Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Championship 2026 at Aberdeen & Stonehaven Yacht Club
by Angus Marshall 4 Sep 16:56 BST
15-16 August 2026
Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Championship 2026 © Aberdeen & Stonehaven Yacht Club
This year Aberdeen and Stonehaven Yacht Club hosted the RS400 Scottish Tour Championship over the weekend of 15-16 August as part of their annual regatta. Five RS400s entered to decide who - for this year at least - is the champion of the Scottish Fleet.
Saturday dawned with a threat of light wind from the southeast, but mercifully little sea state. As race time came, the fleet enjoyed a surprisingly steady ~10kts. Race 1 got under way in a strong tide against the wind and a healthy measure of pin bias. Angus/Naomi were atypically early to the start, and alongside Matthew/Daniel were OCS with a fight against the tide to get back behind the line. Mark/Rachael + the Robertsons capitalised on the error to take a quick lead at mark 1, and proceeded to swap places on almost every leg before the Robertsons took the win.
In race 2 Angus/Naomi won the favoured pin end and by sticking left reached the top mark with their bow a few inches ahead of Mark/Rachael, but a tangle in kite lines meant politely surrendering the lead to the latter. Lap 2 proved eventful, with Angus/Naomi's tackline failing, and the Robertsons earning an undisclosed penalty turn allowing Mark/Rachael through to take the win.
With the fleet lightly refreshed and Gnasher carrying slightly less cargo, the breeze faltered for the last race of the day. Once again Team Robertson and Mark/Rachael fought tooth and nail at the front to lead, but an equally tight battle played out behind between locals Matthew/Daniel and newcomers Rhys/Stuart to take 4th. Matthew/Daniel sailed a defensive race to beat Rhys/Stuart across the line.
Some of the finest Stewart Brewing and ASYC's excellent BBQ kicked off the post-race analysis in the evening, but the real event of the night remains a mystery to all: Mark/Rachael remain tight-lipped about the karaoke competition at their accommodation, and no witnesses have been found to confirm or deny rumours they put another bullet on the scoreboard there...
Sunday's forecast was not promising, but a short postponement led to better breeze than expected, and a repeat of the course from the day before where the following tide offshore was the favoured upwind route. The 1st/2nd battle was back on between Team Robadobs and Mark/Rachael, but the Robertson's experience in the lighter air showed. Matthew/Daniel must have been training all night, as Angus/Naomi struggled to keep them behind despite having launched with an empty cargo hold.
In race 5 Team Robertson almost missed the start, handing the pin end and the left side to Mark/Rachael who dominated all the way to the finish. Once again Angus/Naomi fought to keep Matthew/Daniel behind just long enough for Rhys/Stuart to start threatening and get Matthew/Daniel looking astern instead of ahead.
With the wind shutting down, race 6 began with Matthew/Daniel trapped down-tide and OCS. Rhys/Stuart won the pin end and caught a zephyr on the left side, however Angus/Naomi managed to squeeze ahead to lead at the first mark. Then as the fleet rushed (at a sedate pace) to the easier tide inshore, Angus/Naomi kept out in the breeze and held the lead through to the finish, taking the prestigious final race win.
Congratulations go to Mark Powell and Rachael Scarfe for defending their Scottish Championship title for another year, Stewart and Sarah Robertson for taking second place, and to Rhys Gorman and Stuart Dallas for winning the endeavour trophy. The pintles of shame go to Angus Marshall, for failing to award them to anyone else over the course of the weekend. Many thanks go to Scottish Tour sponsors Stewart Brewing for their continued support, and to National Tour sponsors Rooster for providing prizes.
After an excursion south of the border for the medal trio to this year's RS400 nationals, the RS400 Scottish Tour will round out 2026 at Dalgety Bay Sailing Club 19-20 September. The Scottish demo boat will be available for anyone looking to try out the class, and we look forward to seeing everyone there!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 1370 | Mark Powell | Rachael Scarfe | Largs SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | 1463 | Stewart Robertson | Sarah Robertson | Royal Forth YC | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | 763 | Angus Marshall | Naomi Moran | Dalgety Bay | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | 1060 | Matthew Park | Daniel Clarkson | ASYC | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 5 | 879 | Rhys Gorman | Stuart Dallas | Port Edgar YC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 24 |