Early lead for Jenga Trois

First day of action at the Nexus Marine J/80 Nationals in Cardiff

In three weeks 117 J/80s will assemble in La Trinité sur Mer in Brittany for the largest World Championship that the Class has ever seen, and on Thursday eighteen of the UK fleet set sail out into the Bristol Channel for Cardiff Bay Yacht Club for the first day of racing in the Nexus Marine J/80 UK National Championship. Under Race Officer Mike Pearson, three races were scheduled to be run in a north westerly breeze of 8 to 12 knots, in the four hour window either side high water.

Race One started bang on time and local boy Steve Cooper banged the right hand side of the course in Junior High, arriving first at the top mark, followed by Marie-Claude and Paul Heys’ Jenga Trois and Ian Atkin’s Boats.com both of whom had taken a more conservative course up the middle of the beat. Down the run, Boats.com pulled out and was in second place at the leeward mark. On the final beat, Jenga Trios excelled with good boat speed and great tactics from Duncan MacDonald, and pushed through Boats.com and Junior High into first place, a position they held until the final gun. The final places were Jenga Trios in first, Boats.com in second and Junior High third.

Race Two started in the same wind conditions as Race One, but with the tide due to turn mid race. By the first windward mark Peter Henney’s Nemo had a huge lead with Steve Andrew in Jet Set and Junior High following on. Up the next run Jenga Trois recovered well, having suffered an outhaul failure ten seconds before the start, and worked through the fleet into second. Cardiff’s very own archetypal Baywatch Blonde, Iwan Basten, sailed a strong race in Plas Menai and sailed his crew into third place. On the line it was Nemo in first, Jenga Trois second and Plas Menai third.

For Race Three, and with the tide now ebbing at pace, PRO Mike Pearson shortened the course slightly. The wind went right just after the start, and Jenga Trois showed the fleet her tail feathers and arrived at the top of the course at the front of the pack. Behind her in a bunch were Jet Set, Junior High, Boats.com and Nick Sawyer’s Red Sky. Jenga Trios maintained her lead up the second beat, Junior High slipped past Red Sky. The fat lady sang as Jenga Trois finished first, Junior High second and Red Sky third.

The fleet went off to Church during the evening; Cardiff’s Norwegian Church to be precise, for a civic reception hosted by the Cardiff Harbour Authority, a key supporter the event. Presumably prayers will be said that the high pressure and breeze vacuum that is forecast for tomorrow will pass Cardiff by. The PRO has three races scheduled to please the class and the title sponsor of the event, Nexus Marine Electronics.