Scottish District IOM Travellers at Paisley Model Yacht Club

Scottish IOM Travellers at Paisley MYC © David Smith

Scottish IOM Travellers at Paisley MYC © David Smith

Eight International One Metre skippers gathered promptly and expectantly outside Greenock's Clubhouse at 9.45 a.m. to hear the briefing by the Race Officer, Robert Rooney. The event had been transferred from Barshaw Park, Paisley, to Murdieston Dam, Greenock, because the pond at Paisley was unsailable due to weed.

The morning was overcast & none too warm with a gentle breeze from a generally north westerly direction. A starboard rounding, triangle & sausage course was laid out with the starboard end buoy of the start line the leeward mark and the finish line about halfway to the windward mark. The first race commenced at 10.00 a.m. sharp.

The racing was close but well behaved with relatively few start line or rounding incidents. Four skippers consistently challenged to take the lead more than once while two more achieved one first place each. Richard Rowan won the first race from Gordon Rae, positions which were reversed for the second race. The success apparently going to his head, Gordon then came last in the third race while Richard Rowan took another first and Richard Ennos second. Gordon Allison took the fourth race with Richard Rowan second, Richard Ennos third and Gordon Rae fourth.

This 'Richard & Gordon Show' was the pattern for much of the day with the four skippers sharing most of the top four places. The wind varied in direction a bit during the morning but the original course remained fair until the seventh race when the wind took a turn towards the north. For the last race before lunch, the eighth, the course was reversed to become port rounding with the port end buoy of the start line the leeward mark.

Lunch of pie, beans & mash was expertly served by Hugh Shields, the stalwart of the Greenock Club, and enjoyed by skippers and race team alike.

Scottish IOM Travellers at Paisley MYC - photo © David Smith

After lunch a steady drizzle set in and the wind became more variable in quantity. The direction, however, continued to suit the port rounding course. Nick Cowern, IOM Registrar, having made an adjustment to the alignment of his keel bulb, took first place in the ninth race with hopes of more which ultimately went unfulfilled. The 'Richard & Gordon Show' then continued through the afternoon with each skipper having different levels of consistency. Local skipper, Ian Davidson, in his first Travellers, proceeded quietly and consistently, picking up a number of third and fourth places throughout the day. After a relatively poor showing in the morning races David Stewart produced a steadily improving streak from the twelfth race ultimately taking first place in the final race. By the fourteenth race the wind had dropped to a mere zephyr and the drizzle developed into steady rain so the fifteenth and sixteenth races were reduced to a triangle and a beat with the windward and turning marks being the starboard and port marks of the finishing line.

When the results were tallied up Richard Rowan was the clear winner with 24 points. The consistent Richard Ennos and more variable Gordon Rae found themselves tied on 35 points but countback gave Gordon Rae 2nd place with five firsts. Gordon Allison came 4th only one point behind on 36.

The skippers thanked the Race Team of Robert Rooney, David Smith, John Mason, John Mathieson & Pat Johnston for their quiet control of the event and Hugh Shields for lunch and, on behalf of the Greenock Club, making their facilities available to Paisley MYC.

Overall Results: