JERSEY reigned supreme over Guernsey last weekend in the 2026 edition of The Governors’ Cup.
The Governors’ Cup was presented to the Islands in 1931 by the Lieutenant-Governors of the time, Jersey’s Major General E H Willis CB CMG and Guernsey’s Major General The Lord Ruthven CB CMG DSO.
The legend on the Cup reads ‘To be competed for by yachts of 20 feet or over regularly stationed in the Channel Islands’.
Save for the war years, Covid and bad weather the Cup has been a permanent fixture in the Channel Islands sailing programme ever since.
Over all that time, it is appropriate to recognise that the name ‘Guernsey’ appears just a few times more than ‘Jersey’ on the prestigious trophy.
This is an event featuring up to three back-to-back races.
Each island fields a team of three boats racing off St Peter Port, last year, and in St Aubin’s Bay last Sunday this year.
Last year saw the event held in Guernsey with the home team winning by just one point.
Turning the tables this year, the Jersey team of Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan’s J109, Jai Ho, David Jones and Geoff Blackstone’s X332, JAX, and Team Fahrenheit’s Farr 727, Fahrenheit, helmed by Justin Horton, clinched the Cup for Jersey.
Guernsey was represented by Blackjack, J109, Fandangle, J112, and Jostler, J92.
Conditions proved perfect, a light to moderate west-south-westerly breeze and slight seas.
With the first race due to go at 9.30am, the mark layers were soon on scene and the course with windward-leeward and triangular legs swiftly laid and ready to go under the race committee’s watchful eyes.
The two teams displaying great tactics throughout. Jersey took the first race by just one point following two circuits of the course.
Jai Ho claimed line honours and the race ahead of Blackjack, with Fahrenheit in third.
The second race was a sprint around a single triangle.
Blackjack took line honours with Jai Ho second and JAX third. Once again, Jersey took the race by a single point.
The final race was three laps of the course with Fandangle taking line honours, but giving way to Jai Ho on corrected time to come second.
Fahrenheit finished third, giving Jersey a three point win.
With an aggregate of 29 points to Guernsey’s 34, Jersey clinched a well-earned win.
In the presence of Commodore Richard Hunt and RCIYC (Guernsey) Commodore Peter Lloyd and a packed clubhouse, a clearly delighted Jersey Lieutenant-Governor, H.E. Sir Jerry Kyd, congratulated the teams for their impressive performance before presenting the Governors’ Cup to Jersey Team Captain, Alex Ohlsson.
