Cervantes Trophy Race – Cowes to Le Havre

Victory for Exabyte 111

Shaun Frohlich and the crew of his IMX 45 ‘Exabyte III’ finished an extremely frustrating race at 0252 but found enough energy to spend the rest of the night celebrating winning the Cervantes Trophy !!

The RORC’s 2004 Offshore Points Season began on Saturday 1st May, with the Cervantes Trophy Race to Le Havre.  Under an overcast sky and moderate visibility IRC 2 & 3 started from the RYS Line at 0830.   With the majority of the 21 starters in this group shy of the line, Alistair Ray’s  J109 ‘Jumunu’  got away to a good start.    IRC SZ, Z & 1 started 10 minutes later at 0840 with 28 boats vying for position in the light Northerly 2 breeze.  Andrew Pearce’s IMX 40 ‘Magnum II’ and ‘Erivale’, Mike Greville’s DK 46 both had good starts but it was not long before ‘Jazz’, Chris Bull’s J 145 and ‘Bear of Britain’, Kit Hobday & Tim Louis’ Farr 52 had overhauled them.

Due to the forecast of a light wind race, the race committee at the start decided to send the fleet on the shorter course, (Course B), a distance of approximately 110 nautical miles, negating the requirement to round Poole Bar Light Buoy (No 1).  This would take the fleet west out of the Solent, leaving Bridge Light Buoy to Port and then across the Channel to Le Havre to finish between LH 15 Green Channel Light Buoy and a Committee Boat, the 30 ft motor vessel, ‘Prince de Joinville’, kindly arranged by the Société des Régates du Havre and crewed by Jean-Michel Hellouin and Claude Herve, alongside the RORC Race Team of Michael and Alison Palmer and Paul Skinner.  It was unfortunate however, that due to a misunderstanding with the port authority the boat could not stay on station but had to monitor the line from a safe distance.

Once again it was to prove to be one of those frustrating races!  ‘Bear of Britain’ was the first to report at 10 miles to the finish at 2300 and ‘Tonnerre de Breskens’, Piet Vroon’s Lutra 52 an hour later, only to find what was left of the light breeze to fail them as they closed the shore.  

First to cross the line at 0128 was ‘Bear of Britain’, with ‘Tonnerre’ at 0202.  This was the start of a long wait for the committee and the barman at the yacht club!  Thanks are due to the SRH for keeping the bar open all night which was much appreciated in the early hours.

 ‘Jazz’ was the third boat in at 0239 with ‘Erivale’, Mike Greville’s DK 46 4 minutes later, followed by Shaun Frohlich’s IMX 45 ‘Exabyte III’ which was enough to win him the Cervantes Trophy.  The tide having turned it would be a full hour before ‘Second Love’, Gerard Cok’s Standfast 64 at 0406.  The first of the IRC 1 boats to reach the finish at Le Havre was Sean Hurst & Ian Fawcett’s IMX 40 ‘Meta Baron at 0602, followed 26 minutes later by ‘Cutting Edge’ a Mills 36 owned by R Lutener / P James / M Elwood

IRC 2 was lead home by ‘Jacobi’ at 0704, Matteo Mazzocchi’s J 109, sailed by Valerio Bardi.  There was then a gap of two and a half hours before  Julian Nichols’ Lightwave 395 ‘Rainmaker’ finish at 0935 and ‘Psipsina’, John Loden’s HOD 35 which was being raced two-handed. 

The French boats found themselves at the front of the IRC 3 fleet, ‘Accastillage Diffusion’, Jean-Michel Mercier’s First 31.7 at 1216, ahead of fellow countryman Yves Dervieux’s ‘Botez Coat III’, also a First 31.7 at 1235, followed 9 minutes later by the class winner on corrected time, Nicolas de la Fourniere’s X 312 ‘Exile’. 

David & Fiona Crawforth, sailing their Sigma 33 ‘Sigress’ showed that keeping going through all the frustrations would pay off.   They had spinnaker reached out of the Solent into a foul tide after rounding Bridge Light Buoy.  The breeze then went light causing them to kedge briefly before having a very tricky time playing the shifts against the adverse current.  Approximately 30 miles from Le Havre the breeze became very light again but freed, giving them a kite run, then reach to just before the finish, where the breeze built and backed for the last few hours.  The hard gave them a 2nd in class on corrected time.    Their’s was one of the many stories of variable and frustrating conditions for the whole this race.

A prizegiving was held at 1200 local on Sunday at the Société des Régates du Havre Clubhouse.    As well as the traditional trophies for this race there was a special presentation.    To mark the occasion of the centenary of the Entente Cordiale 1904 - 2004  the RORC and the SRH exchanged gifts.

Thanks go to the Société des Régates du Havre and the President of the Club, Anne de Bagneaux-Savatier for their wonderful hospitality.

RORC Medallions will be presented on Tuesday 18th May, 1930 at the Clubhouse, 20 St James’s Place, London SW1.  All crews welcome.

Cervantes Trophy Race – Cowes to Le Havre.
Saturday 1st May 2004.

Prizegiving:

Cervantes Trophy – BCT IRC   Exabyte III Shaun Frohlic

Thelassa Cup – IRC Zero   Exabyte III Shaun Frohlic

2nd  Erivale  Mike Greville

3rd Jazz  Chris Bull

Noryema VII Cup – IRC 1    Meta Baron Sean Hurst & Ivan Fawcett

2nd  Cutting Edge  R Lutener / P James / M Elwood

3rd  Leopard  Formula 1 Sailing  Sailed by Phillippe Falle

Vashti Goblet – IRC 2  Jacobi  Matteo Mazzocchi (Will be collected in London on the 18th May)

2nd  Psipsina John Loden

3rd  Rainmaker Julian Nichols

Kinross Trophy – IRC 3 Exile Nicolas de la Fourniere

2nd  Sigress  David & Fiona Crawforth

3rd Accastillage Diffusion Jean-Michel Mercier

SRH Cup – BCT IRM  Bear of Britain  Kit Hobday / Tim Louis

2 Handed Division Medallion  Psipsina John Loden