Helensburgh Sailing Club August Regatta

Published 21 Aug 2009 10:47

HELENSBURGH Sailing Club held its annual August Regatta over the weekend with competitors at the event having to battle against ferocious gales.

While the club relished the opportunity to show off their new clubhouse, fierce winds topping at over 30 knots on both days provided extremely testing conditions throughout for the whole fleet.

On the Saturday the winds, coupled with a heavy chop, decimated the dinghy fleets with only one race being completed by most classes.

Sunday's racing was no less fierce but courses were drawn up into relatively more sheltered waters to help. However, launching proved a battle hard to beat for many although they tried, for those that came to the course 3/4 races were held in the 'fruity' conditions.

Racing was held in three different race groups with their own individual race courses. Nearest the club sailed the Junior and slow handicap classes, The Topper class being the largest, young Alistair Gray having just finished the Optimist Nationals with an amazing 14th overall led larger peers to win ahead of Sarah Jeffrey a very close second and Alan McIntosh third all the youngsters in this class deserved a medal for their perseverance in the fierce conditions.

The Feva class sailing its first regatta at HSC was won by Kellie Carmichael and crew ahead of Scott Robertson and crew.

The slow handicap division was won by Philip Hugson and crew in their Laser II ahead of Dave Normington fully clothed in his Streaker.

The mid-course hosted the faster dinghy fleets who amongst them competed for three Scottish championships.

Largest and most spectacular class was the Scottish Skiff Fleet with the high performance low flying boats performing impressive wipeouts and exhilarating bursts of speed. Paul Highett high flying his foiling moth sped around virtually untouchable to take five decisive wins and give him the Scottish Championship making it look easy.

Craig Hepplewhite and Colin Greer hung into beat all the other low flying skiffs in their Laser 4000 and take second overall and Laser 4000 Scottish Championship.

In third was Mark Haine heading the usually dominant musto skiff division while locals Alistair Manderson and Alistair Homer were rewarded for their perseverance to take runners-up spot in the Laser 4000 Scottish and sixth overall.

Next Largest fleet was the Laser radials with local boy Moray Clark revelling in the conditions with five firsts, Alistair Smith Second and Ross Carmichael third.

The Tasar fleet also contested their Scottish Championship with keen racing in the leading three.

Pete Ellis and crew came out top, Jim Sinclair and crew second, with locals Graeme Busby and Duncan Bond third.

Fast Handicap was won by Merv Wright in his Blaze ahead of Sam Thompson with Ally Davies RS200, Alistair Milton heroically battled on in his disintegrating Contender to be rewarded with third.

The Laser fleet was led by the evergreen Pete Malcolm from Aberdeen with a full set of wins and Sam Hall in second.

The Third course hosted the keelboats in undeniably the most extreme conditions with an exaggerated huge chop coupled with relentless squalls tossing the boats as if in a washing machine, these conditions proved too much for the Sonars who settled for just the one race on the Saturday.

Meanwhile the fleet of 11 Sonatas fiercely battled it out with extremely close racing throughout the whole fleet to complete the full series of six races.

The sole Sonar race was won by Griogair Whyte after early leader Colin Burnet dipped his mast twice and Hugh Normand took second.

The Sonatas close racing, impeccable starts and grim determination where most impressive. Visitor Blue Tack, Dave Boatman and sons sailed a near flawless series to add the Scottish Champion to their UK National Championship however it was no walk in the park. Ross Flatman with family and friend relentlessly snapped at their heels to take second overall sailing Fiddlesticks.

They also pounced for a race win when Blue Tack showed the futility of kite surfing with a Sonata.

Venerable veteran Peter Booth and crew sailing Firebird took a well deserved third. In all six races first and last boats were rarely separated by more than four minutes.

Local sailor Moray Clark of Helensburgh came out on top in the Laser Radial Class. Here's Moray leading the start in the race

The Blue Tack crew proved to be the outstanding performer of the day as they were the Winners of the Sonata Class and Scottish Championships

Peter Malcolm travelled from Aberdeen to compete in the competition. He was the Winner in the Laser Class

The Winner of the Skiff class - Paul Highet sailing a foiling International Moth

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