Sim's account of the Great International Race to Jandia
Jandia (pronounced Handia) is a lighthouse on the southwestern tip of the island Fuertoventura. It is on a bearing of 107 Degrees Magnetic from Las Palmas and said to be 60 miles. We were asked by the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria to enter for the race, as were all the other visiting yachts. We understood that this was the first of what was to be an annual race there. The start was scheduled to be at 7.30 in the morning. On the night before, all the crews were asked to attend a meeting for briefing. There were 14 boats entered, of which 8 were club boats and the visitors.
Jandia (pronounced Handia) is a lighthouse on the southwestern tip of the island Fuertoventura. It is on a bearing of 107 Degrees Magnetic from Las Palmas and said to be 60 miles. We were asked by the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria to enter for the race, as were all the other visiting yachts. We understood that this was the first of what was to be an annual race there. The start was scheduled to be at 7.30 in the morning. On the night before, all the crews were asked to attend a meeting for briefing. There were 14 boats entered, of which 8 were club boats and the visitors.
The boats in order of size were as follows:
Barracuda, 72 ft (Ketch), American, Wood
Lady Ann, 68 ft, British, Wood
Alondra, 39 ft, Spanish, Wood
Tirma, 39 ft, Spanish, Wood
Gran Canaria, 27 ft, Spanish, Wood
Ramon, 27 ft (Tumlaren), Spanish, Wood
Esperanza, 27 ft (Tumlaren), Spanish, Wood
Willeca, 26 ft 5 ins (Invicta), Swedish, Glassfibre
Stella Mira, 25 ft 9 ins (Stella), British, Wood
Coronado, 24 ft (Coronado), Spanish, Glassfibre
Mistral, 24 ft (Mistral), Spanish, Glassfibre
Almerica, 21 ft 6 ins ( Cinder), Danish, Glassfibre
Atlantis, Nimble Trimaran, Spanish, Plywood
Vendaval, Nimble Trimaran, Spanish, Plywood
A small Spanish naval vessel was to escort us, and as most boats had walkie talkies, this would act as a radio control vessel.
At the briefing it was decided that as Jandia was just a beach with no shelter, the race would be to Morro Jable, a village about 8 miles farther along the coast where there was a small cove. The meeting ended with punch and snacks. The island television news' camera took shots whilst the meeting was in progress.
I had asked Ann and Hugh Bayldon, the only English members of the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria if they would crew with us. Both are rising 60, but very keen sailors, owning an 18ft Tiburon day boat and a Snipe. To sleep them we had spent most of the afternoon moving about 2cwt of gear from our pipe cots where it is usually stowed and transferred it to the Tiburon.
As Ann and Hugh live about 10 miles out of the town, we had arranged to sleep them for the night. It was dark when we returned from the meeting to Stella Mira. Penny and I offered to sleep on the pipe cots, but they insisted that they should, saying that this was nothing to being on safari in Africa (I learnt later that Hugh had shot over 30 elephants whilst in the service there) they seemed to think it was all great fun, 'Jolly and all that'.
We were awakened the next morning by a club mariniero (boatman) who had rowed out to tell us that Hugh had left his car lights on all night. We knew that the boatmen would be in great demand this morning and as we had not intended going ashore we had deflated our dinghy. So to relieve the congestion on board, Hugh took his gear with him, to complete his toilet ashore. He had to queue for half an hour to get a boat back though.
The club boats are used mainly as day boats and are therefore stripped of gear. When there is a race, the club members draw lots to select skippers and crews. The previous day, mattresses and so on had been ferried out. As far as we can gather there are no cooking facilities on board, the crews each taking their own ready cooked food or snacks with them.
To start races here, no guns are used, the signals being visual only, flags being flown from a starting launch, 10 minute Flag - White, 5 minute flag - Blue, Starting flag - Red. I assume that no two watches on this launch give the same time, as I have noticed a variation of as much as three minutes in these five minute intervals. (I kid you not)
By half past the hour, most boats were sailing up and down the harbour. The Invicta on the next mooring to us, had as yet shown no signs of life, so we began to shout to Willie the Swedish skipper, thinking that he had been out on the town the night before with two Polish brothers, (from a smaller boat) who were going to crew for him.
