Savills Inter-Island Race: Jersey boat takes overall win but plenty of celebrations for Guernsey crews

Tuesday 02 July 2024

Guernsey boats may have been beaten to the overall win, but there was plenty to celebrate after the race to Jersey.

Some 40 boats started the Savills Inter Island race in near ideal conditions and the winner on corrected time was Jersey’s Alan Brown and his crew on The Dogs.

The start line just outside of Castle Cornet made for a very colourful sight as spinnakers were hoisted.

Two boats, Peter Morton’s TP52 Notorious, usually raced from Cowes, probably the largest and fastest boat ever to compete in this race and Brown’s Melges 24 The Dogs, pulled away from the rest of the fleet fairly quickly. 

Pictured: Notorious was first over the line.

Conditions mean that some boats struggled to hold their spinnakers all the way to La Corbiere as the wind strengthened to more than what was forecast and the sea state approaching La Corbiere was decidedly choppy. 

After rounding La Corbiere, the sea state moderated and the change of direction to the finishing line,  on the outside of St Aubins bay,  meant that boats could bear away to sail at a more comfortable angle before gybing to finish.

Pictured: Boondoggle.

Line honours went to Notorious, which completed the course in just over two hours, with The Dogs following some 30 minutes later,  several boats finishing in under three hours.

Thirty nine boats finished the race, the slowest taking just under five hours. 

The winner on corrected time was The Dogs, with Martin Boyde in his J 92 coming second, some 12 minutes behind on corrected time, followed by last year’s winner, Rhys Perkins in Abracadabra only 50 seconds behind, in third place. 

Pictured: Dark Horse.

The  other top five placed boats were Chris Sharp, who sailed a magnificent race with the help of George in Boondoggle, the lowest rated boat in the race, followed by Ali Bisson in Killing time. Notorious, the winner of the previous week’s round the Isle of Wight race in extremely challenging conditions, was sixth.

Martin Boyde, who sailed his small J extremely well to see off almost all of the competition, was also the first IRC rated boat and the first J boat. Chris Sharp was also the first bilge keel yacht and first non IRC boat. Another notable result  was Dino Castro in Dark Horse, who was 10th, winning the long keel prize and second non IRC boat.

While a Jersey boat won the overall trophy, the Guernsey fielded seven of the top ten boats compared to Jersey’s two and Jostler, Boondoggle and Killing Time won the prestigious Sir James Knott trophy for Guernsey.  

Pictured: Chirs Sharp, Ali Bisson and Martin Boyde, receiving  the prestigious Sir James Knott trophy from Terry Gardiner and Geri O’Brien of Savills.

Competitors enjoyed a supper and prizegiving following the race at St Helier Yacht Club where representatives of Savills presented the prizes. 

First overall and first ancient mariner: The Dogs

Second overall, first J boat and first IRC: Jostler

Third overall and second IRC: Abracadabra

Fourth overall, first shorthanded, first bilge keel and first non IRC: Boondoggle

Fifth overall, first Sunfast, third IRC: Killing Time

First non-Channel Island boat: Notorious

First lady helm: Seventh Sun

First long keel, second non IRC: Dark Horse

First quarter tonner: Tom Bombadil

First multi hull: La Vitesse

First young helm, third non IRC: Bandit

First white sail: Penguin

First family crewed: Aquafly

Sir James Knott trophy: Jostler, Boondoggle and Killing Time (Guernsey)

Team trophy (competitors can enter teams of three boats):  The Dogs, Notorious and Super Q.

Pictured top: The crew of Jostler with the sponsors.