West Highland Yachting Week - Day 6

by Alison Chadwick 5 Aug 2011 20:27 BST 29 July - 5 August 2010

The breeze filled in for the final day of West Highland Yachting Week, Friday August 5 2011, giving the fleet a fast run back to Oban from Tobermory, the race being sponsored by Thomas Tunnock Ltd, one of the regatta’s main supporters. This was in sharp contrast to the frustrating sailing mid-week with racing being abandoned for the Argyll Fleet on Tuesday and for the entire fleet on Wednesday on the passage race up to Tobermory.

Punching tide at the start of Friday’s race those boats that worked the Morvern shore gained most till the tide turned with the full course through Lismore Light being sailed this year.

Neill Sandford’s Mat 10.10 Now or Never 3 played up to its name winning IRC Class 0 from Mike Spence’s Le Basculer with Ian Cleaver’s Clapped Out Toy Boy third. However, even finishing fourth in this race, Steve Cowie’s two firsts and three seconds over the week clinched the Points Series for Zephyr.

This pushed Chris Tiso’s Thunderbird of Rhu into second place overall with Jonathan Anderson’s Playing FTSE third.

Roddy Campbell’s Windmark II made it a clean sweep in Class 1 winning both the final passage race and the Points Series. Harvey MacLachlan’s Polaris was second on the final day overall with Xcalibur third. Polaris remained second overall in the series with Graham Anderson’s Lucky Ned Pepper finishing third. Close contention in Class 2 saw a win for Gordon Aikman’s Scanne to also win the series in this restricted sail class from John Watson’s Texa and the Chalmers’ Sunrise.

It was a 1,2 and 3 for Jaywalker, Celtic Spirit and Hops in Class 3 on the final race with the Points Series being won overall by Carmen II. Ken Grant’s Tigh Soluis finished second and Iain Laidlaw’s Jaywalker third. Winning the Tobermory to Oban race Iain lifts The Thomas Tunnock Trophy – a new trophy awarded this year for IRC Class 3.

Robin Ferguson’s Hoodlum took the silverware in Class 4 with Tartan Pimpernel sailed by Norman Howison and his eleven year old son Ludovic second and this was the same line-up for the Points Series with EuRoBo third.

Class 5 saw positions change all week but the final passage was dominated once again by Craig Anderson’s Moody 336 Cool Bandit who took a good first to secure the class title this year. The Sigma 33 Leaky Roof II was second and fellow Moody 336 Piecemaker third on the final day. But overall with his consistent racing Seven Forteith’s Shadowfax finished third overall in the points series.

Alastair Hart’s Jus’Cos won Friday’s passage in restricted sail Class 6 but Slippi Jin’s secured the Points Series in this class from Brian Young’s Glenafton and Nan of Gare.

Ruairidh Angus’s team on Misjif pulled out all the stops in Class 7 to take an excellent final win giving her the series from Jock MacDougall’s Shoki and the Hunter 707 Blue Funk.

In Class 8 the Trapper 28 Redwing who led the class from the first day secured another win to take the points series. Second was Chris Hoy’s Cherry Pye and third Alison Chadwick’s Hot Toddy.

The overall Peter Cocks’ Memorial Trophy awarded to the best performance of the week will be announced tonight (Friday) at the prize-giving at Oban’s Corran Halls.

The mid-week prize-giving in Tobermory’s Distillery Courtyard saw Boyd Tunnock CBE presenting the prizes. His Moody Lemarac had already taken two seconds in the series, for the feeder race and the first day’s racing. Following the prize-giving a whisky tasting was held in Macgochans courtesy of Tobermory Whisky, a sponsor of West Highland Yachting Week.

Full results on www.whyw.co.uk

West Highland Yachting Week receives sponsorship support from Tunnock’s, The Oban Common Good Fund, Argyll and Bute Council, Tobermory Whisky, Tobermory Harbour Association and businesses, Caledonian MacBrayne and the Crown Estate with help in kind from Caledonian Oils and West Coast Motors.