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Named after Jethou island near France, Jethou 77 is one of the best looking race yachts on the water at the moment. Having the potential to outpace and outperform. This yacht is competing in several regattas, including Rolex Giraglia, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and Tre Golfi Sailing Week.

The 77ft beauty by Judel/Vrolijk belongs to Sir Peter Ogden, an English businessman, whose passion for sailing steered him to name this yacht after his Channel Island. His all-black Jethou 77 is now back in the game with an elongated stern increasing her LOA from 72 to 77ft.

Preferred apparel

To support the skyscraping winning attitude of the team, CODE-ZERO is making sure that the crew is equipped with high quality products to achieve their full potential.

This full carbon yacht with an extra long bow sprite is manual power. Managed by 21 crew members she can reach 30 knots of speed downwind. The tactician on this crew, Brad Butterworth, is a 4 times winner of the America’s Cup.

Jethou joins the Europeans on a high, having ended her 2021 season as the outright maxi yacht winner at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. So, if you see an all-black yacht that stops you in your tracks – now you know what she is.

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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

For Sir Peter Ogden, Sailing Is ‘Just Good Fun’

By John Clarke

• Sept. 1, 2017

Every September for much of the past decade, Sir Peter Ogden of Britain has competed at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the emerald waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia. This year, he will be racing Jethou, his 72-foot Mini Maxi.

A co-founder of Computacenter, one of Britain’s largest computer businesses, he has placed a top priority on one thing: fun. A win is nice, he said, but sailing is all about having a good time.

“You tend to remember the ones you win, not the ones you lose,” said Ogden, 70. “There’s no reason to get angry if you lose. Things happen out on the water. You can’t hold a grudge. What happens on the water, stays on the water. Go have a beer.”

The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

I’ve read that you don’t like to be addressed as “Sir Peter Ogden.”

I’m very proud and was very honored to be knighted by the queen. But I don’t want to run around using the title every day of my life. It can get annoying. You can call me Peter. Or you can call me “boss.”

You are a multimillionaire who can do anything in the world. Why do you keep coming back to sailing big boats?

It’s just an affinity for water and sailing. It’s a personal thing. I love the people I sail with. And I’m getting older. You can’t play football when you’re 70. But you can still sail a big boat.

Do you have any rules on board Jethou?

No shouting. When we were young, it seemed everyone would be screaming. Nowadays, it’s pretty calm. We don’t go for shouting or screaming. Everyone knows the job they have to do. I’ve probably only sailed once with someone who was annoyingly objectionable by shouting at other people. In that case, he didn’t come back.

These races are about one mistake, and you’re screwed. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes I screw up. But when I screw up, I don’t get chastised because I paid for the boat. But on balance, sailors are peaceful people. There’s no need for screaming.

Running a yacht like this is serious business, yet you seem to have a good time. How do you maintain that on board?

Sailing is about having fun. It’s not my life. It’s a hobby. It’s just something I do, and I enjoy it. I also enjoy the people I sail with. We’re not professional people. We are amateur sailors. We have some professionals we sail with, but this is about having fun and enjoying yourself. It’s just good fun.

Yet you still take racing seriously.

When we are on the water, it’s serious. We like to win. But if we don’t, we won’t cry. To win or lose a yacht race is not a matter of life or death. This is about older men who had a lot of fun sailing dinghies and are now sailing big boats. It’s about enjoying the great atmosphere.

If you lose, you feel a bit bad for 10 minutes. But it’s not going to change your life. At the end of the day I have a nice boat, a lovely crew and we all go out to dinner. We laugh and tell jokes. We tell a lot of stories. Every sailor has got stories. It’s tremendous camaraderie, like a lot of sports.

You’ve built a few boats over the years. Do you enjoy those projects?

I enjoy the projects as much as I do sailing. The whole fun of the project is building the boat, thinking about the design, talking to the experts and trying to optimize the boat. Projects and building boats are good fun.

Then you race it. And then after a while you have to make changes — change the sails, keel and the boom. It’s an ongoing project development. There are always adjustments. These boats are very evenly matched. This is all about seconds between winning and losing. My current boat Jethou is a pleasure to sail. And she’s very pretty.

Sir Peter Ogden's Jethou - in the maxi's IRC 0 Racer class. Photo: IMA / Studio Borlenghi

Jethou and Wallyño day one maxi winners at Rolex Giraglia

Saint-Tropez threw up unexpected conditions for the maxi boats competing on their first of three days of inshore racing at the Rolex Giraglia, organised by Yacht Club Italiano and Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, supported by the International Maxi Association.

As crews set off on their two windward-leeward races off one of the Cote d’Azur finest beaches – Plage de Pampelonne – they were bracing themselves for winds building in the afternoon to 30 knots. In the event, a front inland seemed to suck much of the wind away. This resulted in the first attempt at today’s race being abandoned just after the maxis competing in the IRC 0 Racer class had made it through the leeward gate. After a long wait, the race committee succeeded in completing the race on their second attempt, albeit on a shorter course with the breeze building on the second upwind to the high teens and gusting above 20.

Among the maxi racers there was stiff competition between the Maxi 72s Caol Ila R of Alex Schaerer and Dario Ferrari’s Cannonball and also Sir Peter Ogden’s elongated Jethou, while George David’s mighty Rambler 88 powered away into the distance.

Ultimately some nimble footwork by Jethou out of the start set her up to win today’s race, despite being passed to weather by Rambler 88 at the time. As tactician Paul Campbell-James recounted: “We had a nice little left shift and managed to roll out just as they were rolling us and then we took a nice little shift back and managed to cross the other two [Caol Ila R and Cannonball].”

Like most of those in the Racer division, Jethou had set up today for brisker winds than those that materialised, especially in the first attempt at today’s race. “The abandoned race was light and choppy so all the rigs were too tight and the sails were too small,” continued Campbell-James. “Once the breeze got back up in the second race, suddenly we were in range and could use our extra length. We were going well.”

The final run of what would be the day’s only race, was fun on Jethou. “It was a full surf-fest and it was about timing your gybes in the waves. In the middle of one gybe we accelerated down a wave and we got to 21 knots!”

Even so the results were tight with Jethou beating Cannonball by just 28 seconds and Caol Ila R by 1:06 under IRC corrected time.

On board Cannonball, the crew was blowing off the cobwebs today and were especially relieved the first attempt at today’s race was cancelled as they hadn’t been doing so well. Cannonball’s French strategist, former America’s Cup skipper Sebastien Col explained: “We are not on top of our game yet. This was the first race of the year and we haven’t trained too much. It was a difficult day for all the owners to drive their boats upwind. They are quite light boats for their size and are quite affected by the waves.”

For the maxis competing in the IRC 0 Cruiser class, the 60 footers seemed to have the closest racing today albeit perpetually in the wake of Argentinean Miguel Galuccio’s Vera (ex-My Song).

The day was won by Benoît de Froidmont’s Wallyño ahead of Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Swan 601 Lorina 1895 and Adriano Calvini’s FY61 Itacentodue by 1:03 and 1:55 respectively.

Barjon was disappointed that the wind had vanished on the first attempt at today’s race as at the time they had held a substantial lead. Genoa-based Calvini, who has raced the last 15 Rolex Giraglias, since 2008 with his present boat, observed the conditions had been strange with the big uncomfortable waves, without much wind.

Meanwhile Benoît de Froidmont was delighted by his strong start to Rolex Giraglia. “It was quite surprising because the forecast was for about 30 knots and we weren’t sure we’d race,” he said. “We are having very close racing with the other 60 footers like Lorina 1895 and Itacentodue in real time.”

In his role as President of the International Maxi Association, de Froidmont added: “The maxi fleet is very good here – very competitive. Today it was complicated but the race committee did a good job waiting until the wind was well established.”

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Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup: A feast for the eyes

• November 3, 2022

Porto Cervo is one of the most spectacular venues in the world, and this year’s Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup was a feast for the eyes. Andi Robertson reports

Walk the hallowed docks of Sardinia’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda during the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup and it was impossible to get anywhere fast. The collection of maxi yachts this year was truly mesmerising, each meriting more than a passing glance. Correspondingly, the army of top professional sailors assembled was literally a who’s who of generations of America’s Cup , Ocean Race and Olympic sailing stars.

To leave the real world and immerse yourself in the Porto Cervo bubble is something special. Even the grizzled, white-haired pros who recall the formative years of the ‘Maxi Worlds’ and who come year in, year out, show no complacency. They love it and always will because it is the pinnacle event of maxi racing.

Post-pandemic, more than ever, there is a renewed appreciation for this spectacular event. Here there are no distractions beyond the wind blown rugged granite scenery, the turquoise waters and the rocky network of islands forming the La Maddalena archipelago.

