Conditions weren’t perfect but a great improvement on 2007. (Picture by Chris George. 0600465)

GOING one better than its 2007 runner-up showing, Mad Cap was the winner of the annual Kleinwort Benson Yacht Challenge.

Skippered by Jamie Hamilton, who jointly owns the boat with his brother Grant, crossed the finishing line in St Helier just before midday.

In the end, it was a fairly comfortable victory, with around a seven- minute lead over their nearest rivals, Alice 2. After the 8.30am start off St Peter Port, the main positions didn’t change around much.  It was certainly a far cry from a year ago, when ridiculous weather conditions made for a slow and unpredictable race.

The winning skipper said: ‘We’ve been doing this for 20 years and never won it before, so we’re delighted. We got the lead very near the start and had it for the rest of the race.’

Mad Cap’s performance also helped to lead the Guernsey Yacht Club to a strong victory in the KB Team Trophy, which includes the top three boats from the same regional association. The winning boat was followed in by another Guernsey boat, Alice 2, and White Rabbit was the island’s next best in seventh position.