We weren’t far wrong. They were, in fact, still on the slipway, trying to get a boat to bring them out. Willie told us later that when they did get aboard, and get the sails up, the anchor was stuck. Before he could sail over it, the Poles, in their hurry to catch up with the rest of us, just detached the cable and threw the lot overboard. When they finally got to Morro Jable they were unable to anchor and had to tie up alongside one of the big ketches.
Most of the boats, us included, had up main and genoa. Knowing that Hugh raced locally, I asked him to help us for the start. The Red flag, however, caught us on the wrong tack, and when we crossed the line there were only the two big ketches and the Trimaran Atlantis behind us. The ketches were so far up the harbour that they would have needed binoculars to see the launch, let alone the flag. As we left the harbour the starter was firing rockets to attract their attention. This late start did not hold them up for long. Within half an hour they passed us with all sail set, doing about 12 knots.
Outside the harbour we found a beam wind, force 5 on our port, with not too heavy seas. The fleet had already spread well out with the nimble Vendaval well to the front. Opinions as to course, obviously differed, some boats being well downwind. We gradually began to overhaul Mistral and Almerica. By the time Ann and Penny brought up bacon rolls for our delayed breakfast Almerica was 100 yards astern. Coronado was now the nearest boat in front of us. She is of American design, built in Spain and reputed to be a very fast boat for her size. She was skippered by Tony Arias, one of the club’s best helmsmen. About a quarter of a mile separated us.
Esperanza, skippered by Carmelo Gonzalez was about 100 yards in front of Tony. The distance between the three boats remained unaltered for the next 10 miles, but the rest of the fleet slowly pulled away from us. Try as we might we could not lesson the distance between us. I was sure that boat for boat the Stella was faster than the other two and could only suppose that our extra weight was holding us back. We were four as against three in the other boats, we were carrying 6 months supply of tinned food under our floorboards as well as 25 gallons of water. Our full cruising inventory is not exactly featherweight, either.
The two boats in front, now began slowly to separate. Coronado slowly pulling away downwind and Carmelo easing slightly to windward. We could see no obvious advantage in following one of the other so we continued steering on 107 which took us right between the two. Slowly we began to gain on Esperanza but Coronado held its lead on us.
After 25 miles, Esperanza and Stella Mira were level pegging, with about a mile between us. Tony was still slightly in front but half a mile downwind. For the next 17 miles our positions remained unchanged. Almerica and Mistral were so far behind that we could not see them. By this time we could make out the outline of the hills behind Jandia. It was now 2.30pm. Our log read 42 miles and we had a beam wind of constant strength (force 5) since we had started. As we came nearer the land we could now see the lighthouse dead ahead.
Barracuda, 72 ft (Ketch), American, Wood
Lady Ann, 68 ft, British, Wood
Alondra, 39 ft, Spanish, Wood
Tirma, 39 ft, Spanish, Wood
Gran Canaria, 27 ft, Spanish, Wood
Ramon, 27 ft (Tumlaren), Spanish, Wood
Esperanza, 27 ft (Tumlaren), Spanish, Wood
Willeca, 26 ft 5 ins (Invicta), Swedish, Glassfibre
Stella Mira, 25 ft 9 ins (Stella), British, Wood
Coronado, 24 ft (Coronado), Spanish, Glassfibre
Mistral, 24 ft (Mistral), Spanish, Glassfibre
Almerica, 21 ft 6 ins ( Cinder), Danish, Glassfibre
Atlantis, Nimble Trimaran, Spanish, Plywood
Vendaval, Nimble Trimaran, Spanish, Plywood
A small Spanish naval vessel was to escort us, and as most boats had walkie talkies, this would act as a radio control vessel.
At the briefing it was decided that as Jandia was just a beach with no shelter, the race would be to Morro Jable, a village about 8 miles farther along the coast where there was a small cove. The meeting ended with punch and snacks. The island television news' camera took shots whilst the meeting was in progress.
I had asked Ann and Hugh Bayldon, the only English members of the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria if they would crew with us. Both are rising 60, but very keen sailors, owning an 18ft Tiburon day boat and a Snipe. To sleep them we had spent most of the afternoon moving about 2cwt of gear from our pipe cots where it is usually stowed and transferred it to the Tiburon.
