HD Sails Scottish Solo Travellers at Royal Tay Yacht Club

Stuart Gibson and Ross Watson with their bottles of wine at the Scottish Solo Travellers at Royal Tay prize giving © Charlie Brecknell

The Scottish Solo fleet travelled to Royal Tay Yacht Club for the next round of the series and were met with a bright sunny day and a steady force 2-3 breeze blowing from the west. Five visiting boats joined the four sailors from the home club some who were guest helms using the Scottish Demo boat and loaned boats and sailing a solo for the first time.

Commodore Sandy Bremner welcomed us to the club before handing over to PRO Scott Graham who briefed us on his intended 2 lap windward leeward courses and three back-to-back races.

Race one with a flooding tide the fleet were held back from the line. Kevan Gibb took the pin end and led the fleet towards the stony shore line. Apparently, I was reliably in formed by a local sailor, the technique when sailing at royal Tay is to go in till you just touch, and tack! The noise of centreboards hitting the bottom could be heard clearly from the following pack enough to make those following closely to tack before they too found the bottom.

Up the first beat Kevan and Stuart Gibson were in a tight tacking dual for first and second while Ross Watson and Charlie Brecknell were having the same for third and fourth places. These four pulled away slightly from the rest of the fleet and although places changed continuously up the beats, the final outcome saw Stuart cross the line just ahead of Kevan. Ross just having a speed advantage on the downwind run to the line over Charlie to take third.

Behind Bruce Birrell found the riding end of the committee boat with the end of his boom as he bore away after the finish which resulted in him taking an unexpected swim and with the boat turtling the tide swept him back up towards the club. Once upright he had to beat back up against the tide just making it in time for the start of the second race.

Race 2 was a repeat of race one, fleet going from the pin end towards the shore once again Stuart and Kevin and Charlie and Ross both battling it out against each other for the top places as the race went on the wind strengthened meaning most folk where able power up and get feet under toe straps. Once again the front four pulled away a little from the pack with the same results at the end of the two lap race.

As we crossed the finish line at the end of race two we were informed race three would be three laps the tide slackening slightly as it rose further up the shoreline.

Stuart once again made a good start this time with Ross as his closest rival with Kevan and Charlie covering each other further back.

Stuart and Ross pulled clear downwind and at the end of the second lap Kev called to Charlie he was going in as he had Granddad duties to get to as was already pushing his luck starting a third race. At the finish Stuart was a clear winner from Ross in second with Charlie third.

At the prize-giving Stuart thanked the club for their hospitality and race management and all agreed the racing had been very tight and a lot of fun. The top three went home with HD Sails sponsors of the series caps and a bottle of wine.

Next event in the series is in two weeks time at Loch Lomond.

Overall Results: