Jersey Yacht Club launch Frostbite Series

This month will see the launch of the annual Guernsey Yacht Club Frostbite Series - an apt name for dinghy racing in these wintery conditions.

It has a new sponsor at the helm this year, the Mercator Trust Company. The first race of the competition for dinghies starts at 10am on Sunday 16th of January, with six fortnightly races taking place throughout January, February and March. The winners will receive the coveted trophy and will be competing against some of Guernsey most promising dinghy sailing talent.

GYC member Stuart Bloese said:

"This year promises keen competition at many levels and most importantly, fun on the water. It also offers our local up-and-coming sailors vying for places in the GBR squads the opportunity to regularly race, giving them a distinct advantage to their UK competitors."

Competitors will be sailing a wide variety of dinghy designs, from Hobie Tiger Catamaran and RS400s, to slower boats such as Lasers or a GP14. Each boat is given a handicap, based on results from sailing clubs all over the UK. The idea is to sail around the same course as many times as they can in an hour. After this, the average time is taken and the handicaps applied to find an overall winner.

Competitors expected to take part range from the young sailing stars Johanna Asplund and Andy Bridgman both of whom have been in GBR national squads, to the more experienced sailors David Aslett, last years winner Dave Le Page, Henrik Asplund and the husband-and-wife team Stuart and Carol Bloese, all keen to leave the young ones in their wake.

Director at Mercator, Clive Damsell, said:

"Anyone who is brave enough to take to the waves in these cold weather conditions will have truly earned Mercators support. I look forward to following the competition." (from CTV)