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Jersey-registered Abracadabra took the Carey Olsen Inter-Island Yacht Silver Trophy title crossing the line in three hours, 29 mins and 54 seconds some 10 mins ahead of Guernsey’s Fandangle.
With fluctuating light force two-to-three ‘shifty’ winds this year’s Carey Olsen Inter-Island Yacht Race proved very technical.
As a result of the conditions, for the first time in the history of the race, a decision was made to relocate the start line from St Aubins’s Bay to St Ouen’s Bay, approximately a mile and a half north, north west of Corbiere Lighthouse.
Abracadabra, skippered by Rhys Perkins who has competed in the race for over 35 years, said that the decision to move the start to St Ouen’s was a good one. Racing on his A35, winds were forecast to come from the north east and, combined with a better tide, Perkins and his crew decided to take the most easterly course of all the fleet which paid off handsomely.
“We could have done with a little more breeze but taking a beat up to windward just before Lower Heads Cardinal Buoy then enabled us to get our spinnaker up.” he said.
Winning the race was particularly poignant for Perkins as with him were his three children - Henry, Charles and Mary as well as Nick O’Hare, Glyn Mitchell and Katie Bennett-Jones.
“I would like to thank the race officer for making the call to move the start line and to all the organisers for a very well run event,” said Mr Perkins.
Race Official, Mike Seguss, got the main race off to a start at 12:10 with a south-westerly five to six knots wind and the Fast Cats started some 45 minutes later by which time the wind had veered around to the north. Although variable (NE to NW) it maintained five to nine knots throughout the remainder of the race albeit there were a few holes close to the finish line in the Little Russel by Castle Cornet.
Taking account of the wind and tide, Saturday’s conditions generally favoured boats that kept to the north east side of the rhumb line (i.e. the shortest route) from the start to the finish line and those of a more modern, lighter construction - generally IRC Certified Racing Yachts.
Alex Ohlsson, group managing partner of long-term sponsor Carey Olsen, said: "This was Carey Olsen's eighth year of sponsoring the largest and most eagerly-anticipated race in the Channel Islands sailing calendar. 75 yachts participated with hundreds of crew members including families, novices and one person took part 50 years after first participating. Moving the start to St Ouen's Bay ensured virtually all competitors finished in the allotted time and provided a fabulous spectacle from the beach at St Ouen's Bay."
The Carey Olsen Inter Island Yacht Race is the biggest annual CI sailing event of the year. This year 75 boats registered from fast sports boats, such as JPK’s, Pogo’s and J122’s to cruisers, such as Westerly Centaurs and Contessa 26’s.
Of these 64 started the race, 21 retired, 43 completed the course and, of the six Fast Cats entered, five started and just one did not finish.