As Ann and Hugh live about 10 miles out of the town, we had arranged to sleep them for the night. It was dark when we returned from the meeting to Stella Mira. Penny and I offered to sleep on the pipe cots, but they insisted that they should, saying that this was nothing to being on safari in Africa (I learnt later that Hugh had shot over 30 elephants whilst in the service there) they seemed to think it was all great fun, 'Jolly and all that'.
We were awakened the next morning by a club mariniero (boatman) who had rowed out to tell us that Hugh had left his car lights on all night. We knew that the boatmen would be in great demand this morning and as we had not intended going ashore we had deflated our dinghy. So to relieve the congestion on board, Hugh took his gear with him, to complete his toilet ashore. He had to queue for half an hour to get a boat back though.
The club boats are used mainly as day boats and are therefore stripped of gear. When there is a race, the club members draw lots to select skippers and crews. The previous day, mattresses and so on had been ferried out. As far as we can gather there are no cooking facilities on board, the crews each taking their own ready cooked food or snacks with them.
To start races here, no guns are used, the signals being visual only, flags being flown from a starting launch, 10 minute Flag - White, 5 minute flag - Blue, Starting flag - Red. I assume that no two watches on this launch give the same time, as I have noticed a variation of as much as three minutes in these five minute intervals. (I kid you not)
By half past the hour, most boats were sailing up and down the harbour. The Invicta on the next mooring to us, had as yet shown no signs of life, so we began to shout to Willie the Swedish skipper, thinking that he had been out on the town the night before with two Polish brothers, (from a smaller boat) who were going to crew for him.
We weren’t far wrong. They were, in fact, still on the slipway, trying to get a boat to bring them out. Willie told us later that when they did get aboard, and get the sails up, the anchor was stuck. Before he could sail over it, the Poles, in their hurry to catch up with the rest of us, just detached the cable and threw the lot overboard. When they finally got to Morro Jable they were unable to anchor and had to tie up alongside one of the big ketches.
Most of the boats, us included, had up main and genoa. Knowing that Hugh raced locally, I asked him to help us for the start. The Red flag, however, caught us on the wrong tack, and when we crossed the line there were only the two big ketches and the Trimaran Atlantis behind us. The ketches were so far up the harbour that they would have needed binoculars to see the launch, let alone the flag. As we left the harbour the starter was firing rockets to attract their attention. This late start did not hold them up for long. Within half an hour they passed us with all sail set, doing about 12 knots.
Outside the harbour we found a beam wind, force 5 on our port, with not too heavy seas. The fleet had already spread well out with the nimble Vendaval well to the front. Opinions as to course, obviously differed, some boats being well downwind. We gradually began to overhaul Mistral and Almerica. By the time Ann and Penny brought up bacon rolls for our delayed breakfast Almerica was 100 yards astern. Coronado was now the nearest boat in front of us. She is of American design, built in Spain and reputed to be a very fast boat for her size. She was skippered by Tony Arias, one of the club’s best helmsmen. About a quarter of a mile separated us.
Esperanza, skippered by Carmelo Gonzalez was about 100 yards in front of Tony. The distance between the three boats remained unaltered for the next 10 miles, but the rest of the fleet slowly pulled away from us. Try as we might we could not lesson the distance between us. I was sure that boat for boat the Stella was faster than the other two and could only suppose that our extra weight was holding us back. We were four as against three in the other boats, we were carrying 6 months supply of tinned food under our floorboards as well as 25 gallons of water. Our full cruising inventory is not exactly featherweight, either.
The two boats in front, now began slowly to separate. Coronado slowly pulling away downwind and Carmelo easing slightly to windward. We could see no obvious advantage in following one of the other so we continued steering on 107 which took us right between the two. Slowly we began to gain on Esperanza but Coronado held its lead on us.
After 25 miles, Esperanza and Stella Mira were level pegging, with about a mile between us. Tony was still slightly in front but half a mile downwind. For the next 17 miles our positions remained unchanged. Almerica and Mistral were so far behind that we could not see them. By this time we could make out the outline of the hills behind Jandia. It was now 2.30pm. Our log read 42 miles and we had a beam wind of constant strength (force 5) since we had started. As we came nearer the land we could now see the lighthouse dead ahead.
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