Tuesday 28th January
Tyrell Bay was bustling again today for Race Day 2 sponsored by Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina for the interCaribbean Airways & Pure Grenada Sailing Week. Blessed with another day of great sailing conditions, 15/16 knots of wind in the Tyrell Bay, blue skies and relatively calm waters, but today the fleet will be covering some distance for the offshore race from Carriacou to Grenada.
Repeating the previous day’s starting order, the Multihull class was up first and the horn blue on time at 9am with Catalyst first over the start line.
The start of the Classics & Simplified Class saw The Blue Peter over the line first for their slightly shorter course of 38 miles, shorter by 2 miles then the rest of the fleet, missing out the Jack-A-Dan leg of the course.
Today’s CSA 2 leader over the line was Hooligan with another clean start. CSA 1 with 7 boats were the last class to start with Jaguar pipping Emily of Cowes over the line first but only just. Jaguar lead the way as the boats headed out of Tyrell Bay towards the Sisters Rocks and on to Jack-A-Dan to round the mark point before heading back towards the rest of the fleet.
It wasn’t long before the spinnakers were flying, and boats were past Carriacou’s southern tip and into the stretch of open ocean between Carriacou and Grenada. All passed outside Grenada’s offshore islands before the 16 nautical-mile downwind run along Grenada’s windward coast and around to the islands southern shore. A few squalls and wind gusts up to 20/25knots made it a lively ride. Some wing-on-wing action helped the downwind sailing.
Judd Tinius’s Galatea took the line honors with an elapsed time of 3:56:01 followed by The Blue Peter just a few minutes later and Bluejay of Portsmouth followed suit. The conditions were lumpy but with good wind speeds. The rest of fleet trickled in and the finish line race committee, sat in their air-conditioned vehicle with refreshments on the land at the very tip of Fort Jeudy point, recorded the boats finish times. Spectators came to watch the boats crossing the finish line on the windy point on another beautiful day in Grenada. The last boat crossed the finish line at 4:45:42 with Catalyst safely over the line.
CSA 1 winner today was Category 5 with Richard Szyjan, in second came Whistler and Peter Lewis followed by Emily of Cowes in third.
It was no surprise to see Mark Chapman’s Dingolay take first place in CSA 2. Huey Too with Bernie Evan-Wong followed with Hooligan taking third place.
The Classics had a new winner being of course Galatea with The Blue Peter in second. Danny Donelan’s Savvy making the podium coming in third.
The Simplified class had a new winner today with Bluejay of Portsmouth and Ollie Bowden, with Dragon Magic and Michael Cullen in second and Clearlake II in third.
Robbie Yearwood’s Spirit of Everest placed first in the Multihulls class again today.
The prize-giving for Race Day 2 sponsored by Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina took place at Le Phare Bleu Marina on the lawn by Island Fever Tropical Tavern. A hearty BBQ buffet was available and the tented area on the lawn became very popular when the heavens opened. Probably the wettest prize-giving ever, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the party goers and racers as for many had the lay day to look forward to tomorrow.
With special thanks to all our Sponsors including, Island Water World, Mount Gay Rum distributed by Bryden & Minors, Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina and Sea Hawk Premiere Yacht Finishes. Venue Sponsors include, The Original Slipway, Las Iguanas, Carriacou Marine, Le Phare Bleu & Island Fever Tropical Tavern, Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina & Victory Bar & Restaurant and Prickly Bay Marina. Premier Sponsors Camper & Nicolsons Marinas, Sol EC Ltd. Spice Island Marine Services, National Lottery Association NLA, North Sails and Falmouth Harbour Marina Antigua. NSS Grenada Charters, Vibe Seltzer, Doyle Guides, Driftwood Fine Yacht Services, Island Dreams Yacht Services, Sea Safety, Home Hospitality Grenada, International Support Group, Glenelg Spring Water, True Blue Bay Resort, J&J Printers and Shadowfax Charters.
