan (Soling)
Overall - Dirty Harry
CLASS 4 - DAYBOATS:
Saturday :
1. Baloo - Ben Jones
2. Jamesina - Malcolm Annan
3. Moana - Lawrence Curtis
Sunday:
1. Baloo
2. Jamesina
3. Hobgoblin - Matthew Thompson
Overall - Baloo
CLASS 6 - HOBIE 16:
Saturday:
1 Top Kat - Aaron Le Cornu & Rachael Smith
2 Time 2 Spare - Luke Paxton-Garnier & Kai Surcouf
3 Don't Tell Malin - Adrian Jesson & Rachael Smith
Sunday:
1 Time 2 Spare
2 Rob & Tyler McAllister
3 Don't Tell Malin
Overall - Time 2 Spare
CLASS 7 - HOBIE DRAGOON:
Saturday:
1 Ollie Hunt
2 Lottie & Alex Ohlsson
3 Alf Barrowcliffe & Henry Lucas
Sunday:
1 Lottie & Alex Ohlsson
2 Ollie Hunt
3 Olin Rogers
Overall - Ollie Hunt
CLASS 8 - FAST DINGHIES:
Saturday:
1 Pete Washington - SCSC
2 Arthur Collenette - Guernsey Yacht Club
3 Jessica Watson - Guernsey Yacht Club
Sunday:
1 Jessica Watson
2 Olliver Boyle - SCSC
3 Pete Washington - SCSC
Overall - Jessica Watson - winner of the Nick Cousins Youth Trophy
CLASS 9 - SLOW DINGHIES:
Saturday:
1 Kirk Ingram - Topper
2 Henry Edwards - Optimist
3 Oliver Haslam - Optimist
Sunday:
1 Kirk Ingram
2 Henry Edwards
3 Oliver Haslam
Overall - Kirk Ingram