The 32nd Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup was not the biggest ever, mustering 46 racing maxis in six classes, but it was almost certainly the most competitive event for many years, with quality in depth through each of the divisions.

The fleet was also more diverse than ever. For the first time since 2014 there were four J Class yachts competing under their own JCA handicap – an elegant step back in time contrasting sharply with the debuting foiler Flying Nikka , which raced in its own class, and the just launched powerful ClubSwan 80 My Song which lined up in the 13-boat maxi fleet.

Rambler off Isola delle Bisce lighthouse north of Porto Cervo. Photo: Luca Butto

A different league

“For sure after the pandemic there seems to be more people wanting to sail big boats than ever before and being able to afford to do so. And this regatta was in a different league to previous events in terms of quality,” noted the International Maxi Association’s secretary general Andrew McIrvine.

“One interesting development is now having absorbed the Wally class – which had a bunch of 80-footers and a bunch of 100-footers racing together – and getting them into performance, rather than size related classes, we have a good 13-boat maxi class. That is definitely better.

The foiling Flying Nikka raced in a class of its own

“And we have a more race orientated fleet, there used to be cruising maxis, and we have more professionals, whether or not you consider that a good thing. We are still very strict on the owner-driver rule, except in the Super Maxi fleet where in fact the two top owners are young and steer their boats anyway.”

In a typical September week at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup there will be days of light winds and very often days lost to the Mistral. A fixed Thursday layday may seem like an anomaly but many owners – and their crews – start to feel their age mid week. This edition was no different, early starts made the best of the building Mistral on Friday, but Saturday proved unsailable.

Without question the standard of boat and sail handling gets higher every year. To see the J Class rivals tacking up ‘Bomb Alley’, as the rock-strewn passage north of Porto Cervo through the La Maddalena and Caprera archipelago is known, in 18 knots of breeze and flat water – seemingly within touching distance of the shore – is incredible.

Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XI. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Running downwind America’s Cup rival helms Peter Holmberg and Ed Baird showed a precision in their boat placement akin to sailing a Laser, all while choreographing nearly 30 crew. Are there elements of brinksmanship or bravado? Maybe, but the truth is many of the afterguard crew will have raced on these waters dozens of times, and laying one corner when others can’t will reap a dividend of several boatlengths.

The Super Maxi division victory was the biggest win yet for a ‘young’ (at just turned 50) Swedish owner on his Swan 115 Shamanna .

He also owns the well known Spirit 100 Gaia and Gerdney , a classic Swedish Skerries 95ft cruiser. He races Shamanna with eight of his long time friends – among them a cardiac anaesthetist, a pal who was ‘The Bachelor’ on the Swedish reality show of the same name – and a posse of good pros managed by British former Volvo/Whitbread, America’s Cup ace Guy Barron.

The 82ft custom Wally Highland Fling XI. Photo: Luca Butto

Raising the standards

Barron has sought to keep raising the standards of the ‘amateurs’ so they are fully integrated and respected by the pros, rather than allowing a ‘them and us’ scenario develop. Barron sailed with the owner and his friends originally in Sweden and was able to impart his knowledge and involve them in a way which has become important on the big Swan. “We sat down and said let’s make sure your guys get trained up and are part of it. So between Shamanna and Gaia we share the same pros, the same group and we’re all used to sailing with each other.”

Barron reckons – after some counting – that he has now raced from Sardinia 34 times, the first time being at the 12 Metre Worlds in 1987. “It is one of the best venues in the world and I never ever tire of racing around through Bomb Alley. It is breathtaking. I remember I was on Boomerang and we had THE crash.

Close fleet action. Photo: Luca Butto

“We hit a rock going 9.5 knots, having just got full speed on we stopped dead. We pulled the engine off the mount, cracked every frame in the boat, blew the terminals off the top of the batteries, flattened the wheel, the pedestals, seized the mainsheet and the runner winch. I ended up in an ambulance with George Coumantaros the owner. He’d fallen over and inverted his cheek. I slid forward, hit the solid stainless reaching stanchion and very luckily did not break my leg. I sail past there and still hear the noises in my head. It is a truly wonderful place to sail!”

Mini maxi rivalry

The six boat Mini Maxi 1 division is the domain of what were previously the Maxi 72 class. Now only Jim Swartz’s Vesper and George Sakellaris hull sister Proteus are close to Maxi 72 trim, all of the other four boats have had extensive modifications. Ironically the top two overall were Vesper , with Gavin Brady as tactician, and Proteus .

