RS200 JP Watersports Circuit at Royal Forth Yacht Club
by Neil Fullerton 9 Aug 2011 22:42 BST
31 July 2011
The first 1-day event was well attended by sailors from across Scotland at Royal Forth Yacht Club At Leith in Edinburgh recently. The club did a fantastic job of running the event both on and of the water; thanks must be paid to all those that were involved.
The forecast for wind did not look promising but bright sunshine and a sea breeze added to the gradient light wind forecast. The conditions were 8 - 12 knots with regular shifts and an occasional small bias on the course being found near the shoreline due to land effects and possibly tide or current.
On to the racing and 202 the now infamous ‘Red Shed’ returned to prove old boats are still fast, showing the excellent build quality of the boats, to win the regatta. The boat is now over 16 years old but was excellently crewed by Lady Va Va (bit like Ga Ga).
Behind the fleet tussled for position and furthest travelled boat Aberdeen & Stonehaven’s 1176 Graham Tait crewed by the ‘beast’ sailed well in the light breeze to take 2nd on most highest places in individual races.
There combined weight of just over 24 stone again showed the fact that the 200 is not slower when sailed by heavy weights. This is due to its combination of flat & curved sectioned hull design and easily de-powered rig.
The ease of de-powering the rig ensured that sail number 600 sailed well by Fiona Hall and crewed by the ‘Lizard’ gave 1176 a good run for there money again proof the 200 races well even with light crews.
The rest of the fleet all sailed well, everyone agreed afterwards that the event was a success as the venue and format of 1 days racing worked well. Full results are here (PDF).
Next up is Aberdeen & Stonehaven Annual regatta this weekend on the 13 & 14 th of August which is always a great coastal venue. The spinnaker kindly sponsored by www.jpwatersports.co.uk is up for grabs and will be decided at ASYC.
Look forwards to seeing you there!