Jackpot 2026 Race Report
The 2026 Jackpot race took place on Sunday the 31. May. The full race results are available here. The weather gods had sent a close to perfect westerly wind of 12 knots with some gusts up to 20 knots, and some sunshine. High tide at Osea island was predicted for 13:30 and the first race down to Mill beach via the Nr 10 channel marker got under way at 11:30.
The start line was rather crowded with 19 catamarans and 8 Monohulls and a few more boats not included in the official results list as their helm had not reached the tender age of 40 years, which is for historical reasons the qualifying age for this race. More on this below. Most boots opted for a starboard start and started the long beat up to the Nr 8 channel marker close to Mill beach. As the wind was a slightly south-westerly also the leg up to the Number 10 channel marker was a beat and only the return leg to Nr 8 and to the finish line at Mill beach was a downwind leg.
In the first race line honours were taken by the Nacra F18 sailed by Maya and Daniel Sturm who very nearly also beat the committee boat (Jack B), which was still mooring up when they arrived. On handicap the first race was won by David Ball just ahead of his sister Jenny Ball. Kevin Kirby, great to see him back on a Dart 15, took a fourth place and Christophe and Amelie Clarke where the first Dart 18 in the ranking.
Given the number of participants, Mill Beach was rather crowded with catamarans and monohulls during the lunch break. Due to the still rising tide, the boats had to be pulled further up the beach regularly. At some point, the Darts 18 of Fen and Pete Richardson tried to make an escape and had to be chased down by several people as it turned downwind. In the resulting commotion, the F18 right next to it decided that it had to keep up with the Joneses and also headed for the open waters without its crew. It was saved single-handedly by Kyle Tibbs.
As the beach got smaller with the rising tide several boats opted for the safety of open waters and set sail again. The second race was started just after 13:30 between the committee boat and a yellow buoy close to Northey Island. The first leg was upwind around Nr 8 to port and then Nr 10 to starboard with the remainder of the course back to the finish line at Marconi being a downwind course.
On the second race, the F18 took line honours for the catamarans again followed by Christophe and Amelie Clarke in their Dart 18 and then Jenny Ball and David Ball. David was chased across the finish line by his son John Ball, and they finished in a dead heat. David was saved by the fact that he is comfortably above 40. Johnny is still a quarter century from qualifying for the official race results but is surely a strong contender in future!
To score the final ranking of the catamarans required detailed knowledge of the racing rules of sailing. Three boats ended the two-race series with four points overall: Jenny Ball with two second places, David Ball with a first and third place and Maya and Daniel Sturm with a third and a first place. The combination of rules A8.1 and A8.2 implied that Maya and Daniel were the lucky winners overall, their first win of the Jackpot.
The scoring of the dinghy results was no less complicated. Ed and Sue Bowness won the first race in their Wayfarer, while Mike Sanders and Steve Thorpe came second. In the second race they returned the favour and came first while Ed and Sue came second. Rule A8.2 therefore implied that Mike Sanders and Steve Thorpe won the overall monohull race.
While the day attracted many keen racers, many also participated for the fun of sailing down to Mill Beach and back in a large group of boats. A particular mention should go to Luca Seculin, who had put his Shadow on the water for the first time on the Saturday before the race during the cat training day and decided it would be safer to follow the crowds without registering for the race despite qualifying on the 40+ rule. Just as John Ball, Kyle Tibbs was also not deterred by the age limit and raced both races.
A big thank you to the large group of volunteers who made the race possible, including race officer and assistant, three rib crews, the Jack B crew and Nick and Tracey in the galley providing picnics for Mill beach. Hopefully the next edition of the Jackpot in 2027 will again draw record numbers of boats.
Race Report by Daniel Sturm
Photos Courtesy of Jason Clarke
