Regatta & Scottish RS200 Champs at Largo Bay Sailing Club
by Alasdair Sneddon 25 Jun 2007 10:32 BST
23-24 June 2007
RS 200 Scottish Champions Robbie Burns and Vicki Simpson © Alasdair Sneddon
Club members organising the annual regatta knew that the mid-summer weekend of the worst June in memory was going to be bad. They were right but were relieved that at least there no snow flurries despite a chill factor in the low single figures. Just 47 boats arrived on the Saturday morning including those taking part in the RS200 Scottish Championship, and were greeted with a light easterly breeze and poor visibility but enough for some competitive racing.
The general handicap was a mixed bag including a couple of Enterprises, who failed to get a class start, and an RS800 as the sole skiff; despite this McKerrachar and Gardiner (Dalgety Bay) drove the RS800 well to take first in all, but race 5 when a broken rudder required an escort to shore. This left the well-handled Laser 2 of Baird and Fuller (Loch Ryan) to add a first to their quartet of seconds.
Eyes were firmly on the RS200s and in Saturday’s gentle conditions Roger Tait and Georgie Hill (Scaling Dam) made the initial running with Robbie Burns and Vicki Simpson (Largs) slow out the traps with a third in the first race, but improving to a first in the third race. The other front runners on Saturday were the Dalgety Bay teams Sarah Robertson and Kirsty Higgins, and Liz Jamie and Liz Copland with the latter making a slow start but with constant improvement.
The Lasers were strong as usual with Cameron Steele (Loch Lomond) taking the first two races from Peter Malcolm (Aberdeen and Stonehaven) and Michael Gorzkowski (Loch Venachar), but a sixth in race three allowed Malcolm to lead at half time.
The Radials were likewise competitive with Stephanie Lawrence (East Lothian) taking race one but Andrew McKearn (Loch Earn) the next two with Ailsa Skuadas improving after a poor first race. Laser 2000s were not prominent for their traveller series, but Largo Bay members provided four of the five boats sailing including three boats owned by the club. Despite this the only visitors Robert MCulloch and Alma Cadzow (Loch Venachar) took all three races on Saturday, with Calum Reid and Chris Wood close behind but not enjoying the gentle conditions.
After heavy rain overnight, Sunday morning was of different character with a stiff gusty Northerly kicking up a steep chop and promising much more action. First away in the General Handicap McKerrachar and Gardiner flew in the RS800 with Baird and Fuller having a good blast in the Laser 2 also. The two Enterprises had a number of close encounters but Harris and Bendall (Largo Bay) got away in a Tasar but failed to do enough to take them on handicap.
In the RS200s racing was very competitive with several congregations at the marks, with advice being offered, and the best of the action being enjoyed by Burns and Simpson who took races four and five to put pressure on overnight leaders Tait and Hill (who got a sixth in the fifth race). Jamie and Copland were much improved in the windier conditions and all was ready for a grandstand finish in race six. Burns and Simpson lead in race six ahead of Tait and Hill but a broken halyard meant retiral leaving the Championship open to the Scaling Dam boat which had to see off Jamie and Copland.
They pulled in front of them on the final beat but at the leeward mark Jamie and Copland nipped in to take first place allowing Burns and Simpson to retain the title. There was much going on in the Laser fleet too where Malcolm took race four but Steele race five although Malcolm’s second place would prove decisive here. In race six the competition was still tough and Steele found himself locked out at the windward mark on the first lap, capsized and retired rather disgruntled. Malcom took first place with Michael Gorzkowski a good second for the weekend.
The Radials had a number of changes, and with Lawrence not sailing on the Sunday, Skuadas took advantange with a well-crafted first and two seconds, although McKearn took the last race to confirm his first place overall. In the last fleet, Reid and Wood overcame impossible hangovers to take the Laser 2000 prize although McCulloch and Cadzow did not sail on Sunday. Jim Blyth and daughter Rebecca (Largo Bay) although not ideally suited to the heavier conditions, handled enough of the gusts to get an overall third place, and everyone was off the water when the real storm blew in.
RS 200 Scottish Championship
1rd Robbie Burns & Vicki Simpson, Largs SC, 8pts
2rd Roger Tait & Georgie Hill, Scaling Dam SC, 9 pts
3rd Liz Jamie & Liz Copland, Dalgety Bay SC, 15pts
4th Sarah Robertson & Kirsty Higgins/Emily Robertson, Dalgety Bay SC, 18 pts
5th Ian Gore & Ben Gore, Aberdeen & Stonehaven YC, 25 pts
Laser Travellers
1st Peter Malcolm, Aberdeen & Stonehaven YC, 7 pts
2nd Michael Gorzkowski, Loch Venachar SC, 12 pts
3rd Cameron Steele, Loch Lomond SC, 14 pts
Laser Radial Travellers
1st Andrew McKearn, Loch Earn SC, 8 pts
2nd Ailsa Skuadas, Loch Morlich SC, 10 pts
3rd Nick Kerr, Largs SC, 13 pts
Laser 2000 Travellers
1st Calum Reid & Chris Wood, Largo Bay SC, 10 pts
2nd Robert McCulloch & Alma Cadzow, Loch Vennachar SC, 15 pts
3rd Jim Blyth & Rebecca Blyth, Largo Bay SC, 16 pts
General Handicap Class
1st Ross McKerrachar & Stu Gardiner (RS800), Dalgety Bay SC, 4 pts
2nd Jude Baird & Fred Fuller (Laser 2), Loch Ryan SC, 7 pts
3rd Charles Morrish & Alison Geddes (Enterprise), St Marys Loch SC/Forfar SC, 11 pts
