Largo Bay Sailing Club Regatta 2006
by Alasdair Sneddon 26 Jun 2006 08:05 BST
24-25 June 2006
The RS200 fleet start the first race at the Largo Bay SC 2006 regatta © Alasdair Sneddon
Mid-summer weekend was a marked improvement on some previous weekends with wind for all six races of Largo Bay’s Regatta — could have been a bit more on Saturday and occasionally a bit less on Sunday but a full range of skills was needed. Some 75 boats appeared as it was Scottish Championship time for the Lasers, Laser Radials, Laser 2000s, RS200, Europes and International Moths but some other fleets that had stated an intention to sail as travellers failed to show: Richard and Maureen Denny came from Cambridgeshire to find themselves the only Enterprise and there were no RS400s or Contenders.
Race Office Kevan Gibb put out a long course to accommodate the burgeoning skiff fleet with the slower boats doing an inner course and in the placid conditions of Saturday there were no mishaps. The story of the Lasers was that Peter Malcolm came down from Aberdeen and Stonehaven and won. There was, of course, a lot of tight racing, a packed midfield with two up front with St Andrews’ Sam Room getting a good third behind Geoff Hendridge. The Radials were closer and often busier, the first three boats looking to juggle the positions between them with Andrew Normand recovering well from a bad start to overhaul Richard Tait on the Sunday to take the first place. This round of the Scottish Skiffs was dominated on both days by Derwent Reservoir’s Ian Trotter, one of six Musto Skiffs, who would have had a clean sweep had it not been for Ben Robertson and Ewan Sneddon snatching race 3 in a 49er. Robertson and Sneddon kept up the pressure on the Mustos in the lighter conditions of Saturday but struggled when the wind rose to a brisk four on Sunday. Conversely Ross McKerchar and Stu Gardiner did not enjoy the light stuff in the RS800 but were far snappier on day two getting a good second in the fifth race but Gavin Homer (Musto Skiff) was very consistent on both days.
Sunday dawned with a gusty northerly which is always awkward at Largo but settled later on into the east giving everyone a chance to produce some spray. The high number of no-shows removed the chance of class racing for many and Europes, Albacores and 505s found themselves in the handicap fleet where the running was made by Largo Bay’s Jim Blyth and Donald Aitken keeping their 505 ahead of Danny Read’s RS600. Largo Bay’s Brian and Lauri Taylor snatched the first race in their Buzz but Blyth and Aitken took the next four with Read tucked in right behind and Crawford Reid and Isabelle Martin (Albacore) handling the heavier weather on Sunday to take the last race and third overall.
It was hot as usual in the RS200 fleet with Robbie Burns and Vikki Simpson dominant as so often before and from a big turnout of Dalgety Bay SC boats, Ronald Millar and Jennifer Reekie kept just ahead of Sarah Robertson and Kate Mitchell most of the time and Richard and Val Evans improved in the bigger winds to pull into fourth place. Dave and Kate Eccles came from Bala SC to take the first Laser 2000 race but Duncan and Craig Hepplewhite recovered to take the next three with the Eccles not finding the Sunday going so good. Jim and Margaret Galloway, on the other hand, were not so good in the light winds making up ground on the Sunday but not as well as the other Loch Vennachar pairing, Robert McCulloch and Alma Cudzow who came from behind to take second place.
Finally the Moths were there doing the impossible, Paul Hignett dominating the racing in both light and heavy stuff. We hope to see much stiffer competition for him at the end of August when the Moth Nationals come to Largo Bay.
Overall Results:
Laser Scottish Championship
1 Peter Malcolm, Aberdeen & Stonehaven YC, 8pts
2 Geoff Henstridge, Pentland Firth SC, 18pts
3 Sam Room, St Andrew SC, 21pts
4 Neil Malcolm, Aberdeen & Stonehaven YC, 23pts
5 Callum Calder, Crammond BC, 24pts
Laser Radial Scottish Championship
1 Andrew Normand, Royal Northern & Clyde YC, 7pts
2 Richard Tait, Port Edgar YC, 10pts
3 David Highcock, Largs SC, 12pts
4 Gavin Dunlop, Largs SC, 23pts
5 Ian Drennan, Perth SC, 25pts
Laser 2000 Scottish Championship
1 Duncan Hepplewhite & Craig Hepplewhite, Loch Lomond SC, 7pts
2 Robert McCulloch & Alma Cadzow, Loch Vennachar, SC 12pts
3 Dave Eccles & Kate Eccles, Bala SC, 13pts
4 Jim Galloway & Margaret Galloway, Loch Vennachar SC, 18pts
5 David Tulloch & Emma Stobie, Dalgety Bay SC, 21pts
RS200 Scottish Championship
1 Robbie Burns & Vicki Simpson, Largs SC, 6pts
2 Ronald Millar & Jennifer Reekie, Dalgety Bay SC, 10pts
3 Sarah Robertson & Kate Mitchell, Dalgety Bay SC, 14pts
4 Richard Evans & Val Evans, Channonry SC, 15pts
5 Bess Homer & Kirsty Higgins, Dalgety Bay SC, 24pts
International Moth Scottish Championship
1 Paul Hignett, Loch Vennachar SC, 5pts
2 Martin Cruden, RYA, 12pts
3 James Mackenzie, St Georges SC, 13pts
Scottish Skiff Grand Prix
1 Ian Trotter (Musto Skiff), Derwent Reservoir SC, 5pts
2 Gavin Homer (Musto Skiff), Dalgety Bay SC, 14pts
3 Andy Hutchison (Musto Skiff), Dalgety Bay SC, 20pts
4 Ross McKerchar & Stu Gardiner (RS800), Dalgety Bay SC, 21pts
5 Dave Sinclair & Dave McCardel (49er), Prestwick SC, 32pts
General Handicap Class
1 Jim Blyth & Donald Aitken (505), Largo Bay SC, 7pts
2 Danny Read (RS600), Largo Bay SC, 13.5pts
3 Crawford Reid & Issie Martin (Albacore), Strathclyde Loch SC, 19pts
4 Alastair Milton & Laurence Milton (505), Helensburgh SC, 20pts
5 David Fisher & Charlie (Laser 3000), Largo Bay SC, 26pts