The changes across the rest of the fleet have been various: Peter Dubens’ North Star is the first boat to now use stored power for running rigging and sails with seven fewer crew – which at the Maxi Worlds gives a four-point rating credit. Spirit of Jethou (23.5m), Cannonball (22.86m) and Bella Mente (22.55m) have all been lengthened and have deeper keels. Bella Mente has a taller rig, as has Cannonball which can also now carry 1,000kg of water ballast per side.

Despite their differences, this was a very competitive class of boats which were conceived as the last word in maxi racing and richly laden with talent.

Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup fleet racing in Sardinia’s La Maddalena Archipelago. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“We were fortunate to be consistent. We did not screw up,” smiled Gavin Brady after racing. “In fact the boat is arguably the same as when it won the World Championships five years ago (as Momo ). It is cool, I think, for Vesper to win the World Championship with the same keel, the same mast, the same sails.

“Our sport needs to see some sustainability and it is a good message that if you have something that works and you just go and sail well you don’t need to change the mast and the keel. That is something special for Jim as he does not want to go down the ‘arms race’ route. He wants to go and race, and may the best team win.

“This fleet of seven boats have evolved. It’s clear the owners want to develop their boats in the way they want and not be told what to do by a box rule. You have Jethou at one end and North Star at the other and we all went round the top mark within 30 seconds of each other. It’s not the Maxi 72 box rule of old but it is working and we have happy owners.”

Crew on the rail of the iconic J Class Velsheda. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Water ballast, and how it is treated under rating systems, is one factor many grand prix teams are watching carefully, in readiness to adapt their boats. “The water ballast is the elephant in the room right now,” Brady explains.

“Everyone is trying to be secretive but we all know what is going on. Everyone has drawings to put water in everything from a TP52 to a maxi but we just don’t know what the rule is going to do. I think it is a good way, a clean way to make boats go faster. Salt water is in abundance and if we want to pump water into the boat to make it faster and more fun it is a lot more sustainable than carbon fibre and sails that will go to landfill.”

Lord Irvine Laidlaw bade farewell to his faithful Reichel Pugh 82ft custom Wally Highland Fling XI with a swansong win in the 13-boat maxi class. Cameron Appleton calls tactics alongside navigator Andrew Cape: “Porto Cervo is a unique place usually offering a real range of conditions, inshore racing and navigational type courses, and you have to be good at every part of it,” Appleton recalled.

“You get to know the tricks of the place and where the wind bends are but it is how you get there to use them that is the skill.”

With co-owner Niklas Zennström driving his first regatta on Svea , flying the flag for his native Sweden, the J Class title was never really in doubt, though the racing was always close.

Svea seems to have a speed edge and has a great crew marshalled by Bouwe Bekking. The J Class are looking towards a World Championship in Barcelona during the 37th America’s Cup with potentially seven or eight boats. Next to return to the fold will be Rainbow , bought by Kiwi owner Neville Crichton, who is refitting the boat in Palma to be ready for the later part of next season.

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Jethou is one of the smallest Channel Islands — smaller, even, than Herm , to which it was said to have been attached until a particularly stormy night in 709 saw the land between the two swept away to create two distinct islands. It is the smallest if the islands to be permanently inhabited. It is clearly visible from Guernsey’s east coast.

Like its close neighbour, it has been leased to a series of tenants over the years, some of whom have leased the two simultaneously. Notably this was the case with Scottish novelist Compton Mackenzie.

The island is surrounded by smaller islets, including Fauconniere (‘the falconry’) to the south and Crevichon to the north. Crevichon is the larger of the two, with a ruin on it, and was the site of carnage during the Second World War when a German Heinkle III bomber crashed there. There is some uncertainty as to whether the crash was caused by an engine fire or the plane was shot down by German artillery stationed on Brehon Tower, after mistaking it for an Allied craft.

The crash caused some damage to the main house on Jethou, and a neighbouring cottage was completely destroyed. Debris was still being found on the beaches in the 1960s.

Jethou is conical in shape, with a steep hill to the summit, where a gallows site was used to hang pirates. There’s a small collection of buildings on the north east shore, facing Herm, including a manor house, store house, prison, cafe and gift shop. There is also a small pub — now private — called the Admiral Restald, one of the island’s earliest tenants.

