Azores 2008

The Jester Azores Challenge, 2008

Start off western end of Plymouth Breakwater, 1400 Saturday 31 May 2008.
Finish on a line between the north and south moles, Praia da Vitoria Harbour, Terceira, Azores.

Déjà vu indeed! Gazing down on the fleet of Jester Azores Challengers nestling inside the breakwater at Plymouth’s Queen Annes’s Battery Marina, I was transported back to 1972, when I covered the start of the OSTAR (Observer Singlehanded TransAtlantic Race) for YM…

Fast-forward to 2008 and what sheer pleasure to see and absorb the special atmosphere at this gathering of present day Corinthian sailors, in an equally varied choice of craft that for the most part had jumped straight out of YM’s A to Z of second-hand boats – mostly from the 1960s, ‘70s and early ‘80s. Old and familiar favourites, like the Kingfisher 30, two Cutlass 27s, Halycon 27, Trident 24, two Twisters, Warsash One Design, Albin Vega, Folksong 25, Arpège, Jaguar 25, Trapper 501, Wing 25 and Hunter Sonata, to mention just a few. Multihulls were surprisingly thin on the water. Only three made it to the start: Paul Feasey’s Iroquois catamaran, Stingray, Kenneth Hook’s Wharram Tiki 26 Skinny Dipper and Nick Barham’s Val trimaran, Tahiti Belle . To my delight, I could detect not a glimmer of Kevlar among any of them, nor any gaudy livery of sponsorship – the only outstanding splash of colour was the dayglo orange painted on windvanes, coachroofs and mast trucks, and the unmistakeable yellow glow of Graham Jewitt’s very trim, junk-rigged Kingfisher 20+, Golden Dragon.

Mark Fishwick, Yachting Monthly

The first to arrive at Praia da Vitoria was Frenchman Dominique Katan in his 25ft plywood yacht Nea-Kameni, shortly followed by Paul Feasey in his Iroquois catamaran Stingray.

Relatively fast passage times were enabled by some downwind sailing, at times boisterous. All boats safely made port, but sadly while returning from the Azores the trimaran TAHITI BELLE was lost; the skipper Nick Barham was rescued, his story describes the event and lessons learned.

A Jester Silver Crown was awarded to Russian Alexei Fedoruk as the first home-built yacht to finish. Fedoruk built Fasonin his landlocked home town of Velikiy Novgorod in 1988, when materials were hard to source. He even had to machine his own screws.

Our thanks to the Commodore and staff of the Royal Western Yacht Club as well as the Queen Anne’s Battery team for hosting the start, and for the usual warm welcome at the Praia da Vitoria marina.

Starters

Skipper	Yacht	type	LOA	Finish
Adrian Veater	Dusk	Wing 25	25′	Retired
Alan Charlton	Pipedream	Westerly Centaur	26′	14/06/2008
Alan Rees	Argus	Hunter Europa		Retired
Alexei Fedoruk	Fason	Modified Olympic Dragon	29′	14/06/2008
Bernie Gray	Mumble	Victoria 30	30′	14/06/2008
Bill Churchouse	Belgean	Westerly 22	22′	21/06/2008
Bill Hockley	Prime Suspect	Cutlass 27	27′	Retired
Bill Kippen	Edith Kate	Arpege	29′	13/06/2008
Dave Graham	Astro	Folksong	25′	22/06/2008
David Boughton	Lady C	Cutlass 27	27′	Retired
Denis Gorman	Auld Meg	Viro Voyager	23′	16/06/2008
Dominique Katan	Nea-Kameni	Mistral 7.5	25′	11/06/2008
Duncan Lougee	Vaquero	Rustler 31	31′	13/06/2008
George Jepps	Culica	Tomahawk	25′	14/06/2008
Graham Jewitt	Golden Dragon	Junk-rigged Kingfisher 20	20′	19/06/2008
John Apps	Glayva	UFO27	27′	15/06/2008
John Gozzard	Pippin	Westerly Griffon	26′	13/06/2008
John Margarson	Lucy	Kelt	28′	12/06/2008
Kenneth Hook	Skinny Dipper	Wharram Tiki 26	26′	Retired
Malcome Collins	Helix	Twister	28′	(Started 6/6) 25/06/2008
Mark Waddams	Laurie II	Trident 24	24′	Retired
Michail Soldatov	Gerda	Albin Vega	27′	Retired
Mike Winter	Jacinta	1958 Cheverton Caravel	23′	Retired
Nick Barham	Tahiti Bell	Val 31 Trimaran	31′	Sailed to Ponta Delgada
Nick Bridges	Dolphin of Fowey	Trapper 501	28′	13/06/2008
Nigel Stillman	Grettal	Kingfisher 30	30′	24/06/2008
Paul Feasey	Stingray	Iroqouis MkII	30′	11/06/2008
Paul Mead	Indecision	Jaguar 25	26′	15/06/2008
Peter Taylor	Ballerina	Modified 5.5m	31′	Retired
Philippe Hautfenne	Libid’eau	Trapper 500	28′	Retired
Richard Cutsforth	Sprinter	Achilles 840	27′	14/06/2008
Roger Fitzgerald	Ella Trout III	Dehler 29	29′	12/06/2008
Roger Taylor	Mingming	Junk-rigged Corribee	21′	21/06/2008
Ron Westcott	Cornet	Hunter Sonata	23′	Retired
Rupert Smith	Niord	Vancouver 28	28′	14/06/2008
Stan Snape	Moonbow	Albin Vega 27	27′	15/06/2008
Steve Lynn	Alicat	Halcyon 27	27′	Retired
Tim McCloy	China Blue	Junk-rigged Folksong	25′	17/06/2008
Tony Head	Triple Venture	Twister	28′	13/06/2008
Tony Saunders	Lo Shu	Varne Folkboat	25′	Retired
Trevor Leek	Jester	Junk-rigged modified folkboat	25′	18/06/2008
Vitaly Elagin	Zeelanna	Amigo 27	27′	13/06/2008

Skippers

Gallery

Diaries and Reports

Nick Barham – The Loss of TAHITI BELLE, 2008
I wrecked in my trimaran “TAHITI BELLE” returning from the Azores Challenge in 2008. It happened at night: 3 days out from Ponta del Garda… Read more