What do you do with a stranded sailor... or 600 of them?

Thursday 09 July 2015

Hundreds of visiting sailors are racing off this morning after a longer stop-off in Jersey because of the rough seas.

The fleet is competing in the Tour des Ports but couldn't start the next leg of the race to Dielette yesterday because of the windy weather.

Peter Funk from the St Helier Yacht Club sailing committee, which organised the Jersey stop-off, has been a part of the Tour for the last fifteen years. He said: "It was building up on Tuesday, the sea state, so it was a very difficult race into St Helier.

"On Tuesday night it was blowing 35 knots - a Force 7, a very very strong wind. We were supposed to leave for Dielette yesterday."

Hundreds of crew from France, the UK, Jersey and Guernsey are taking part in the week-long sailing race - the biggest Regatta in Normandy.

He said: "The race is terrific, there's 103 boats in the race, approximately 650 sailors so it's quite a big race."

And he said nobody's been complaining about being stranded here - most left their boats yesterday and cruised around St Helier seeing what town has to offer.

He said: "It's a great pleasure, it's like playing tennis and having to stop play for rain."

They sailed into St Aubin’s Bay yesterday after battling it out on the water from Granville and moored up on Albert Pier for the night to enjoy some Jersey hospitality but couldn't leave because of the weather conditions. After reaching Guernsey later today, the fleet will race on to Barneville-Carteret, Port Diélette, and then onwards to Cherbourg.