Supernova Scottish National Championship 2026 at St Mary's Loch Sailing Club

Day 1- the calm before the storm - Supernova Scottish Nationals at St Mary's Loch © SMLSC

A weekend of frost, firepower and full-on survival sailing

St Mary's Loch, set in the beautiful Scottish Borders, provided a stunning backdrop for the first ever Scottish Supernova Nationals. A fleet of 30 boats gathered for this historic event, with sailors travelling from as far afield as the Isle of Man, the south of England and, of course, across Scotland.

Those arriving on Friday evening were greeted by a hard frost and a mirror-flat loch, so the question on everyone's lips all week was: would the wind arrive?

The answer was a definite yes... but not right away.

On Saturday, the fleet ghosted their way down to the far end of the loch for the opening race, which was sailed in a gentle, swinging Force 1. Anything could happen and everyone had a chance to get near the front. In the end, Corin Bamford (Bolton) took advantage of a nice port lift to win the race.

By race 2, the breeze had begun to build, and Gavin Young (Cotswold) began to show the form that would define his weekend, stamping his authority on the fleet. As the temperature decreased, the wind increased, and race 3 arrived with a punchy Force 3-4. The youngest competitor, 14-year-old Orlagh MacDonald (Castle Semple), found herself having 'life choice' moments in the full rig while engaged in a close battle with the other ladies of the fleet.

By race 4, some clarity was starting to emerge as the leaders locked into wind bends and gusts, with Gavin still dominating and Alex Reeve (Burghfield) and Mike Critchley (Bolton) duking it out behind him.

The sail home was a marathon, the full length of the lake against a rising breeze. A fleet of very cold sailors were glad to return to the hot showers and hospitality of the club. A hog roast and drinks carried the evening late into the night.

On Sunday, survival-mode was engaged. The wind was now a switchy, aggressive Force 5-6 rolling between and over the hills, accompanied by periods of driving rain, and some of the fleet opted to stay back in the dry. Race Officer Gerry Goodfellow set a starboard-rounding course that produced some wild downwind legs. The fleet scattered, regrouped, capsized, and capsized again as the gusts tore down the loch.

At the front, the pattern was set, with Gavin proving unbeatable and Alex and Mike neck and neck behind him, punctuating their battles with an occasional capsize. Phil Alderson (Largs), who was experiencing the Supernova for the first time and is more often seen in a Cherub with a crew to blame, was emerging to lead the chasing pack, or what was left of it. Despite the carnage, four races were completed in true survival conditions.

The beat home was a 45-minute endurance test, and it was an exhausted but very satisfied fleet who arrived back at the clubhouse.

Throughout it all, Gavin Young delivered a masterclass, showing the other sailors exactly how it was done and sealing a dominant performance across the championship with seven wins from eight races.

A huge thanks to St Mary's Loch Sailing Club for hosting a faultless first Scottish Nationals, to Hartley Boats for their support and the donation of a new sail for the raffle, and to the Supernova Class Association for helping make the event possible.

The Supernova fleet is growing quickly in Scotland, and anyone interested in trying a boat or finding out more is warmly encouraged to get in touch with the Class Association.

Overall Results:

Top Scottish Boat: Phil Alderson
Top female and youngest competitor: Orlagh MacDonald