West Highland Yachting Week - First Weekend
by Alison Chadwick 2 Aug 2010 10:37 BST
30 July - 6 August 2010
West Highland Yachting Week © Ron Cowan /
www.yachtingimages.co.uk
Playing ‘Truant’ at West Highland Yachting Week
August 1st
The famous ‘Three Men in a Boat’ played Truant at West Highland Yachting Week to finish second in Class 7 in the first passage race of the Regatta Week that runs from July 30 to August 6.
Griff Rhys Jones, Dara O’Briain and Rory McGrath raced Crinan based Ross Ryan’s restored classic 8-metre ‘The Truant’ as part of filming the latest adventures of the three sailing ‘heroes’. And after enjoying the hospitality of Craobh, the first venue of the regatta and entertainment at the Lord of the Isles where the Mid Argyll Pipe Band took centre stage for much of the evening, the three made an excellent job of racing Truant from Craobh to Oban. They were just pipped to the post by Ruairdh Angus’s Misjif while Jock MacDougall’s Shoki took third.
After the rain for the feeder races on Saturday the sun came out to give good sailing conditions for the 121- strong West Highland Yachting Week Fleet on their first passage race. The windward start off Craobh turned into a fetch to lay the buoy off Ardluing with the fleet then faced with another beat in varying wind conditions to the finish.
Race officer Malcolm MacGregor finished the fleet at the entrance to the Sound of Kerrera.
Andy Knowles’ X442 Xanadu powered through to win IRC Class 1b from Steve Cowie’s First 40 Zephyr and Chris Tiso’s Thunderbird of Rhu, steered by Jon Fitzgerald, was third.
Class 2 was won by Robin and Christine Murray’s First 40 Elf 2 with seasoned WHYW campaigner Gordon Aikman’s Scanne second and Cracker third.
Oban based X34 Ajax helmed by Anne Campbell came through to win CYCA Class 3 and Hops, the Davidson 36 took Class 3b with Ken Grant from Lochaber second and Alan Jefferey and Paul Scut’s Carmen II third. Restricted sail Class 4 was won by Hoodlum with Tiger Lily second and Fizz third.
Class 5 saw Robert Howieson’s Elan 434 Kinabalu lift the silverware with Ziggy Stardust second and Eric and Irena Chapman’s Amber Haze of Oban third. The evergreen Valhalla of Ashton took white sail class 6.
Alison Chadwick’s Hot Toddy from Oban won Class 8 from John Prentice’s Contessa 32 Circe with Kenneth MacKinnon, also of Oban taking third place with Clandara. Campbeltown’s Judy Orr in her MGC 27 stormed through from start to finish winning restricted sail class 9.
Feeders
Good winds for all three feeders made for an excellent start to the event. Friday’s Inverkip to Ardrishaig Feeder Race was won by Thunderbird of Rhu helmed by Jon Fitzgerald with Iain Laidlaw’s new J97 Jaywalker second and Richard Gray’s Leomaris of Clyde third. Thunderbird also won the Corinthian Ardrishaig Quaich for taking line honours in this race.
Charlie Don’t Surf won the seventeen-boat line up for the Gigha feeder race lifting the Brian Houston Memorial Trophy from Thunderbird of Rhu and Brian Robertson’s Celtic Spirit. The 28-boat Oban feeder was won by locals Billy and Steven Forteith in Shadowfax with Eric Chapman’s Sigma 33 Amber Haze second and David Cooper’s Redwing from Glencoe third.
The promise was for a spectacular night at the Lord of the Isles and the event lived up to every expectation with great music, craic and an awesome finish with fireworks – a stunning sight against the back-drop of the fleet mustered at Craobh Marina. The Mid Argyll Pipe Band played not only to the fleet but along with the Three Men in A Boat filming at the Craobh pontoon.
Sunday’s headline event at Kerrera with Chunks was enjoyed by not only the WHYW fleet but those staying at the marina and many visitors who took the ferry across.
The event has been boosted by support from Tunnock’s, The Oban Common Good Fund, Argyll and Bute Council, Caledonian MacBrayne and The Crown Estate.
This year Tobermory Single Malt Whisky and Tobermory Harbour Association have also stepped aboard and also support the event. The mid-week prize-giving will be held Thursday at the Tobermory Distillery Courtyard.
West Coast Motors have laid on special transport for competitors between Oban and Dunstaffnage for the après sail events once again and the company host the tour of Oban on the Open Topped bus with the Oban High School Pipe Band.
Monday’s racing is Round the Buoys in the Firth of Lorne with yachts dividing into the Tunnock’s spinnaker fleet and the Argyll white sail fleet. Tuesday is the ever popular Round Lismore race and the fleet heads to Tobermory on Wednesday.
Keep posted of all the news and daily results at www.whyw.co.uk
Results:
Friday - Inverkip to Ardrishaig – 1 Thunderbird of Rhu, 2, Jaywalker 3 Leomaris of Clyde
Saturday Gigha to Craobh – 1 Charlie Don’t Surf 2 Thunderbird of Rhu 3 Celtic Spirit
Oban to Craobh -1 Shadowfax, 2 Amber Haze 3 Redwing
Craobh to Oban Passage Race:
Class 1b Zanadu, 2 Zephyr, 3 Thunderbird of Rhu
Class 2 1 Elf 2 2 Scanne 3 Cracker
Class 3a 1 Ajax, 2 Sunbird, 3 First by Farr
Class 3b 1 Hops, 2 Tight Soluis II, 3 Carmen II
Class 4 1 Hoodlum, 2 Tiger Lilly 3 Fizz
Class 5 1 Kinabulu, 2 Ziggy Stardust, 3Amber Haze
Class 6 1 Valhalla of Ashton, 2 Catalina, 3 Glenafton
Class 7 1 Misjif, 2 The Truant, 3 Shoki
Class 8 1 Hot Toddy, 2 Circe, 3 Clandara
Class 9 1 Eureka, 2 Mistral, 3 Mara