2024 Channel Week Report

Simon Mitchell raced his Sun Fast 3200 to overall victory and he reports as follows

 29 July 2024

We started the week in a high pressure system bringing light airs.

However, with a couple of changes we made it to all the destinations except Cherbourg, enjoying a day in Alderney instead. 

We left St Peter Port the morning after arriving to hitch a ride on the WSW breeze promised for just that day. 

We had 4 races out of 6 possible including:

Alderney to St. Peter Port via the Swinge and Les Hanois - complete with heavy rain, wet spinnakers and the beautiful scenery around the south of the Guernsey. 

St Peter Port to Dartmouth - a breezy tight fetch in lumpy seas off Guernsey , settling down eventually to a flat light air finish and into the Dart as the daylight faded.

Dartmouth to Portland Bill - the race was retrospectively shortened at the Bill after a total wind shut down from there. Otherwise a flat Lyme Bay in light airs.

Weymouth to Lymington - a southerly breeze , fast code zero weather to St Albans with a tight spinnaker reach up to North Head.

James hosted us on Moonshadow in the evenings in port and ferried some of us across the Dart river in his dinghy as well as helping out by arranging berthing and the wine prizes. 

So the week had a great mix of competitive racing, with relaxing rest days and the unique informal SORC social atmosphere. With no need for night racing, we mostly agreed this was much less tiring and more enjoyable.

Simon

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