Captain’s Log July 2025
With the St Malo Race completed we are now two thirds the way through our racing programme and it is time for the summer break during which a few of us will head off for the Fastnet Rock and a rather larger number will probably attend Cowes or one of the many other regattas that take place during July and August.
The last few races have tended to see a continuation of the weather pattern when one weekend seems to be a blast and the next a calm. The Yarmouth weekend was perhaps the exception with the conditions described as ideal.
Entries have generally held up well albeit that there have been some clashes with other club’s events, particularly for anyone seeking to do their qualifying miles for the Fastnet. We do try very hard to avoid these clashes, but some are inevitable, particularly over Bank Holiday weekends. Trying to pick up patterns from the results to date is not that easy and while it looks as though there are one or two boats that will probably end the season with honours there is still a lot to play for and we are looking forward to seeing lots of entries for the Nautical Cloud Channel race to say nothing of the Team O joint race with RORC to Cherbourg and the two season closing Costal weekends to Poole (sponsored by Stoneways) and Lymington (sponsored by our lead sponsor Henri-Lloyd) all of which were very well supported last year and for which we are hoping for similar entries this year.
Not for the first time JOG entries for St Malo were a bit disappointing, your committee is extremely reluctant to drop this race from the Calendar, it has been a JOG race for ever and dropping it would be a big thing. However, as an experiment it has been decided that it will be dropped for 2026 and instead, we will have a race to Dartmouth. This will not be any old race; it will be the opening race for JOG week 2026. Provisionally JOG week has been scheduled for 24th July with the week finishing on Thursday 30th so that those wished to do Cowes Week can return. The Dartmouth race will be part of the Offshore series but will be classified as Category 4 so that boats that do not usually do offshore races can join in. The programme for the week is still being planned but will probably be split between Dartmouth and Plymouth. With the exception of the race to Dartmouth, JOG week will be a stand-alone event and will not affect a boat’s standing in the Costal or Offshore series.
As well as looking at JOG Week 2026 the Committee is of course looking at the Calendar for 2026 and if anyone has any ideas for new destinations or formats please let us know. The club prides itself as the home of Destination Racing, it has always been part of our DNA but when I first sailed with JOG we did have one Channel Triangle race as part of the Offshore series, this usually started on a Saturday morning, and finished early on Sunday and I had wondered if this might appeal to anyone, particularly those who do not like the pressures created by our traditional Friday evening start. This is me speaking, not the Committee, so please if you have strong views don’t scream at Martin or other members of the Committee.
At the risk of being slightly controversial I want to comment on the Alderney Race. This was won by Lutine who managed to get line honours, along with first overall. There was a suggestion in the Facebook write up that size enabled Lutine to beat the tide, but I was not quite so sure. Gunsmoke retired from this race but when I saw the pre-race briefing, I was concerned that the routing software had got it wrong. Usually, I am very impressed by routing software, it normally re-enforces my pre-race navigation and enables me to fine tune my plans. However, I am not always certain that the suggested tactics for fighting tide are correct and I doubted that the tactic of fighting the tide up the South Coast of the Isle of Wight was correct. Prior to our retirement the plan for Gunsmoke was to tack close to the Island no further than Dunose Point before heading south and then tacking west once the tide had changed in a Westerly direction. It is my understanding that this is what Lutine did, while most of the fleet stuck to the Island shore. Could this be one of the reasons that Lutine did so well and if so, she is to be congratulated on her result? As I did not complete the race, I cannot prove that my ideas were correct, but I do wonder. It also reminds me that while all our fancy electronic aids are amazing and valuable, there are occasionally times when a bit of old-fashioned navigational intuition can be useful.
Doubtless many will be aware of the problems that beset the last Sydney to Hobart race. A comprehensive review report was produced on behalf of the organisers and makes very interesting reading. Your committee, along with many other organisations having been looking at this and it may be that its recommendations will result in some changes/additions to the safety requirements/equipment for Category 3 (offshore) races. The most likely change is a requirement that all competitors carry a personal AIS commencing for the 2027 season. If this happens it would be our intention to give plenty of notice.
Sadly, my presence at the finish line this season has been less than intended, a combination of bad planning and retirements. As a result, I have had less opportunity to talk to people than ideal, so if you have any comments on the programme (or anything else) please do feel free to contact me either via the Secretary or my personal email which is accessible from the members area.
Tony Tahourdin
Gunsmoke GBR6455R
