Scottish Oppie Traveller 5 at Clyde Cruising Club
by Alec Logan, IOCA Scotland 22 Jul 2009 09:04 BST
18-19 July 2009
The Scottish Optimist travellers race on Bardowie Loch © A Ireland
Bardowie Loch is a pretty Scottish pond, just north of Glasgow, home to the CCC Dinghy section. A bit like Frensham, a great venue for bringing on junior racing skills with tricky wind shifts. All they need now are committed one design racing fleets, junior to senior racing fleet development pathway, and support for their travelling sailors, juniors especially. CCC is lucky to have a sea-going RIB to support members on tour! Where are the keys, Chaps?
Another excellent entry with 20 Oppies turning up from all over Scotland, and including a tremendous entry of 12 in the Regatta fleet. For the first time this season we integrated a couple of plastic training Oppies into the fleet, scored with average lap times, and introducing the boat-less into keen racing. Fab!
Main Fleet. Saturday dominated by Tummel sailor Jamie Rising Star (compulsory epithet) Calder who won all three races. Pushed quite hard by Toward SC’s Alisdair Ireland, with CCC’s Rachel Mawer and Sophie Taylor, and Royal Gourock’s Jack Gillespie scrapping behind. On Sunday, more wind, NW 10-20 kts, with big gusts over flat water, great sailing! Jamie continued to dominate, though pushed hard at various points by Alisdair and Rachel, finishing in that order overall. Just.
And the Regatta Fleet? Difficult to describe without superlatives. 12 boats, second start Sunday morning, all bang on the line, a better start than the main fleet. Coached carefully throughout. Raw results were a Vennard Twin cake-walk, Sophie beating Hannah, just ahead of Hamish Taylor and Alistair Fox. (All CCC.) Behind the leaders tales of get-up-and-go! Ian Sword (Tummel) leading a race Day 1, mainsheet shackle failed. Day 2, won a race – the next Tummel Tiger? Fiona MacKay (Toward) sailed neatly again. Fowlers (LLSC) win prizes for perseverance. Harpers/Forbes (LLSC/CCC) sailed doggedly and well on debut. Christopher Crocket, in Race 6, suddenly became Christopher Concentrated, and was 6th.
Scottish Oppie Travellers reconvene late August and September at Aberdeen, Prestwick and Loch Tummel. English, Irish, and Welsh Oppies always welcome.
But now we get serious! Scottish and British and an International cast head for Largs first fortnight AUG, Scottish Champs. Then the IOCA UK Optimist National Championships, the biggest event in the UK calendar!
Full results and more information about Scottish Oppie Racing at www.scottish-optimists.org.uk