Following the Jester boats!

[TimBennet]

Well it's certainly been a lot of fun trying to follow all the Jester Challenge boat's progress. I don't think I've kept track of so many different websites just to follow a single event!

It's interesting to see that a report of the Jester Azores Challenge on an American website Sailing Anarchy seems to have got a good reception on their forum .Perhaps there'll be some American interest in future events. I know there's some S&S30s that go for peanuts stateside that would make a perfect Jester boat.

And talking of the future, surely the natural progression after the Azores and trans Atlantic, would be to run a version of the old BOC Around Alone race along similar lines? The Velux 5 Oceans seems to be struggling to carve out a niche in the professional world, so perhaps in should return to its corinthian routes?

 

[Jake]

Hi Tim

You're right. It has been a challenge following - the Challenge!
We're going to have a wash-up when all boats are accounted for, and the non-organsiers are going to see how we can improve the event without ruining the wonderful Corinthian spirit of non-nannydom. Maybe regular updates on the www.jesterinfo.org site, with a route map? That way you won't have to surf the web for info.

I have spoken to Marine Tracker (they're sponsoring the round Britain Race, due tokick off this Saturday - see www.roundbritainrace.co.uk) and they seem very keen to help with technical support, so maybe more of the fleet can carry transponders.

Thanks for the Sailing Anarchy link. I can't seem to pin down the initial story, but I love the responses from the forumites. In the country that bought you 'warning - coffee may be hot' this must seem like the eccentric Brits rebelling again. (Judging from some of the banter, they have mistaken two mini-Transat boats caught in the photo as being involved.)

Maybe Jester will expand to greater things. I do hope so. It really is the antidote to the nanny state!

Thanks again for the link.

Jake ( a non-starter...this time.)

 

[operator6]

Jake, about 1/2 way down the SA front page is the initial JAC08 story, cheers

 

[David_Jersey]

The Jester Challenge seemed to go down well with a few of the folks on this (largely USA) small boat forum:-

Sailfar.net

A quite appropriate small membership /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, but be interesting to see if any thoughts / initial enthusiasm for a US version come to pass.........that thread is members only at the moment /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Jake]

Thanks Pi-Pi

Good write-up, although I'm not sure too many Jesters would appreciate their boats being called 'a 4-knot sh*t box.' (I'll agree that some are tougher than the proverbial out-house.)

The author does make some interesting points, especially about the 1,200 mile return trip across some of the same route as the Fastnet, and of course, the Bay of Biscay.

Mind you, by then many of the 'coastal' skippers will be a lot more experienced, and many will have crew helping them home.

He does raise questions about organisation, but Jester is very careful not to impose too much of that.

It's the spirit of the event that seems to have caught the American imagination! Long may it continue.

 

[TimBennet]

I believe the ' 4-knot sh*t box' is part of the 'lingua franca' of the SA website. It's a collective term for all those boats that don't have canting this or carbon that. The sorts of boats that have dropped completely off the radar in some parts of the sailing press.

But although it's not a term my Mother would use, I don't think it's as a term of abuse. It's actually used quite fondly as everyone knows that the 4KSB is exactly the way most of us get our sailing fun. Then, as we can see from the forum, when these boats get in the hands of those with real ambition (eg, the Jesterites), simple acceptance readily turns to the utmost respect and even envy!

 

[andlauer]

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I have spoken to Marine Tracker (they're sponsoring the round Britain Race, due to kick off this Saturday - see www.roundbritainrace.co.uk) and they seem very keen to help with technical support, so maybe more of the fleet can carry transponders.
-----------
JAC was supported for free by "Ocen Race Track" thanks to Martin!
(As Sterenn, the only boat equipped with a Ocean Race Track tracker, was not in the race ).

In complement to the Jesterinfo web site, we used, as for the Jester Challenge 2006, OceanRaceTrack web site manually to enter the available data. "Hopefully" I was not at sea and so available.

Some skippers don't want to have any tracker or communication means on board. I think there choice must be respected.

I dont think that Jester event have any objective to be "public" entertainments. If public wants to follow our games, I'm ready to share at little cost. Not more. (Personal opinion)
Eric