JERSEY took the honours in the annual Kleinwort Benson Yacht Challenge on Saturday as IRC class entrant Tom Bombaldil took the class win and victory overall.

A severe lack of wind made conditions extremely difficult to sail in and just 17 of the 86 starters managed to limp over the finish line in Guernsey before the time limit of 17.30 pm.

They had set out at 10 am from St Aubin’s Bay in a very light north to north-east wind. The yachts, holding well into the Jersey shore, were lifted by the tide enabling them to reach Corbière for the start of the north-going tide. Progress was inevitably slow; the sea was calm and there were cats paws [small isolated patches of wind] prevalent throughout the race.

The changing conditions were challenging and all participants were steering by compass when the fleet sailed through a fog bank mid-way through. Fortunately the wind held allowing some boats to make further progress north.

Although a relatively slow sailing day, there was excitement at the Castle Cornet finish line as Guernsey boat Alice 2, skippered by Simon Henning, who had taken and held on to a strong lead for the whole of the race, got stuck in a hole meaning that Jersey boat The Dogs pipped them to the post taking line honours.

However the handicap system meant that neither Alice 2 nor The Dogs were the ultimate winners.

That accolade went to Jersey boat Tom Bombadil, skippered by owner Dave Williams, and he and his crew aboard the Conrad 760 were later presented with the trophy by Kleinwort Benson Jersey managing director Sandra Platts.

• Full results in today’s Jersey Evening Post

• Pictures by David Ferguson

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