The honours in Class 1 went to Steve Pearl’s Contango, and to Loric, helmed by Karl Vallois, in Class 2.’Conditions were excellent,’ Brown said.
‘We had a beat all along the north coast, in a north-westerly which was about force 3-4, and it was quite choppy, as it often is off the north coast.
The sun came out and we put the spinnaker up at Grosnez – and it was up all the way across St Ouen’s Bay.
We were going against the tide from Corbière to St Helier so went close inshore – so close, in fact, that the fishermen were taking their lines out of the water as we approached!’Nineteen boats raced anti-clockwise around the Island, with good starts from the Melges 24 and Malcolm Coles’ Swift.The fleet hoisted spinnakers at East Rock for the run down to the Violet buoy then the pack split, with Jubilee G, Chilli Pepper and Knight Star following a more northerly inshore route.
Cordon Bleu was the first Class 1 yacht to round the Violet into Grouville Bay.
Class 2 boats sailed a shorter course through the Brett Passsage with Starry Night and Loric match racing most of the way.Once around Grosnez, Moist and Wet opted to sail outside the Moullière rock allowing the Dogs to maximise their weight advantage and speed past them and through the boat passage at Corbière to earn line honours.All yachts were rewarded with the company of dolphins on the final run across St Aubin’s Bay.Contango’s crew felt they won their race by rock-hopping along the south coast whereas Guy Pipon, on Jammin’, felt there was ‘too much downwind work to allow an asymmetric boat to triumph.’Bob Milner on Shasa was delighted with his second place, feeling that the new suit of sails and experienced crew had made the day.Flaming Bagels had a good race, despite losing a guard rail but regretted the decision to sail offshore in the beat.Even Rob Jenkins on Van Diemen, who had to retire because of a course error, said: ‘We have had a fantastic day!’.
