RS200 Scottish Championships at East Lothian Yacht Club

RS200 Scottish Championships at East Lothian © ELYC

North Berwick had much to prove this year after a couple of not so good regattas with the weather being against us. Despite this, twelve 200s turned up for racing on the first weekend of June with a promising forecast.

After a short wait on the beach, the fleet launched and was hit by some fairly substantial rollers coming down the fairway. Once out on the course, the race officer and his team certainly did not look happy on their committee boat being rocked about. However, they had breeze and sunshine so racing got underway.

The first beat of the first race saw most of the fleet tack inshore with Ben/Rachel staying out left. With a slack tide they came out just in front of Robbie/Vicki at the top mark, only to be overtaken downwind. With the swell running off the breeze, there was glorious surfing conditions on port gybe. Robbie/Vicki pulled ahead to get the 1, Ben/Rachel finishing in second followed by Josh/Fenella in third.

By race 2 the tide had turned and there were big gains to be had to going out left on the beat. With conditions for going downwind in general better on the right side of the run, there was decisions to be made about how far you went before coming back into the outgoing tide. Robbie/Vicki pulled away leaving Neil/Alice, Ben/Rachel and Roger/Racel to battle it out for 2, 3 and 4.

After some very close racing it was Ben/Rachel who came out in second, Roger/Rachel in third and Neil/Alice in fourth. By race 3 the wind had dropped off slightly and the boats that went down the left side of the run started to come out on top. Robbie/Vicki got their third bullet of the day, followed by Ben/Rachel and Roger/Rachel.

Sunday dawned and there was not the wall to wall sunshine forecast. Instead there was cloud and just enough wind to go racing. The bigger problem was the breaking waves coming down the fairway which is a result of the swell which a week of north easterly breeze brings.

After a postponement the tide had come in enough to flatten the tops off and allow the fleet to launch. The sun also broke through and the wind picked up – the start of another day of champagne sailing at North Berwick!

With the tide in springs and flooding, there was only one way up the beat. The boats that hit the right wall came out well. Robbie/Vicki and Fiona/Helen took the two top spots at the start of the race. Behind them was some fierce competition – one mistake in this fleet and you are at the back! Robbie/Vicki held on to the one whilst Ben/Rachel managed to get past Fiona/Helen on the last lap to take second.

The breeze continued to build for race 2 and after the first beat it was Ben/Rachel who led, but they managed to anchor themselves around the spreader mark. Robbie/Vicki and Martin/Charlie held the two top spots for the next lap but it was Ben/Rachel was managed to pull back to get first, followed by Robbie/Vicki and then Roger/Rachel. As there had been a postponement in the morning that was it for the weekend.

Congratulations to Robbie and Vicki, the 2016 RS200 Scottish champions carrying four firsts and discarding a second. Ben and Rachel came in second with Roger and Rachel third. Thank you to ELYC for hosting a fantastic event and their sponsors NB Gin, who provided many of the prizes in liquid form!

Overall Results: