Until his Dehler 34 Penelope was dismasted competing in The Junior Offshore Group (JOG) racing in the Round the Isle of Wight race earlier this year, Peter McConnell, an outport member of Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough living in Hampshire, was enjoying a successful run in JOG racing, on the South coast of England.

JOG was formed on 7th December 1950, at a meeting at the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London. Its purpose was to create a race series for smaller yachts to race offshore than were permitted under RORC regulations at the time. JOG have a top IRC rating band of 1.200 TCC.

JOG runs out of centres between the Isle of Wight and Weymouth in the South of England with cross-channel port destinations.

Peter has successfully competed in JOG and always competes with an Irish crew, some flown in and others now residing in England. Last year in Penelope, he was 4th in Class 3 and won the doublehanded division in the Cowes to Poole race, until she lost her mast, or he would have continued JOG racing this season.

Peter McConnell is racing on the JPK 1080, Ikigai Photo: JOG

Peter managed a JOG win in the last race of the series, racing on board the JPK 1080, Ikigai from Cowes to Poole. Ikigai was kindly lent to him by his friend Miles Woodward, and both, with the Irish crew of Gavin and Ian Doig and David Montgomery from East Antrim BC in Larne and Phil Clandillon, formerly Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire, finished the season with a first overall in Class 1.

Peter did much of his early sailing with the late Hugh Ennis on the well-known Hydro Moonlighter and sailed with Doig in the J92s Jack from East Antrim BC in this year’s Dun Laoghaire Regatta, in the Howth Wave Regatta and many Scottish Series.

JOB results here