Soling Nationals at Royal Forth Yacht Club

The Preston/Bottomley crew (GBR170) from Blackpool & Fleetwood won the Soling class Nationals at the Royal Forth YC, beating World Champion Roman Koch (GER267) into third place. This is the fourth time in as many years that they have overcome all competition, and with three first places in the first three races, it's not surprising.

After four second place finishes, Mark Fisher in Seven (GBR171) took overall second place. The German team sailed even more consistently - in third place - securing the Classic boat prize for Romance, a boat borrowed from Hamish Loudon of Fort William. Hamish himself took a couple of firsts in his no 1 boat, Solaris, to gain the Soling Master's Trophy.

The weather for the event featured light winds and some mist on the first two days, with there being some doubt about whether helmsmen would find the finish line in the 6th race. They all did, though, and the third day dawned bright and clear, with good 10-15kt breezes, and sunshine. Despite somewhat variable wind direction, the committee were congratulated on providing good windward/leeward courses and keeping the races tightly timetabled. The crews particularly liked the quick access to the racing venue, easy launching and friendly nature of the club at Granton.

All agreed that this was a good weekend, with goo dracing weather, consistent sailing and a clear winner. Royal Forth now girds its loins for the Open 60s visit in September.

Overall Results: