Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Tour 2024 Summary

Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Championship at Dalgety Bay © Ian Baillie

2024 has drawn to a close for the RS400 Scottish Tour after a season of some variety. 11 boats, representing 7 clubs, partook across 7 events. Of those boats there were plenty of the well-known regulars, and a few fresh new faces come to challenge the old guard. Scotland delivered its hallmark mixed bag of conditions, with some champagne days on the water where least expected, and glassy calm cutting some weekends short.

Loch Earn kicked things off with a mix of training, racing, and shock results as newcomers Lorne Brockbank and Ben Barron, experienced loch sailors, gazumped the regular fleet to a weekend win.

Stewart Brewing RS 400 Scottish Tour Event 2 at the Largs Sailing Club Harken One Design Regatta - photo © Glenn Andrews

Next up was May's Largs One Design weekend - where the fickle conditions rewarded the patient with a late breeze and good sailing; and opening the door for Team Marshall to take home the prizes.

East Lothian produced the best weather of the decade in June, and it was the Great Gonzo who rode a fresh force 4-5 to victory over a hot sunny weekend.

Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Tour Round 3 at the East Lothian YC Regatta - photo © Steve Fraser

Largo Bay was the mid-season venue for the Scottish RS400 match race event, where the House of McLellan put a bullet on the scoreboard against the House of Marshall on surprise triangle courses.

Oban was this year's wildcard event in July and was a real treat with tight, Salcombe-esque racing up the sound of Kerrera to round the top mark in the lee of a square-rigger tall ship, and evening beer and curry watching the Clipper Race boats arrive in harbour. Local yotting practice paid off, as the yellow peril took home the win.

Loch Lomond was added to the schedule late in the season, but a catastrophic lack of wind put an end to hopes of achieving a full series after Jamie Rogers and Neil McLaren of the Great Gonzo had dodged the international moths to get a 400 fleet win on the scoresheet.

Dalgety Bay closed the season in September and the Silver Fox, who thought he'd hung up his rabble-rousing gloves years ago, set whatsapp alight in his mission to amass the biggest fleet of the year for a bumper weekend. Mission accomplished, and he led all his invitees through shifting winds and tides all weekend before crossing the finish line only just ahead of his helm Neil McLellan for them to win the Scottish RS400 Championship.

In the series congratulations go to Jamie Rogers and Neil McLaren, who played a strong consistency game and just pipped the Marshalls to win the 2024 season. Stewart and Sarah Robertson came in third for the series, after some stellar performances through the summer and flying the Scottish flag on the national tour.

Many thanks to all the hosting clubs for 2024, who snatched seven great weekends racing from the jaws of many a poor forecast. Wholehearted thanks also go to Stewart Brewing for another season of their continued support for the Scottish RS400 fleet, amongst their wider support for Scottish sailing. Planning is well under way for the 2025 season, and we can't wait to see everyone on the water again for another summer of close racing in Scotland's most prestigious double-handed asymmetric racing dinghy fleet.

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