Jerseyman sails to success with European trophy

Sunday 07 October 2018

Jerseyman Phil Sharp has sailed to success yet again, having scored a top European trophy for the second year in a row.

After finishing on the podium in all of the most competitive Class40 European races at the helm of Imerys Clean Energy this year, the local skipper has won the 2018 European Trophy Award.

Phil Sharp finished with a 30 points lead over runner-up Luke Berry after finishing first in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland and Normandy Channel Race, second in the Drheam Cup and third in the 1000 Milles des Sables.

The sailor has successfully defended his title in spite of the arrival of four new boats in the Class 40, which added to the already fiercely competitive fleet. “It’s really fantastic to win the European Trophy Award for a second consecutive season considering the noticeable increase in competition from last year," Sharp said. "Several new boats have been launched this season which have been quick out of the starting blocks, and have definitely kept me racing on the edge.” 

Pictured: Phil Sharp celebrating with Julien Pulvé after the Normandy Channel Race.

The season kicked-off in April with a solo warm-up, the 1000 Milles des Sables, a return race from Les Sables d’Olonne to Gijón. Though Sharp finished in third place the  race helped identify several weaknesses in boat configuration, and provided "valuable feedback for the remainder of the season."

A month later, Sharp and co-skipper Julien Pulvé took back the Normandy Channel Race cup by six seconds, making history as the closest finish between first and second place. This was a second consecutive wi. July saw a return to solo mode with the Drheam Cup race from La Trinite-sur-Mer to Cherbourg. This was the final opportunity for skippers to test single-handed configuration before the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic year finale.

The final leg back from the Fastnet Rock to Cherbourg became the decider with reaching conditions favourable to the latest generation boats pushing Sharp back to second place.

Pictured: Phil Sharp with Pablo Santurdé, Julien Pulvé and Sam Matson.

Joined by Pablo Santurdé, Julien Pulvé and Sam Matson, the team later went on to win the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race. They finished the 1,805nm course in eight days, four hours, 14 minutes and 43 seconds, breaking the previous record by 15 hours and received a Guinness World Record following official ratification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Sharp said: “The European races included two single-handed events making it a tough season so far, but so important for Route du Rhum training and preparation. I am really pleased that we have been able to be consistent racing in different configurations from solo, duo to fully crewed, which means that firstly we have a strong team and secondly that our platform, Imerys Clean Energy is versatile and competitive despite being five years old now.

“This season we’ve raced 4,200nm and three out of the four races were different from the last couple of seasons providing some new and interesting challenges. The intensity of the racing has been a great reference for boat speed and this year we have really focused on advancing performance and the efficiency of systems, which have been good to see take effect throughout the season.”

Pictured: Phil Sharp will tackle the Route du Rhum on his own.

Sharp now has less than five weeks until the start of this year’s big ocean race, the single-handed Route du Rhum, which will depart from St. Malo to Guadeloupe on 4 November.