Evacuation Rally Announcement
Published 12:14 on 16 May 2025
This event celebrates the 85th anniversary of the part played by St Helier Yacht Club Members in the evacuation of allied troops and personnel from St Malo in June 1940, just ahead of the advancing German army and just two weeks before the start of the occupation. It is of course for this action that the Club was awarded the battle honour of our defaced red ensign, which all Members can fly, just requiring a warrant issued by the Club office.
As the first boats left St Helier in 1940 at night, the event starts with a night race down to St Malo as part of the Offshore series. Arriving in St Malo in the early hours, they are then joined in the morning by those boats taking part in the rally, all locking through to the inner Bassin Vauban together, dressed overall and providing quite a spectacle.
Once moored up on the visitor pontoon, all crews are then invited to attend a welcome drink and finger buffet on Saturday lunchtime, to which the Club invites local dignitaries to join us as guests. This is provided free of charge to all attendees, and being a major Club event, there will be NO registration fee for this event. We do however need numbers well in advance to arrange berthing and catering, so please dont delay in registering, as we do have a maximum number of spaces available. Please note that boats taking part in the night race must also register for the rally.
Crews are free to explore the famous walled city and its many bars and restaurants for the rest of Saturday, before the return to Jersey on Sunday some racing and some at leisure.
Below you will find a link to register please do so NOW if you intend joining us, or even if you think you might, as it is entirely possible that with the past popularity of this event, there will NOT be a further call to register. All further communications will be via the emails you enter on registration, including how to complete immigration formalities and the important timings of the locking and the reception.
If you have any queries, you can contact the rally committee on rally@shyc.je or via the office.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Chris Parlett
Chairman Rally Committee