Jethou is said to have been a centre of smuggling and piracy over the centuries, much of it focused on the Great Creux, a cave that is only accessible at very low tide. There was a gibbet on the top of the island on which pirates used to be executed. Further gallows were later erected close to the harbour. The trade was seemingly successful, as many years later, when removing wallpaper from the manor house on the island, one later tenant discovered that they had been simultaneously stripping banknotes, which had been pasted to the wall beneath the paper so as to hide them. By the time they realised what they were doing, only four notes remained.

Sir Crompton Mackenzie, tenant of Jethou between 1920 and 1934, wrote that Guernsey used to burn its witches on Jethou at the time of the witch trials.

Jethou’s name

There is some speculation that the name Jethou is derived of the Viking name Keitholm, which itself comes from Keithou, or island place or roaring. The BBC speculates in its history of Jethou that this could have been due to ‘the noise of air being forced through the passage into the Creux du Diable’.

A guidebook to the island written during the time of its 22nd tenant, Susan Faed, described the Creux du Diable thus:

…if you continue on the lower path, a further 80 yards [from the turn to Fairy Wood] will bring you to the Creux du Diable (Devil’s Hole), a natural formation in the shape of a funnel-like hole about 100 feet in depth, breached by the sea at the bottom through an archway of rock. At high water spring-tide, the sea enters the bottom of the hole and frequently, during the winter, leaves driftwood on the little beach within.

Flora and fauna

Jethou is home to many puffins, which can be viewed from a point on the eastern shore, between Puffin Bay and Neptune’s Chair. They are protected by law and nest in holes in the cliff.

Apart from the birds, there is very little wildlife on the island, although it does have a healthy population of rabbits, perhaps as a result of them being introduced to the island for the purpose of breeding.

There are many trees on the island, with a small wooded area climbing the slope, and fruit trees closer to the lower path that surrounds the island. There is considerable scented heather and, in the lower areas, gorse grows close to the beaches. Bluebells and primroses grow in the middle of Fairy Wood. Campion grows on the western half of the island.

Below the summit of the island, there are terraces on the south side, where they face the sun. These are said to be 1000 years old and were once used to grow vines.

Religion on Jethou

Religion has played a large part in the history of the island, as it was owned by the Monastery of Mont St Michel for close to 350 years, and leased to tenants during that time.

However, as on Herm, there is evidence of even earlier religious activities, with neolithic remains in evidence. This is unsurprising considering the two islands were once a single landmass.

A guidebook produced by the Faeds during their tenancy on the island states that ‘the standing stone at the entrance [to Fairy] Wood has a hole that was said to line up with another long lost stone on Herm in the time of the druids.

A 4000-year old standing stone on the summit of the island has been inscribed with a cross, while archaeologist Dr Jenny Cataroche, author of The History and Archaeology of Jethou has judged rocks on the eastern face of the island to have once been part of a medieval church.

Governance of Jethou

Jethou is governed by Guernsey’s States of Deliberation where it is represented in the chamber by the deputy for the St Peter Port South district.

Like Herm, it’s been looked after by a series of tenants, but without the stipulation that it should be maintained for the enjoyment of all comers it’s not always been possible for the public to gain access to the island. It is currently closed to the general public.

Tenants of Jethou

The Admiral was given the islands by the Duke of Normandy. When he retired he passed it on to the Monastery of Mont St Michel but continued to live in a house there.

Guillaume (French for William) was awarded tenancy of the island in 1158, which he maintained until he died and it passed back to the monastery.

Granted the right to keep rabbits on the island, which the BBC claims is the reason for the island having such a large rabbit population to the present day. The island once again passed back to religious orders on his death, this time to the Abbot of the Vale Priory, while remaining under the control of the Monastery of Mont St Michel. This remained the case until Henry V shut down the French monasteries in his dispute with France, although it is suggested that monks continued to live on the island nonetheless for the next century.

Following a long period during which the island was officially uninhabited, the lease was taken up by Charles Nowall, who rented both it and Herm at the same time. Charles Mackenzie later rented the two islands together, despite the fact that regulations state that should not be allowed. There is a mulberry tree still growing in Jethou, which the guide produced by Susan Faed asserts was planted during Nowall’s tenancy.

Mauger held the tenancy of the island until his death, when it passed to his sons in law and their wives.

Father and son, who were tenants one after the other, with the latter Henry de Jersey taking over upon his father’s death.

Former privateer and freelance ‘pirate’. Privateers were armed seamen who were licensed by the Crown to seize enemy ships. They were funded by investors who shared the profits of the cargo seized from the vessels, and the value of the vessels themselves. Privateering came to an end around Guernsey prior to Allaire’s residency on Jethou, when hostilities with France came to an end in 1815. Allaire loaned money to the seigneurs of Sark, the Le Pelley family, when silver had been found on Sark. The family was unable to repay the loan when it became due in 1852, and so Allaire’s daughter became the seigneur of Sark herself. Allaire’s home in St Peter Port, Mount Durant, is now the official home of the monarch’s representative on the island, the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey.

The States of Guernsey took over the island and quarried it for granite for four years. This considerably changed its overall shape, and apparently so altered the wind flow around the rock that it lost some of the characteristic sounds caused by the passage of air through the Creux du Diable.

Although the States of Guernsey re-let the island, the Queen retained the rights to quarry it, and the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey was allowed to shoot rabbits there.

Fielden was probably the first notable tenant of Jethou (and simultaneously Herm) to leave much of a mark on the island. He suggested that a floating causeway be built connecting Jethou and Herm to replace the strip of land that once connected them and was washed away by a storm in 709. It was never built (and still hasn’t been) despite the States of Guernsey giving permission at the time. This is probably a good thing as it might not have been able to withstand the fierce tidal flows. He was later discovered to be smuggling brandy and stowing it in the island storehouse, which explained why he would have his servants shoot at passing vessels to scare them away. His tenancy was revoked as a result.

Austin Lee was a diplomat and governor. He took over the lease on the island following a period during which it was put in the hands of a series of caretakers and, when he departed at the end of the First World War, it was again handed over to caretakers for two years until Scottish novelist Sir Compton Mackenzie arrived. Towards the end of his tenancy he sublet the island to FJ Guy while Lee himself was away fighting in the Boer War. Guy didn’t want to give up his sub-tenancy on Lee’s return and the two found themselves in court. Lee won, but never returned to the island himself as by then he was stationed at the British Embassy in Paris.

Drillot was merely a caretaker, rather than tenant on the island.

The novelist leased both Herm and Jethou at the same time and write several novels there. He and his wife Faith brought a car to the island, and his writing hut is still present there, and was described in a report in the Guernsey Press, following a visit to Jethou by a group of schoolchildren from neighbouring Herm:

We met up again with [Jethou’s housekeeper] Annie at Sir Compton McKenzie’s writing hut, the tiny wooden structure with its pretty, flowered patio. Designed to cut out all distractions from his work, the hut contains only a desk, two chairs, a teapot and two cups. The patio, however, offers a gorgeous, uninterrupted view of Guernsey.

Mackenzie gave up the lease of Herm in 1923 due to the prohibitive cost of maintaining both islands, but held on to Jethou until 1934, during which time he installed a sewerage system and extended the main house.

When Mackenzie left the island he sold the remaining part of his lease to Fortington, an American, for the sum of £2020, but Fortington didn’t remain resident on the island for long. He and his wife left four years later, having build a reservoir in the interim, but retained the lease and allowed George MacDonald to stay behind. They remained on the island almost until the end of the Second World War, but were forced to move to Herm in 1944. Harold Fortington died that same year, and his wife sold the lease four years later.

Withycombe was the first tenant to open the island to the general public, running a small restaurant and bar by the shore. However, he seemingly paid little attention to the terms of his license, and was raided by Guernsey Police in 1954 for serving alcohol outside of hours.

The Cliffs were the first tenants to produce a set of Jethou stamps, with five examples printed in 1960, each showing scenes of the island, and valued at 1.5 pence, 4 pence, 6 pence, 9 pence and 18 pence. The island continued issuing stamps until 1969.

Susan Faed, her husband, Angus, and four children, Colin, Erik, Colette and Amanda, did much to improve the island, building a stone jetty and cultivating much of the land to grow potatoes, broccoli and daffodils. Upon leaving in December 1971, they returned to Jersey. The Faeds produced an excellent guide to the history of Jethou for visitors to the island.

Hayward was an entrepreneur with factories in the UK, Netherlands, West Germany, South Africa and Australia, and head of a foundation — the Hayward Foundation — that donated money to good causes and built a home for the elderly in Wolverhampton, where Hayward was born. He acquired the lease to Jethou with his wife, Hilda (nee Arnold) and the couple lived there until Charles died.

