Liquid Illusion flies, with Guernsey driver Kevin Walsh and UK-based Peter Crombie-Christie on board. (0634913)

DESPITE Jerseyman Roy Smith winning the world title, it was not all good news for the Channel Islands.

In his new boat, Liquid Illusion, which was bought off eBay a week ago, sole Guernsey racer Kevin Walsh managed to complete only two laps throughout both races as his engine failed.

He said afterwards that he had been affected by the weather problems more than most. ‘If the first race had gone ahead on Thursday, we could have identified the problem and addressed it before the weekend. As it was, we ultimately didn’t have time to repair it properly after this morning.

‘The problem was that every time the boat was hitting the water, the engine was cutting out.’

Sark’s John Guille, who was making his world debut in the event, did not fare much better, finishing 16th overall out of the 18 racers after having been forced to retire in the second race.