West System sponsors Spirit Yachts regatta

West System, which has been used on every Spirit yacht, is sponsoring the inaugural Spirit Regatta, taking place 25 June to 2 July in St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The event, hosted by Spirit Yachts & Guernsey Yacht Club LBG, is expected to see 11 yachts converge for a week of sailing and socialising.

“This event is going to be breathtaking,” says Ian Oliver, MD Wessex Resins and Adhesives (the company which makes West System products in the UK under licence from Gougeon Brothers Inc.). “Everyone in the marine world can recognise a Spirit Yacht – helped of course by James Bond’s penchant for these fantastic yachts – and by sponsoring this event, we can help remind people of West System’s epoxy’s pedigree and longevity. It has, after all, been used by Spirit Yachts since the company started, and ever since, and is on every one of their 76 boats which are now spread out worldwide.”

“Spirit Yachts has used West System products on all its yacht builds for around 30 years, so we were delighted when they signed up as a lead sponsor for our first ever regatta,” says Karen Underwood, managing director at Spirit Yachts. “Not only are West System products easy to work with, they always deliver on our meticulously high standards. Alongside the key role played by West System products in the build of all Spirit Yachts is the reliable advice, support, and training provided by Wessex Resins and Adhesives in the UK. They are a fundamental extension of the Spirit team.”

The regatta will feature a mix of older Spirit Yachts, handed down through generations, and newer vessels, all beautifully crafted and now looking towards sustainability as well.

Spirit Yachts are built using a cold moulded process over strip plank construction. The hulls are built over laminated frames – using West System epoxy. The strip planks are glued together using West System epoxy, as are the vacuum consolidated veneers. A glass laminate is applied to the hull – again vacuum consolidated with West System.

Racing at the regatta promises to be competitive with yachts battling it out over a six-race series; including a round Guernsey race (weather permitting), two long passage races (Race 3: West System passage race will take place on Monday 27 June), and a mix of shorter round-the-cans and windward/leeward courses. As much as possible, the starts and finishes will be set in front of Castle Cornet (situated next to the yacht club) to allow spectators to watch the action on the water.

The Spirit Yachts fleet will be berthed in Victoria Marina, in the heart of St Peter Port and a short walk from nearby shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. A prize-giving dinner at the prestigious Old Government House hotel will round off the regatta in style.

Lead sponsor West System is accompanied by supporting sponsors Lewmar, Oceanskies, OneSails GBR (East), Raymarine, and Torqeedo.