Peter Ogden founded Computacenter, an IT services company, after years spent working in investment banking. He took over the lease on the island in 1991, and in 1995 became a sub-tenant of the States of Guernsey.

Read more about Jethou

A body on a beach, an impossible alibi and an unstoppable race against time!

Jethou appears in The Sarnian , the explosive adventure series in which the discovery of a dead body on one of Guernsey's most secluded beaches blows the lid on a world of intrigue and deceit.

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Jethou in context

Jethou in brief

One of the smaller islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Jethou was once part of Herm but separated from it when the land between the two was swept away in a storm. It’s round and conical and not generally open to the public. It’s leased in much the same way as Herm itself.

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The Sarnian series of books is published by Ovingo Limited. Ovingo Limited is a private limited company, registered in England and Wales, number 7468217. Registered office: 16 The Maltings, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, SG12 8UU.

For the avoidance of doubt

All of the characters, organisations, publications and narrative of the Sarnian series, any related publications, products and web sites are fictitious. Characters, events, organisations and publications are not intended to refer to actual entities or events and any similarity is unintentional and entirely coincidental.

What's this all about?

This web site, and its contents, are here to support The Sarnian, a series of books set on and around the Channel Islands, and Guernsey in particular. It started as a means of keeping track of each character so that their features, loves, desires, abilities, looks and so on didn't change from book to book and has grown to become a complete encyclopedia of the series. Unless otherwise stated, the images included on this site were taken by The Sarnian author, Nik Rawlinson, who is also the author of the content.

Rights to the contents of this website and the Sarnian series are retained by Nik Rawlinson. ©2014 - 2024 Nik Rawlinson. All Rights Reserved.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Chinese Whisper

Rupert Henry purchased Jethou from Europe in time for the 2015 Sydney Gold Coast race, renamed her Chinese Whisper and finished second on line and second overall, then fifth on line and fifth overall for first in Division 0 in the 2015 Hobart. Despite this great result, lost the BWPS on countback to Balance, when Balance won the Hobart. On finishing fourth overall and winning Division 0 in the 2016 Sydney Gold Coast race, the JV62 was second on line and won the Flinders Islet Race, then finished second on line and second overall in the Newcastle Bass Island Race. Plenty of upwind sailing will keep her happy and she is highly rated to win the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart. As Jethou, won the Maxi division at 2012 Palma Vela, and secured victories at Copa del Rey, Les Voiles de St. Tropez, Maxi Rolex Worlds and Giraglia Rolex Cup. Following December’s Bird Island Race, she was leading the BWPS by four points to Ichi Ban and is highly rated to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart.  

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• USED CATAMARANS
• BUYING A LEOPARD
• BUYING GUIDE
• SELL YOUR BOAT

2018 Leopard 40

Raiatea, french polynesia sale pending, $379,800 tax not paid.

Yacht Overview

ASKING PRICE 350 000 EUROS VAT EXCL.

LEOPARD 40 - JETHOU (2018)

BUILDERS REMARKS:  Designer/Builders Robertson & Caine and Naval Architects Simonis-Voogd have set a new standard for contemporary cruising catamarans with the launch of the Leopard 40. The innovative interior layout, increased volume in the hulls, and expanded windows and doors that blur the lines between inside and out combine to make the interior space feel like a larger yacht. The unique forward-facing galley stands in front of a large window with an adjacent access door to the forward platform. Aft, a forward-facing settee and dining table are separated from the aft cockpit seating area by sliding glass doors. These doors and windows enhance the open concept feel, allow for exceptional ventilation, and facilitate easy navigation in and around the yacht.

BROKERS REMARKS:    This is a 3 cabin layout "owners version" with 2 heads and an ash white interior finish . For additional comfort this boat features a generator, air conditioning and solar panels that are fitted to the hard top Bimini to charge the on-board batteries.

