Scottish Solo Travellers at Loch Ard Sailing Club
by Alistair Angus 11 Oct 2004 14:59 BST
9 October 2004
Jim Allan wins the Scottish Solo Travellers at Loch Ard © Alan Henderson /
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Sixteen boats took part in the Scottish Solo Travellers final event of the year at Loch Ard on the 19th October. The previous five events had been won by a different person on each occasion and five helms were theoretically capabale of winning the overall series. Most of the previous races had been held in fresh to strong winds and the forecast for Loch Ard was light!
On arrival the loch was mirroring the emerging autumn colours with picture postcard splendour but race officer Robert Seignor promised wind for the first start at 1300 and a force 2 to 3 easterly arrived on cue.
First at the windward mark were Kevin Gibb, Jim Allen and Alistair Angus and these three gradually pulled away from the rest of the fleet. As the wind eased positions changed and Angus slipped through to win with Allen and Gibb close behind.
A break for lunch, a new course and a short line produced a general recall at the start of!
the second race which included two beats, the second of which was to leeward of the island with its full litany of puffs, shifts and bends to delight or frustrate the skilful, unfortunate or lucky helms. Once again Gibb, Allan and Angus were at the front but joined this time by local sailor Dick Arnold. After much place changing the race was won by Allan, followed by Gibb and Angus.
The third race involved another change of course, a decreasing wind and still that second beat past the island! In fact the race was won and lost on the first beat when Allan and Angus went hard left into increasing pressure but were unable to make it back to the middle thanks to an increasing lift and lighter winds Angus tacked and took the hit but Allan had the courage to stand on past the mark before he tacked and left the fleet in his wake. The others were left to fight it out in the light and shifty winds with second going to Richard Bolton of North Berwick SC in his first outing in the class and Kevan Gibb in third place.
Overall the Loch Ard event and the Scottish Travellers Series was deservedly won by Jim Allan of Newborough Sailing Club. Alistair Angus and Kevin Gibb, took the following places at Loch Ard and Nigel Orkney and Ali Gordon were second and third in the overall series.
Overall Results:
1st Jim Allan
2nd Alistair Angus
3rd Kevan Gibb
4th Richard Bolton
5th Dick Arnold
Scottish Solo Travellers Overall:
1st Jim Allan
2nd Nigel Orkney
3rd Ali Gordon
4th Roy Henderson
5th John Cameron