707s at the Port Edgar Yacht Club Watersports Sprints Slam

Breeze on on Sunday - Port Edgar Watersports Sprints Slam © Ian Robertson

Winning helm Carl Allen at the Port Edgar Watersports Sprints Slam © MTV Sailing

Fourteen boats descended on Port Edgar Watersports for the annual Sprints Slam event, fast becoming a favourite of many of the fleet. The event takes a short course sprint format, with a start sequence of 3-2-1 start sequence and 20 minute races. The format really emphasises boat handling and close quarter racing, with little or no waiting around between races. Thirteen races were sailed in total, with five of the boats winning races and the overall lead constantly changing hands.

Day 1 saw a good breeze and racing get away on schedule. Racing was tight with the majority of boats securing top 5 positions in races throughout the day. There were also some less conventional but equally entertaining moments which saw both the helm of Partial Pleasure and the bow of EUSC up the mast mid race at points of the day. As the day progressed Rammie and More T Vicar began to rack up results. There were also some great results from local boat Racing Demon, a new boat for this season who have been honing their skills at PEYC club racing over the season, who were eventually sitting second overnight. Rammie emerged as the overnight leaders, representing a welcome return to form after a season of mixed results on the road.

It was great to see a university crew from The University of Edinburgh (EUSC) at the event, who finished a highly respectable 7th overall – particularly impressive as September represents the start of the university sailing season. There are boats available to hire for Scottish Championships on 20th and 21st October at Port Edgar YC, and it would be great to see more university teams at events in the future!

Day 2 brought some spicy winds, with some instruments suggesting gusts touching 40 knots at times. There was planing, there were broaches, and one or two boats (and crews!) will be needing some attention in the coming weeks! The day was won overall by Partial Pleasure, who were consistently finishing in the top two despite sailing the day with a reef in. An interesting tactical decision which may pay off for other lighter crews in the class. Despite the strong winds the race committee did a fantastic job in getting 6 races in before 2 o'clock.

As testament to the close racing throughout the weekend, despite Rammie claiming the win on Saturday and Partial Pleasure on Sunday, the overall winners were More T Vicar – proving that consistency is key in the sprint format.

Thanks to Port Edgar Watersports for putting on another great event, and Port Edgar Yacht Club for opening their doors to the evenings merriments. The race committee as ever did a wonderful job, achieving 13 races in some challenging conditions. Thanks must also go to Benromach for supplying prizes for the event.

The final event in the 707 calendar is Scottish Championship on 20th and 21st October, hosted by Port Edgar Yacht Club. With 14 boats at this event, boats available to hire, and several travelling boats attending it promises to be a great end to a great season. The 707 class association would urge anyone interested to get in touch!

Sunday winners Partial Pleasure - Port Edgar Watersports Sprints Slam - photo © Ian Robertson

Overall Results:

Saturday winners Rammie - Port Edgar Watersports Sprints Slam - photo © Ian Robertson