Original pictures coming soon

AVAILABILITY:  Available from end October 2023

Print Listing

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Basic Details

• Boat Name: JETHOU
• Make: Leopard
• Length: 39ft / 11.99m
• Location: Raiatea, PF
• Price: $379,800
• Fuel Type: diesel
• Hull Material: Fiberglass
• Hull Construction: GRP
• Deck Material: Textured fiberglass Balsa core
• Rudder Type: Balanced spade rudders, Rudder stock in F16ph stainless steel
• Keel Type: Multi-hull
• Designer: Simonis-Voogd
• Where Built: Cape Town, South Africa
• HIN: ZARACB1130C818
• Layout (Cabins): 3
• Layout (Heads): 2
• LOA: 39 ft 4 in / 11.99 m
• LWL: 38 ft 1 in / 11.62 m
• Beam: 22 ft 1 in / 6.72 m
• Draft: 4 ft 1 in / 1.25 m
• Mast Height: 19.45m / 63ft 10in
• Sail Area: 95.9sqm / 1,032sqft
• Displacement: 20,591 lb / 9,340 kg

Engines and Controls

• Make: Yanmar 1
• Model: 3YM30C
• Type: Inboard
• Drive Type: Sail
• Prop Type: 2 Blade
• Engine Hours Run / Date: 2402
• Make: Yanmar
• Engine Hours Run / Date: 2407
• Capacity: 360L / 95.1USgal
• Material: Aluminum
• Capacity: 780L / 206.05USgal
• Material: Plastic
• Capacity: 90L / 23.78USgal

Accommodations

• Single Berths: 1
• Double Berths: 4
• Owner Suite: Double berth (58in / 1.48m x 80in / 2.02m); Vanity table/desk with stowage locker under lid, Fold up vanity mirror, Drawer unit with 3 x drawers, Sliding entrance door with lock, Owner Cabin Head Compartment

Electronics and Navigation

• Depthsounder:
• Log Speedometer:
• Wind Speed and Direction:
• Autopilot: p70 colour auto display
• VHF: Ray55 VHF and additional VHF handset at helm
• Cockpit Speakers: Fusion Marine
• Fully Battened Mainsail: Yes
• Furling Genoa: Yes
• Type of Rig: Mainsail full battened with 2 rows reefs
• Electric Winch: (1) Electric sheet winch

Inside Equipment

• Electric Bilge Pump:
• Manual Bilge Pump:
• Air Conditioning: Cruisair Air Conditioning (2) Total 32,000 BTU
• Fans: Available in each cabin and saloon
• Cooker Type: 3-burner gas hob & oven
• Sink: Single bowl (stainless steel) sink
• Electric Head: 2 x Electric Flushing toilets
• Upholstery/Color Scheme: (1) Standard - Faux Leather "milk"
• Interior Construction/Wood Type: Laminate finish with solid wood trims
• Refrigerator: (1) Vitifrigo 2 Drawer Fridge/Freezer 212L / 12V
• USB Sockets: Double USB sockets in cabins - 3 cabin layout (owners version)
• Blinds: Large hull window incorporating portlight and pleated blind
• Saloon Table: convertible to double bunk c/w mattress

Electrical Equipment

• Shore Power: 220v hard wired shore power pack: includes 1 heavy duty 50ft 30amp shore power line
• Electrical Circuit: 220V
• Battery Charger: 60 amp
• Generator: Northern Lights 6kW / 3008 hrs

Deck Equipment

• Steering System: Destroyer type steering wheel, Lewmar chain-and-wire steering system complete with bulkhead steering unit and brake
• Steering Wheel:
• Bimini Top: Yes
• Dodger: Removable helm seat spray dodger
• Solar Panel: (2) 70w each fitted to hard top
• Swimming Ladder: Folding swimming ladder c/w teak steps
• Cockpit Shower: Stern hot/cold shower
• Davits: Custom S/S davit system with tackle c/w electric winch
• Fenders: Fenders x 6
• Cockpit Table:
• Anchor Windlass: 1000w vertical windlass 10mm gypsy c/w hand-held remote
• Primary Anchor: 45lb (20kg) Delta Anchor with 150ft (50m) of chain
• Secondary Anchor: 35lb (15kg) Brittney Anchor with 26ft (8m) of chain and 200ft (61m) warp
• Other Ground Tackle: Anchor bow roller fitting, anchor chain stopper, anchor bridle system with shackle and hook
• Liferaft: Yes
• Safety Equipment: Life Raft, (8) Life jackets; Fire Extinguishers (6); First Aid Kit; Bell, Flare Kit, Binoculars, Navigation tools - Parallel rule, compass, dividers

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

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Thank you for your offer. This online offer is subject to a signed Purchase Agreement and deposit received by the brokerage.

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Written by Eva Belanyiova

This image is featured as part of the article One month left to the 2012 Giraglia Rolex Cup .

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Jethou yacht - Photo By- Rolex : Carlo Borlenghi".

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