The South Esplanade smelled of salt, chalk dust, and wet dog. Havelet Bay was loud — children shouting, reggae drifting from a speaker, the occasional yelp from a canine competitor in the swimming races. The fourth Havelet Regatta had shifted from its usual September date to the end of June, and the crowd on the grass and shingle seemed to prove the gamble paid off.
Five pirate statues stood guard near the shoreline. They had been restored voluntarily for Iris & Dora, a detail that drew more than a few selfie-takers.
Dogs of all sizes patrolled the beach with their owners. Some joined the sea races. Others just watched the swimmers and sailors churning the grey water.
Barrie Duerden, the event organiser, said the regatta is a family affair. His family established it.
His wife Odette’s family have long been involved with Guernsey Cheshire Home, the charity that benefits from the day’s fundraising. That home needs £500,000 every year to keep running. Duerden did not say how much the regatta raised on Saturday, but the record shows the event exists to support that number.
“We’ve got a close association with Guernsey Cheshire Home, and decided early on that we wanted to support it,” Duerden said. “It’s an important local charity that needs to raise £500,000 every year to run. My wife Odette’s family have long been involved.” Traditional fete games lined the South Esplanade.
Accessible activities were mixed in. Stalls sold food.
Music played. The whole thing was designed, Duerden said, to encompass the bay’s sea-faring offerings with classic beach activities and family fun that anyone could join. Two cousins from Bournemouth had no idea the regatta was happening.
Lauren and Holly Kerslake-Smith were first-time visitors to the island. They stumbled onto the event.
Lauren called it brilliant, with a very good cause and lots of creative activities. “We’ve come over from Bournemouth, we didn’t realise there was so much going on in Guernsey,” she said. Holly, 16, was practising her chalkboard skills on dry land.
She had drawn “I heart Guernsey” on the board. “I’ve drawn ‘I heart Guernsey’ because I’m really enjoying this lovely little island, and definitely want to come back,” she said. The regatta was moved this year from its traditional September date to the pre-summer holiday slot.
That shift put it squarely in school holiday territory. Hundreds of local families showed up.
The bay was busy from the South Esplanade down to the waterline. Swimmers raced. Sailors raced.
Dogs swam. The pirate statues did not move.
The chalk on the board did not smudge. The whole scene was loud, messy, and deliberate — a seaside event built to raise money for a home that costs half a million pounds a year to operate. The regatta’s fourth edition, on a new date, in the same bay, with the same cause.
