JP Watersports RS200 Scotland Tour part 5 at Loch Tummel Sailing Club
by Roger Carter 20 Sep 2019 09:21 UTC
Downwind action from day 2 - JP Watersports RS200 Scotland Tour part 5 at Loch Tummel © Graham Logan
After much anticipation a strong fleet of fifteen RS200s descended on the stunning and somewhat remote location of Loch Tummel Sailing Club, some even arriving early to grab the best camping spots and get in good night's sleep in preparation.
Saturday dawned dry, shifty and gusty. There was good show from the local fleet along with regular travellers and some new arrivals. With the luxury of a dedicated race committee purely for the 200s, there was zero messing around and racing got under way bang on time.
The first race gave an indication of what was to be expected from a tricky day; ninja gusts, upside down shifts, and black holes all over the racecourse. This made for some very competitive racing with numerous place changes and the odd swim here and there. In the first race it was John & Laura just pipping Roger & Rachael at the final hurdle.
The snakes and ladders theme continued into the second and third race with one shift gaining you three boats, but the wrong choice of gate mark losing you another four. I'm sure everyone felt like the wind gods were against them at some point but after a third in the first race it was Brendan & Fresher Ellen who managed to complete the day with the other two bullets. John & Laura finished the day hot on the heels of Brendan & Ellen.
With Roger & Rachael fending off attacks from Andy & Scott largely due to an over keen OCS in the final race of the day (potentially due to the lack of a timekeeping device).
The legendary Tummel hospitality did not disappoint on the Saturday night with a fantastic three course meal, vats of curry and copious amounts of spiced onions. No one goes hungry at Tummel.
The evening consisted of a multitude of well-fuelled games led by ringleader Ali; physics lessons from fleet leader Brendan; and the answer to the age-old question, does a person, watermelon, or cucumber contain a higher proportion of water? Sadly none of which managed to sabotage the top pairing into going any slower the next day.
Sunday started breezy. After the waves started breaking over the committee boat (on a loch!?), it was decided there would be short delay to drink more coffee and wait for things to calm down. Thankfully the breeze settled to a more consistent state than the day before, still with nice chunky gusts here and there to catch you off guard as they appeared off the mountainside.
The increased breeze saw old guard Martin with new crew Stephen start to climb up the leader board into fourth and pull ahead of Peter & Ali. Despite their best efforts, John & Laura were unable to knock enough points off Brendan & Ellen, who finished the event a well-deserved two points clear. Roger & Rachael were in third .
All in all it was an excellent, slick and hugely hospitable event. One to which the RS200s will no doubt return. A massive thanks must go to Loch Tummel Sailing Club for their welcome and for the smooth racing with zero faff. And a final thanks to class rep Peter for rallying the troops and negotiating the fleet's supply of Stewart Brewing beers.
Overall Results:
Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
1 | 806 | Brendan Lynch | Ellen Clarke | ELYC | ‑3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
2 | 1642 | John Ilson | Laura Glover | ELYC | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑6 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
3 | 1088 | Roger Carter | Rachael Cooke | RYA | 2 | 3 | ‑4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
4 | 930 | Martin Faulkner | Stephen Harrison | Largs SC | 9 | ‑10 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 26 |
5 | 1120 | Peter Collings | Ali Morrish | Castle Semple SC | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | ‑9 | 5 | 26 |
6 | 951 | Daniel Smith | Rebecca Jeffery | Largs SC/EDYC | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ‑10 | 7 | 35 |
7 | 1671 | Douglas Hamilton | Kirsty Hamilton | Loch Tummel SC | 7 | ‑11 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 38 |
8 | 691 | Andy McKeown | Scott McWhirter | Loch Earn SC | 4 | 4 | ‑17 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 40 |
9 | 352 | Ben Moverly Smith | Tara Coldwell Brock | Portobello YC | 10 | 9 | 9 | ‑17 | 12 | 8 | 48 |
10 | 223 | Cameron McCosh | Ciaran McMonagle | Caste Semple SC | ‑11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 49 |
11 | 783 | David Sword | Matt Morson | Loch Tummel SC | 8 | 5 | 5 | ‑17 | 17 | 17 | 52 |
12 | 444 | Colin Scott | Nick Scott | Loch Tummel SC | ‑17 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 56 |
13 | 643 | Justin Venton | Zoe Venton | Loch Tummel SC | 14 | 13 | ‑17 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 61 |
14 | 998 | Alistair Colliar | Joe Roach | ASYC | 13 | ‑17 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 62 |
15 | 783 | Matt Morson | Angie Sword | Port Edgar YC | ‑17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 64 |
16 | 320 | Angie Sword | Heather Sword | Loch Tummel SC | 12 | ‑17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 80 |