WITH very fickle weather playing a leading role in the sailing programme throughout the year, it was somewhat surprising to find that conditions for the first day of the combined clubs’ Carey Olsen Jersey Regatta, were precisely the same as on the first day one year ago.
Bright sunshine, slight seas and a light northerly breeze through Friday morning quickly extinguished any thought of sending the cruiser classes on an extended coastal race.
Light but stable winds were to be a feature of all three days with the breeze veering southerly on Saturday and south-westerly on Sunday, save for the final hours of the closing day when a rapid sixty degree shift to the north-west saw the mark-layers spring into action for the only course realignment of the whole event.
The first race in the cruiser programme was on an “around the cans” course in St Aubin’s Bay which saw Allen Brown & partners’ Melges 24, The Dog’s …! take the event’s first line honours and overall first in the combined sportsboat and IRC cruiser class.
David Jones and Geoff Blackstone’s newly acquired X332, JAX, marked its debut by winning IRC Class 1, clear of Rhys Perkins A35, Abracadabra. Saturday saw the tables turned with Abracadabra narrowly beating JAX with Jeff Chinn’s J105, Jewel, close behind in third place. Tight racing indeed. Sunday saw Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan’s J109, Jai Ho, take the day ahead of JAX and Abracadabra.
This year saw the 11th edition of the GBR IRC Channel Islands Championship for cruisers running within the regatta programme.
With five races run over the two days, the championship went to JAX, winning by two points from Abracadabra with Jai Ho third overall.
Competition in the Quarter Ton Class (all Farr 727s) was equally keen with five races over the two days, also.
With three wins to their credit, Team Fahrenheit won by two points to take the Class 2/Q IRC Championship ahead of Steve Pearl and partners’ Conrad 760, Tom Bombadil.
With four wins out of five races to their credit, Alec Fraser’s Golden Shamrock, Arc-en-Ciel, took the YTC rating class well ahead of Don Thompson’s gaff cutter, Foxhound. Of all the cruiser classes, this was the most affected by the light conditions on Saturday with one of Saturday’s races being carried over to Sunday, as was the case in the IRC classes.
Sailing under the auspices of the cruiser committee boat, the F18 sport catamarans suffered badly from a lack of breeze on Saturday but had three good races on Sunday enabling Adrian Jesson and Paul Martin’s Hobie Wildcat to complete the hat trick to win overall ahead of Andy Hart and Antoine Bacquet’s Wildcat.
Racing under an independent race committee, the dayboat, sport catamaran and dinghy classes came to the line for the first of two races on Friday afternoon.
The dayboats were first away with Malcolm Annan’s Oysterman, Jamesina, taking the day ahead of Ben Jones’ Cornish Coble, Baloo, second.
Jamesina went on to win on Saturday, Baloo on Sunday with Jamesina taking the series on countback, both boats with equal points over the two days.
Fielding 20 Hobie 16s, the open sport catamaran fleet was a stunning sight both on the beach and on the water.
With all their races successfully completed after two days of fierce competition, Aaron Le Cornu and Rachael Smith’s Top Kat tied with Kai Surcouf and Livy Forbes’ iCAT, both with 16 points, Top Kat winning the series on countback.
Luke Paxton-Garnier and Steph Egan’s Time2Spare was third.
The junior sport catamaran class, all Hobie Dragoons, saw Lottie Ohlsson and Capucine Bacquet sail consistently well to win three of their five races, finishing just one point clear of Margaux Bacquet and Ava Martin to take the series.
Luke Haydon and Cameron Castle, sailing Usain Boat, were third.
The wind dropped too light to start the final race of the day on Saturday for some classes.
This was the case for the fast dinghies whose second race was shortened, the third not started; things were much better on Sunday.
Martin Speller, sailing his Laser Liquid Logic, with four wins out five races, took the series three points clear of Ben Rogers’ Laser Ber.
Paula Boyle’s Aero 7, Gone Rogue, was third.
Much to their credit, as with the Hobie Dragoon competitors, the youngest sailors in the Regatta proved to be able to hold their own on the course whilst racing in a mixed fleet.
Henry Edwards sailing his Optimist, Funky Monkey, sailed well to win all three days and to take the series. Charlie Hewgill sailed his Optimist, Blue Fin, to second place overall, just four points short of Funk Monkey. Izzy Ohlsson sailed into third place overall.
Chris Carpenter of Carey Olsen Group congratulated all the competitors, race officials and the many volunteers, while announcing that the 27th Jersey Regatta would also be held under the Carey Olsen banner in 2025.
Regatta chairman Bill Harris extended his gratitude to Carey Olsen for their much-valued support.
