Welcome to the Jersey Regatta ... et soyez bienvenus à nos amis français!

Dear All

I am delighted to say that we are progressing well towards what we are sure will be another great combined clubs’ Regatta, the fifteenth in all and the first to fly the UBS banner. We extend a very warm welcome to our new sponsor and very much appreciate UBS’ commitment to this great event in the Island’s sporting calendar.

The Jersey Regatta is, without doubt, the jewel-in-the-crown of the Island’s crammed sailing programme, attracting strong local representation in all classes and stiff competition across the board from boats joining us from the UK, France and Guernsey. 2012 was a record year when we saw well over one hundred boats competing, the most successful Regatta to date. We are pulling out all the stops to see if we can squeeze even more boats into the beautiful confines of St Aubin’s Bay and its adjacent waters this year.

With the Island’s racing programme gathering pace, Jersey’s skippers have plenty of opportunity to bring their crews and boats up to peak performance in time for the Regatta; we hope that our visitors will find the competition both challenging and enjoyable during their three days with us. Ashore, we have a busy social programme lined up, designed to keep everyone happy and to provide visitors with plenty of opportunity to mingle with the Island’s sailing fraternity and barter a pint or two for some vital piece of local knowledge.

The Notice of Race, including the social programme, is available by clicking on the Race Administration button on the right of this page. Note, especially, that discounted fees are available to boats entering no later than 28th August and that Jersey Marinas are, as ever, very kindly providing complimentary berthing for entrants during the week of the Regatta.

This year sees the introduction of RORC’s Limited Validity TCC, a great option if you are a cruiser skipper who does not wish to get or need a full Spinlock IRC certificate. We are hoping that the option of racing with a LV TCC in your peer group, at a reduced cost, will encourage you to join us in this great celebration of our sport. Full details of how to apply for a LV TCC are available on www.rorcrating.com/lv-tcc. We shall, also, be using the new RYA National Handicap for Cruisers system for non-IRC cruisers and dayboats.

Prospective visitors need to be aware that September is a very busy month in the Island’s tourism calendar. For those wishing to reserve accommodation, the watchwords must be ‘book early’. You will find www.Jersey.com, Jersey Tourism’s website, indispensable in this regard. For visitors arriving early, there is the added attraction of the Jersey International Air Display, scheduled for Thursday 12th September.

Should you need further information, at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone 00 44 (0) 1534 732229 or by e-mail info@jerseyregatta.com. We very much look forward to seeing you at the UBS Jersey Regatta in September.

Best wishes for safe, rewarding and happy sailing in 2013.

Bill Harris
Chairman & Race Director
9 April 2013