L’Aber Wrac’h

64th L’ABER WRAC’H
27th June 2025

The 64^th Helford to L’Aber Wrac’h race was held on 27^th June 2025

Twenty-three yachts entered for the 64^th race, seven French and thirteen English, taking on the Channel crossing, with 20 yachts finishing the race and only three retirements, one having to return home with electronics problems and the other two made it to L’Aber Wrac’h.

1^st Jack Jack Richard Chart

2^nd  Calypso Jean Francoise Caraes

3^rd Afrita Richard Laming
Afrita continued to sail on after crossing the line at Libenter as a qualifier for the Fastnet race.

4^th Amigos Jonathan MyersSundancer Trophy for the 1^st Helford Yacht Xenia Paddy Royall

Marie Jo Trophy was awarded to nine year old Gabin Roe Caraes, on Calypso, as the youngest competitor in the race.

The Bobby Martin Trophy for a Yacht 30’ or under that crossed to L’Aber Wrac’h was awarded to Richard Haynes in his Cornish Crabber Pilot Cutter Aliesje. This was their 1^st crossing in Aliesje, following the original spirit of the race, to encourage people to cross the Channel in company.

There was a good Southwesterly breeze at the start of the race but the wind died away towards the morning making the crossing lumpy and uncomfortable with variable visibility. Most yachts ended up east of the finish line, taking a while to reach Libenter. Jack Jack crossed the line at 09:11:32 hrs followed by Calypso 18 minutes later and Afrita 23 minutes after that. All yachts finished by 14:25 hrs.

The prizegiving was held at the Yacht Club des Abers with a speech by Rob Hewett, representing HRSC, in French and English this year! COGS did their prizegiving and then Rob Hewett and Carol Lawrence presented the Helford to L’Aber Wrac’h Race prizes.

The race was preceded by an excellent Champagne recovery party, at HRSC, with great music by ‘Salt Water Cure’ and a delicious bar-b-que by our new Club chef Ciaran.

Thanks must go to the Yacht Club des Abers for the Race reception, Rob Hewett and Carol Lawrence for presenting prizes and Daniel Dagorn for some of the Prizegiving photographs. To Johnny Walker, Anthony Jenkin and Rob Hewett for Race Organization, and those who arranged and helped with a great Champagne reception.

Position	Yacht Name	Owner/skipper	Make
1	Jack Jack	Richard Chart	J Boats J122
2	Calypso	J F Caraes	Contessa 35
3	Afrita	Andrew Laming	Sigma 33
4	Amigos	Jonathan Daniel Myers	Archambault A35
5	Atahualpa	Guillem David	First 42
6	Xenia	Paddy Royall	X362 Sport
7	Inn Spirit	Simon Copperwait	HOD 36
8	Agnes	Paul Clark	Elan 333
9	British Beagle	Charles Emmett	Sigma 36
10	Bellissima	Dr Anthony W Nathan	Grand Soleil 34
11	Legless	Mark Fernihough	Sigma 33 OOD
12	Blue Horizon	Tim Rowley	Maxi 1050
13	Samadhi	Neil Wason	Dehler 365
14	Carpe Diem	Gilles Menuet	3C Bongo 9,60
15	Diskabel	Yves Prigent	Beneteau Oceanis 423
16	Kilukru	Deguergue Aloin	Beneteau First 29
17	Blue Chilli	Nick McIvor	Sun Odyssey 39i
18	Fissa	Eridan T Rameur	Beneteau
19	Saltheart	James Davis	Sigma 36
	Belle Ile	Ben Zaquen	Outremer 55 Catamaran
*RTD	Aliesje	Richard Haynes	Crabber Pilot Cutter 30
*RTD	Blue Dragon	Ivan Carrington	Sweden Yachts 370
*RTD	Breeze O	Samir Dhanani	Pogo 30
* Retired

This race has been held every year, weather permitting, since 1959 when it was formally inaugurated by Tony and Sue Myers, both later to become Commodores of the Club. The race has always been an enormously popular Anglo-French sailing and social Event, involving Members of HRSC, Yacht Club De la Rade de Brest and the Yacht Club des Abers. Its popularity also extends to other UK sailing clubs. Apparently, the main objective of the race was to encourage yacht owners and their crews, who did not have cross-channel experience, to gain this in the company of others with more experience. This was at a time when yacht cruising and racing were becoming popular leisure activities in this country and not just the exclusive sport of the wealthy. Being a pursuit race, with the smallest and slowest boats starting first, timed according to their handi-caps, gave everyone a chance of being first across the line by the Libenter Buoy at the entrance to the L’Aber-Wrac’h river. The race distance is 92 miles and the average yacht can complete the course in about fifteen hours. In some years up to one hundred boats have entered.