Bardowie Gin STRA Team Racing at Bardowie Loch

Castle Semple Youth enjoying their first team racing event (and beating Castle Semple adults) in the Bardowie Gin STRA Team Racing at Bardowie Loch © Yuan Wong

Prize winners Caledonian Sleepers and What on Earth is Happening? in the Bardowie Gin STRA Team Racing at Bardowie Loch © James Logan

For all its many virtues, Bardowie Loch is not a great venue in a northerly. The race management team steeled themselves for a long day of moving marks and dragging start boats as the light breeze swirled and gusted over the trees on the shore.

Ten teams had entered for the final Scottish Team Racing Association event of the season, including Scottish team racing legends Ali Mo and James Logan, blind match racing silver medallist Laura Cammidge, and local experts from Glasgow and Strathclyde universities.

Forty races were planned, two groups of five teams, followed by gold and silver leagues. Races were proceeding at a rate of about six per hour, unfazed by the occasional 180 degree shift or complete shutdown of the breeze. Early pace setters included Hot Potato (Lindsay McCosh and Lachlan Morrison), Caledonian Sleepers (Ali Mo/Izzy Burroughs, Ben Moverly-Smith/Tara Coldwell Brock), Team Taylor (Sophie Taylor/Momma Taylor, Scott McWhirter/Ruth Carr-Gomm) and Glasgow Uni Yellow (Cameron McCosh/Sarah Ramsey, Matthew Davies/Laura Cranston). However, late surges (if "surge" is an appropriate term in such light winds) from Clyde Cruising Club Dinghy Section (Laura Cammidge/Andrew Kay, James Logan/Erica Shaw) and Boris' Babes (Oscar Andrews, Jake Miller/Huw Williams) saw them snare places in the gold league for the afternoon's races.

Pool Results:

To everyone's surprise, after a short break for lunch and a much-needed umpire toilet break, a relatively steady westerly breeze had set in and races were being ticked off at a furious pace as the five o'clock deadline approached.

In silver league, What on Earth is Happening (Anna Sturrock and Iain Duncan) were neck and neck with Hot Potato, with Castle Semple Youth (Yuan Wong/Emily Shearer, Rebecca Shearer/Sarah Bell) just behind, in spite of a combined team age of just 49 years.

In the gold league, Caledonian Sleepers were smarting from a loss against Boris' Babes in the pools, and made wins against tough opposition look almost routine. Ultimately, the decider was a race against CCCDS, when in spite of James Logan's best efforts, the Sleepers crossed the line in a 2-3 to claim victory.

Overall Results: