Ceilidh Cup and Scottish Student Sailing Match Racing Championship - Preview
by Craig Macdonald 5 Oct 2018 11:48 BST
6-7 October 2018
RNCYC (Mark Greenhalgh) and Aberdeen (Ailsa Muskett) at the Ceilidh Cup and Scottish Student Sailing Match Racing Championship © Neill Ross /
www.neillrossphoto.co.uk
Scottish Match Racers, including six university teams, head for RNCYCs annual Ceilidh Cup
The Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club's Ceilidh Cup, incorporating the Scottish University Sailing (SSS) Match Racing Championship 2018, will be held at Rhu. This is Scotland's only match racing event, where competitors face each other in a round robin of one-on-one races in the Club's identical Sonar yachts. It forms part of the RYA National Match Racing Series, the winner automatically qualifying for the finals to be held in Weymouth on 16 – 18 November. Not long after organising the Blind Match Racing World Championships at the beginning of September, the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club is finishing preparations for its annual Ceilidh Cup this weekend.
The event is held in association with Scottish Student Sailing (SSS) and, therefore, welcomes eligible University teams to compete for the SSS prize. Indeed, the Ceilidh Cup is the first competitive competition in the SSS annual calendar and offers teams an early opportunity to trial helms and crews for match racing and keel boating competition throughout the academic year.
Returning for her 5th consecutive year, top-ranked helm Ali "Mo" Morrish (St Mary's Loch) will be hoping to go one better than her Silver medal at the recent UK Women's Match Racing Nationals. Ali will have hot competition from second-ranked Sophie Taylor (Strathclyde University), who achieved the Bronze medal at the Women's Match Racing.
New to the Ceilidh Cup, but with two match racing events under his belt, is Miles Jones and his team from Edinburgh University. Miles recently represented his university sailing in J22s at the final of the British Keelboat League, posting a very respectable 6th out of 18 entries; they were the leading university team. The Edinburgh team also had a successful second Match Racing event at the Dutch Championships at Medemblik.
Other SSS entrants include Universities of Highlands & Islands (Joe Penhaul Smith), Glasgow (Anthony Douglas), Aberdeen (James Chapman) and St Andrews (Hector McKemey), as well as other non-student entries helmed by Craig Macdonald (RNCYC) and Andy McKeown.
With the forecast looking very light (Saturday) or very heavy (Sunday), PRO David Denholm and his team will have their work cut-out for them to ensure that they get the scheduled races completed.
Ali Mo said "Weymouth (Women's MR Champs) was really fun, with very close racing in the Elliots. I have a different crew this weekend, and I always learn from sailing with new people so I'm excited for that, as well as having another go at winning this Trophy"
Sophie Taylor of Strathclyde added "the Ceilidh Cup, the first competition of the student sailing year, is always a good way to start. I am excited to get to race against the proven tough competition this weekend".
Miles Jones of Edinburgh concluded: "We are really looking forward to this. The Scottish event is very big for us. On the back of our success at the BKA finals last weekend and our second match racing event as a team at the Dutch Championships at Medemblik, we are ready for the Ceilidh!"
Skippers entered:
*Ali Mo/St Mary's Loch
Sophie Taylor/Univ of Strathclyde
Joe Penhaul-Smith/Univ Highland & Islands
Miles Jones/Univ of Edinburgh
James Chapman/Univ of Aberdeen
Anthony Douglas/Univ of Glasgow
*Craig Macdonald/RNCYC
Hector McKemey/Univ of St Andrews
*Andy McKeown
* denotes a skipper ineligible to win the SSS Match Racing prize as per NoR 5.6.