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The inaugural Vantage CI Triangle, a three-day 85-mile sailing challenge that attracted yachtsmen from the Channel Islands, France and the UK over the Bank Holiday weekend, has been deemed a great success.
The event re-established close links between Alderney Sailing Club and Guernsey Yacht Club and St Helier Yacht Club, and there is already talk of it becoming an annual fixture on the CI sailing calendar.
The Triangle was a key element of Alderney Regatta, resurrected after several years of absence, and ASC Commodore Tess Woodnutt says the event "has put Alderney back on the nautical racing map".
Nineteen yachts from Jersey, Guernsey and France set off from St Helier on Saturday morning on the first leg of the Triangle - a 48- mile handicap race to Alderney with the fleet heading around Jersey‘s east coast and then northwards between France and the Ecrehous.
Light winds forced the organisers to shorten the course so that the yachts would all reach Braye Harbour before the tide turned against them. Guernsey entrant Black Jack (Martin Ozard) took an early lead and managed to hold off strong opposition from fellow Sarnians Sun of a Gun (Simon Hughes) and Kaya ll (Roger Martel) and Jersey rivals Solis Ortus (Nigel Coxshall) and Abracadabra (Rhys Perkins). Black Jack ultimately took handicap as well as line honours with Abracadabra second, Kaya ll third and Sun of a Gun fourth.
Day two saw the fleet being joined by entrants from Alderney, the UK and Dielette for the second leg of the Triangle - a race around Alderney that provided a tactical challenge with strong currents and still relatively light winds.
Sun of a Gun had the best start and kept this lead right to the finish, making good progress with a spinnaker run with the flood tide before the beat back to Braye Harbour. Abracadabra led the rest of the fleet until she tacked too far out into the tide, allowing Kaya ll and Black Jack to get past.
Once the handicaps had been calculated Sun of a Gun retained her first place with Kaya ll second and Jersey yacht Paper Tiger (Peter Crabb & Peter Wilson) third.
The Bank Holiday saw the final leg of the Triangle, a 22-mile pursuit race from Braye to St Peter Port with the slower yachts departing first.
Paper Tiger set off in light winds and soon gained a significant lead over the other slower yachts, looking as if she might hold this to the finish, but as the faster yachts got under way the wind increased and they began to haul her in.
Sun of a Gun and Abracadabra enjoyed a great duel to the finish, the former taking a more westerly course while the latter kept to the east. In the end the tactics turned in favour of the Jersey yacht with Sun of a Gun second and Paper Tiger third.
The trophies and awards were presented by Commodore John Falla at Guernsey Yacht Club where it was announced that the overall winner of the first Vantage CI Triangle was Sun of a Gun, with Abracadabra second and Black Jack third.
Speaking afterwards, Tess Woodnutt was in buoyant mood, saying that the Alderney clubroom "had a tangible frisson and vitality about it all weekend, with visitors enjoying the social side of sailing as well as the racing in perfect weather conditions".
"This was the first Alderney Regatta for many years," she said, "and I’d like to say a big thank you to the sailors from Jersey, Guernsey and France for taking part and helping to make it such a great success."
"When we announced that the regatta is to become an annual event the news was warmly welcomed by all the competitors."
Dr Perkins, chairman of SHYC’s Sailing Committee, confirmed that they will be working with their partners in Alderney and Guernsey to find a date in the 2020 calendar for the next CI Triangle.
"It was a great weekend," he said, "with some great racing and excellent hospitality. I would like to thank our friends at Alderney Sailing Club for looking after us so well and also Vantage for their generous sponsorship."
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