707 Class at the Royal Forth Yacht Club One Design Weekend
by Gregor Southall 3 Sep 2019 05:47 BST
24-25 August 2019
Kevan Gibb, helm of winners More T Vicar, receiving the 707 trophy from David Northridge of Royal Forth Yacht Club during the club's One Design weekend © Gregor Southall
Nine 707s turned out for Royal Forth Yacht Club's annual One Design weekend, alongside Dragons, H Boats, and Squibs. A mixture of local boats and travellers from the rest of Scotland enjoyed some fine one design racing and excellent hospitality in Granton.
The first day got off to a slow start, as the boats drifted around in the sunshine waiting for the breeze to fill in. The first race was taken by last year's winners Partial Pleasure, with local boats More T Vicar and Valhalla close behind. More T then pulled out a big lead on race two, with some close racing behind resulting in a spectacular photo finish between the next six boats. Jetstream and Rammie just inched over the line in second and third respectively.
Partial Pleasure and More T exchanged race wins on the two subsequent races, to leave just a point separating them overnight. The race committee did a truly excellent job in achieving the four scheduled races in light and changeable conditions.
Dense mist greeted the crews on Sunday morning, and racing was postponed due to the limited visibility. A decision was made around midday to abandon racing. Predictably the mist cleared around an hour later, just as the boats were being craned out. Such are the perils of a weather dependent sport.
Overnight results therefore became the final results for the event, with More T Vicar taking the victory. Thanks must go to Royal Forth YC, the race committee, and all the volunteers for such an enjoyable event.
Overall Results:
1. More T Vicar
2. Partial Pleasure
3. Valhalla
4. Rammie
5. Miss Moneypenny
6. Jetstream
7. Mojito
8. Pocket Battleship
9. Eastlander
The final two events on the 707 calendar this year are Port Edgar Watersports Sprints, Sponsored by Haggis Motorhomes on 21 - 22nd September and The Coast to Coast Rigging Scottish Championships on 19th - 20th October hosted by Port Edgar YC.