3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta at the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club

3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta Class 6 - light airs start © Bill Harris

With several postponements of major events due to strong winds in recent months the weather certainly has not been playing 'ball' as the new racing season dawns.

The weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April did provide a welcome respite from the repeatedly strong winds but was not without its own challenges. Conditions were, indeed, fair for the third edition of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club's Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta held in St Aubin's Bay that weekend.

3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta Class 8 - open dinghies - A mark bound - photo © Bill Harris

Saturday dawned bright and calm with little sign of the anticipated moderate southerly breeze and, certainly, no sign at nine o'clock when the first races were due to start. It was not until two hours later that a very light breeze filled in and the first races of the day got under way. As ever, the fleet was split with one race committee controlling cruiser and fast catamaran racing to the south of the Bay the other with dinghies, dayboats and sport catamarans under its wing to the north. Happily, whilst it presented some difficulties for the race committees in having to adjust courses as the wind veered, the breeze picked up so that by the time the dayboat and dinghy classes came on scene there was a reliable light westerly breeze that enabled all races to be successfully completed.

3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta Class 4 - Dayboat start - photo © Bill Harris

The story proved to be somewhat different on Sunday with only sunshine (UV Index 5), zephyrs and stillness dominating the Bay. Once again, the official start time was nine o'clock and it was unsurprising that the postponement pennants were hoisted on both committee boats but without any breeze to display them. With no wind, the high tide gone and thoughts of missing their berths, several of the cruiser class boats, along with the fast sport catamarans and the Hobie 16 fleet decided to call it a day. With a scheduled start time of ten-thirty, the day boat class ventured out but returned to base after waiting patiently for the breeze to come up for well over almost two hours. Soon after, however, with the slightest indication of light airs arriving from the west, the race committees sprang into action and set their courses in the sure knowledge that they would need to be changed as soon as the wind veered.

3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta Quarter Ton 'action'! - photo © Bill Harris

Happily, the light breeze eventually settled in the north to provide some great racing for all and, in particular, for the quarter ton and dinghy fleets. It was just over two hours after their scheduled start time that the dinghies took off on the first of their three races. RIB crews were hard-pressed to keep up with mark lifting and re-laying but the last three hours of the regatta proved to provide excellent racing, nevertheless.

3rd Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta Class 9 - Optimists - close finish! - photo © Bill Harris

The Regatta concluded with the place prize-giving when Rear Commodore Paul Dentskevich thanked Mrs Michele Cousins for her kind sponsorship, congratulated the winners and thanked everyone who had made the Regatta such a success despite the vagaries of the wind. In a packed Clubhouse, Mrs Cousins went on to present each day's hard-earned place prizes. Whilst most of the Regatta trophies will be presented at the Club's Annual Dinner, the exception is the Nick Cousins Trophy, a special youth award for performance and contribution for under 18 year-olds.

Principal Results: (detailed results on www.rciyc.je/racing/results)

Saturday 13th April - Overall

Class 3 (YTC)
1 The Dog's........! - Allen Brown & Partners (2)
2 Foxhound - Don Thompson (9)
3 Altair - Darren Stower (9)
(3 boats raced)

Class Q
1 Super Q - Team Super Q (3)
2 Fahrenheit - Team Fahrenheit (4)
3 Mic Mac - Team Mic Mac (5)

Class 4
1 Jamesina - Malcolm Annan (4)
2 Baloo - Ben Jones (5)
3 Lena - Andrew Sugden (9)
(3 boats raced)

Class 5
1 Wildcat 618 - Adrian Jesson & Paul Martin (4)
2 Wildcat 517 - Andy Hart & Michael Kinross (5)
(2 boats raced)

Class 6
1 Time2Spare - Luke Paxton-Garnier & Steph Egan (3)
2 Ships & Giggles - Ollie Voak & Megan Roworth (7)
3 Top Kat - Aaron Le Cornu & Rachael Smith (8)
4 Hobie Wan Kenobie - Alf Barrowcliffe & Henry Lucas (13)(First B Fleet)
(11 boats raced)

Class 8 Dinghy
1 Laser - Martin Speller (3.5)
2 Laser - Peter Raimbault (11)
3 Laser Radial - Tyler Horton (11.5)
4 Laser - Ollie Boyle (11.5)
(15 boats raced)

Class 9 Dinghy
1 Optimist - Henry Edwards (4)
2 Optimist - Charles Hewgill (5)
3 Optimist - Ralph Griffin (9)
4 Optimist - Jack Hewgill (13)
(4 boats raced)

Sunday 14th April - Overall

Class 3
1 Foxhound (1)
2 Aileag - Nick Querée (2)

Class Q
1 Fahrenheit (2)
2 Super Q (4)

Class 8
1 Laser - Ollie Boyle (4)
2 Laser - Morgan Surcouf (12)
3 Laser - Martin Speller (13)
4 Aero - Paula Boyle (13)

Class 9
1 Optimist - Henry Edwards (3)
2 Optimist - Charlie Hewgill (6)
3 Optimist - Jack Hewgill (9)
4 Optimist - Ralph Griffin (12)

Regatta Overall

Class 3 - The Dog's........! - Allen Brown & Partners
Class Q - Fahrenheit - Team Fahrenheit
Class 4 - Jamesina - Malcolm Annan
Class 5 - Wildcat 618 - Adrian Jesson & Paul Martin
Class 6 - Time2Spare - Luke Paxton- Garnier & Steph Egan
Class 8 - Laser - Ollie Boyle (and the Nick Cousins Memorial Youth Trophy)
Class 9 - Optimist - Henry Edwards