The 14th Autumn Sailing Series Comes to an End for Another Year

The annual Louvre Sailing Series took place for a 14th year during September and October, with a number of new entrants and a recent change in the handicap system leaving the field wide open for competitors.

Organised by the Guernsey Yacht Club (GYC), two classes of racing yachts and two classes of dinghies competed in the handicapped race challenge. The series saw competitors accrue points throughout the races, ahead of a prizegiving.

The sailing series is an iconic fixture on the local calendar and the long-term sponsorship from Louvre Group has made the event possible for over a decade.

The Races

This year, the series saw sailors take on courses around Brehon Tower and the Lower Heads, with competitive racing amongst the yachts.  

Fixed navigational marks and race buoys were purposely placed with the aim of the sailors covering all points to test the crews’ navigational and boat-handling skills.

The weather turned out to be one of the worst years we’ve seen, but despite the severity of autumn gales that the Bailiwick has been hit by this year, the club managed to complete four out of the seven scheduled races.

The Results

A total of eight yachts competed in Class 1, with just three points separating the top four. Roger Martel’s Kaya II came out on top, closely followed by Black Jack (Ozard/Morris) with Mick Hollands Majic coming in third. 

A further four yachts competed in Class 2. Entering the final race, three yachts were tied on four points each. 

The deciding race was won by John Falla’s Banjaard, leaving Dino Castro’s Dark Horse in second, followed by Glory Days (Knowles/Aslett) in third place.

The series closed with the iconic all-class race followed by a prizegiving event at the Guernsey Yacht Club. 

The GYC Rear Commodore Sail, Roger Martel, thanked Derek Baudains and Louvre Group for their continued support of the autumn series, which has become a firm favourite for all skippers.