This Is Guernsey

THE 14th annual Insurance Corporation Guernsey to Dinard Yacht Race has been won by Bluesy, skippered by David Jeffs. Second place went to Tomahawk, skippered by Gordon Wilson, with Blue Jade, skippered by Aden Clark, coming in third.

‘The sea conditions suited us and we made the best of them,’ said Jeffs.

‘One of the advantages of having a heavier boat means that we can plough through the rough weather.

‘The lighter boats might be quicker in smoother conditions, but that is the great thing about sailing: different conditions favour different vessels.

‘Bad weather may have depleted the number of boats taking part but it gave us confidence because we knew the conditions would suit us.’

The annual race, which is about 60 miles and run on a handicap system, started on a Friday night and finished the following morning.

This year, out of the 16 boats registered to take part, only 11 started and finished.

‘In the past the race was considered as a ﾓfeeder legﾔ for the Tour de Ports,’ said Phil Surry, of Insurance Corporation, who sailed aboard Banjaard, skippered by John Falla.

‘This is no longer the case but we still had an extremely enjoyable night’s racing.

‘It is unfortunate that the poor forecasts meant that a number of entrants dropped out this year but the conditions turned out to be fine for racing and our celebration party in St Malo was fantastic.’