The men from UNCL arrived aboard the magnificent La Folie des Grinders the 90ft monohull racing yacht owned by Pascal and Miriam Hérold. Designed to break the East-West transatlantic single-handed record, this boat is equipped with a 120ft high mast, three furling jibs and a massive asymmetric spinnaker. Drawing 5m she was too large to moor in the new Dolphin Haven marina and could be seen last weekend alongside Poole Quay.

The visitors included the commodore, ex commodores and wives of the French Ocean Racing club, Union Nationale de Course au Large who were visiting Poole to compete in the tenth match racing event against their opposite numbers from the Royal Ocean Racing Club, RORC. The event started twenty-one years ago as a consequence of a challenge from Jean-Louis Fabry commodore of UNCL to Chris Dunning who was at that time Commodore of RORC. Since then the competition has been held every two years with the venue alternating between France and British Isles. The first competition was held in Cavalo France and the French have won or drawn the majority of them. This has apparently been very good for relationships; the Brits being such good losers and the French gallant victors, so that RORC and UNCL have supported each other on many major International events as well as other issues such as rating systems, rules etc.

Poole was selected as the venue for this year and two identically rated J-92 yachts; Vampire based at Hamble and owned by Frenchman David Moore, and Jammin of Poole owned by Mike Riley, were chosen for the match racing. These 30ft fast planing boats were ideal as they use asymmetric spinnakers which enabled the rather elderly crews, five of whom were in their 70’s, to experience the thrills of flying their kites in force 6 winds without having to manage spinnaker poles etc.

The teams tossed to decide who sailed which boat, this appropriately resulted in the

French team sailing Vampire which was helmed by French match racing expert Jean-Louis Fabry with Pascal Hérold on main sheet and current UNCL commodore Philippe Serenon grinding, David Moore was on foredeck (it was a condition that each boat had to have its owner aboard), 76 year old Bernard Moureau was on the rail and 77 year old Jacques Faynard was the radio operator.

The British boat Jammin was helmed by current RORC commodore Peter Rutter with John Bourke on mainsheet, Don Parr on cockpit, David Edwards tactician, Mike Riley fore deck and Brad Bradberry grinding and generally helping out.

The series was to be decided by the best of three races and was held in Poole bay in a fresh North Westerly wind gusting up to 30 knots.

In the final minute before the start of Race 1 Vampire had a wrap in her No 3 jib, which allowed the RORC boat to lead to the windward mark, Poole Head. On the next leg to South Hook both yachts went for their spinnakers Vampire choosing a larger one than Jammin who used a heavy-duty screacher. With Vampire closing fast as a consequence of planing early on a sustained gust, Jammin managed to hold the lead at the gybe mark. The next leg was a reach to BP Wych and it was here that Jammin made her major error by not staying to windward of Vampire but rather bearing off to make the mark. Vampire established an inside overlap and began covering up the next beat. Eventually Jammin broke free to windward and in less wind looked as if she would regain the lead by the finish (the race having been shortened by race officer Graham Lee), at Poole Head. However it was not to be, Vampire managed to tack clear ahead close to the line and won by two boat lengths.

In the second race Jammin started to leeward of Vampire on the line but managed to select the best course to the windward mark just leading on the first reach. Again Vampire chose the large kite, which proved to be a mistake on the next reach from East Hook to BP Wych, that was very tight and suited the small screacher used by Jammin. Vampire broached twice before dropping her kite, Jammin on the other hand was able to sail toward the mark with the kite up until hit by an enormous gust that caused Peter Rutter to bear away big time so that the screecher had to be dropped. This allowed Vampire to take the lead, which she held to the finish.

So it was 2-0 to the French maintaining the tradition and the spirit of entente cordial.

Lunch, which was held in the shelter of Studland Bay, with the yachts rafted up to Sunset Boulevard a large Sunseeker, was arranged by Chris Dunning’s wife Audrey and was attended by the sailors and their wives.

A dinner was held in the evening at the Mansion House Restaurant at which Philippe Serenon the winning commodore of UNCL was presented with the trophy: The Coupe des President, (an old peaked cap): by Chris Dunning, the event organiser.

On Sunday morning the men from UNCL returned from whence they came, aboard the beautiful La Folie, which even Ilya Kuriakin would have been proud to sail.

Mike Riley 13/09/01

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