HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships 2024 at Largo Bay Sailing Club

HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships at Largo Bay © Megan Campbell

This year the HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships was held at Largo Bay on the east coast. This is a club renowned for its waves and sunshine and we certainly got both on Saturday. It was shorts and sun cream weather as we rigged up with a nice F2/3 breeze from the southeast. Given the warmth inland the breeze looked likely to build during the day, and so it proved.

The briefing was given by race officer Pete Malcolm who is very experienced and starts on time. He clearly explained that we had to go through the finishing line every beat, but some late arrivals missed this! As we hoisted sails the youngsters from the club were already asking us if we needed a hand before we had even launched. The race course was only a short fetch from the beach. We had triangle/sausage courses for every race and given the conditions this was perfect. The beats were not too long either. Given the warm weather there was even debate about whether spray tops were needed, as it turned out they certainly were.

Kenny Manderson missed the first start as he noticed that he had rigged the boat with the gooseneck pushed into the sail track. Calum Gibb raced ashore and grabbed a gooseneck from a boat ashore. This enabled Kenny to make the next two races but he did have the original gooseneck pin sticking vertically out of the boom track! The start line was just long enough for the fleet and for race one two boats were over and went back.

Others looked to have pushed it but were not recalled. From the start Keith Milroy, who had only arrived to sail the boat Kevan Gibb had organised for him less than an hour before the start, was looking very fast.

The first reach was excellent with the waves curving round the headland and right behind us giving great surfing opportunities. The second reach was broader and the waves were almost beam on so a bit trickier to use. Keith had a good lead at the end of the first round but fell prey to arriving late and not having seen the sailing instructions as he sailed the wrong side of the committee boat. He dropped back to mid fleet leaving Willie Todd in front with Tony King and Ross Watson next.

Down the run the three leaders were overlapped as they neared the mark. Willie rounded ahead and Tony just caught a wave to break the overlap with Ross. Up the beat Willie pulled ahead and positions remained the same until Keith Milroy came back strongly, just passing Tony on the line for second.

HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships at Largo Bay - photo © Calum Gibb

The wind had increased for the second race and was now a good force 4. At the start it was Willie Todd at the leeward end, Tony King in the middle and Ross Watson at the committee boat who made the best starts but as the beat progressed Keith came through to lead at the windward mark followed by Willie. Then near the second windward mark Willie capsized whilst lying second, starting a trend for the rest of the day. This left Tony second with local sailors Kevan Gibb and Nigel Orkney enjoying the tough conditions to come next.

For the third race the sea breeze had risen even more and was up to 25 knots giving exhilarating conditions down the first reach. Upwind was a lot harder, especially on port tack as we were sailing directly into the waves. You had to choose your moment to tack carefully! At the first mark it was the familiar trio of Keith followed by Willie and Tony as the fleet started down the reach. This was truly epic now with great conditions in the wind and waves as the boats raced alongside each other.

Ross surfed through Willie and Tony to leeward only to succumb to the curse of second place and capsized at the gybe mark dropping him to the back. Tony did the same thing later in the race and at the last mark Kevan followed by capsizing again whist lying second. At the finish Keith had a good lead followed by Tony. Ross had moved through the fleet as others capsized ahead of him and came third, just ahead of Malcolm.

With the tide high conditions on the beach were bouncy and the club members helped haul the boats out. Once ashore everyone was full of stories about the wonderful conditions - everyone had a huge grin. After a welcome meal at the Upper Largo Hotel most retired early.

The following morning the breeze looked about F3 and from the east. There was however no sun today. In the changing room the atmosphere was silent. Someone suggested it was because we were all serious focussed athletes. I knew better. We were all knackered and contemplating three more tough races. Once at the beach there was no rush to launch early.

The course was the same as the previous day but the legs were a bit longer and the first race was only two laps. The wind was consistently F4 and sometimes more. The tape I had wound round the blisters on my fingers lasted one round. The first reach was again awesome, with the leading six boats overlapped two thirds of the way down to the gybe mark as they all surfed down the waves in one race. Ross had come up on the inside but Keith just got round ahead of him.

HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships at Largo Bay - photo © Calum Gibb

Keith won the first race ahead of Kevan with Ross hanging on to third ahead of Malcolm. Kenny Manderson had been showing some real speed upwind and was lying second when he too went for a swim. In the next race Kevan led from the start and was looking good for the win until his mainsheet unravelled up the second beat. Keith and Ross were only two lengths apart down the run which was providing almost as much surfing as the first reach but Keith stayed ahead and gained more up the beat. Tony King was again consistent and came third.

The result of this race meant that Keith was the clear winner of the weekend before the start of the last race. For the final race the marks were moved to shorten the course and surely a relief for tired legs. Once again the fleet flew down the first reach. Ross missed the gybe and broached but stayed upright albeit almost stopped. Robert Taylor went for the gybe but broached and capsized above him and his mast swept across Ross' deck and under him on the side deck.

Once ashore Robert could not understand why his flagstaff was bent until Ross showed him the rip in the seat of his wetsuit! At the front Kevan made no mistake this time and led from start to finish. Tony and Willie had a good race with Willie coming out on top. Legs were definitely getting tired in the final race and everyone expected three rounds but no, there was another lap to complete. At least it was a short sail back to the shore and a welcome pie and beans.

For the Saturday Travellers series Keith Milroy was the winner with Tony King second and Ross Watson third.

Keith was the clear winner of the HD Sails Scottish Solo Championship counting four first places and a second. Tony King was a consistent second with Ross Watson third. The prize for the mid-fleet boat was given to Hamish Whyte who was one of the few boats to complete every race.

After a wonderful weekend sailing amongst the waves at Largo Bay the Scottish Solo certainly got their money's worth from the £25 entry fee. The hospitality was great and we were all made very welcome. In two weeks the fleet head for the next HD Sails travellers event at Loch Tummel where it will be a lot calmer and the wind a lot more shifty.

HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships at Largo Bay - photo © Megan Campbell

Overall Results:

HD Sails Scottish Solo Championships at Largo Bay - photo © Donald Aitken