Helensburgh Sailing Club August Regatta

Racing during the Helensburgh annual August regatta © Mark Homer

Racing during the Helensburgh annual August regatta © Mark Homer

Helensburgh Sailing Club held its annual August regatta over the weekend with a twist or two! The club relished the opportunity to show off their new, near out the wrappers, clubhouse with under floor heating in the changing rooms to warm the battle worn sailors.

Secondly the wind gods shone upon the regatta and some, with gusts topping out at over 30 knots on both days to provide extremely testing conditions throughout for the whole fleet. On the Saturday ferocious 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 got 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 Mc Intosh 3rd. 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 3 Scottish championships.

The 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 uncontestable to take 5 decisive wins to give him the Scottish Championship making it look easy. Craig Hepplewhite and Colin Greer hung in to beat all the other low flying skiffs in their Laser 4000 to take 2nd overall and the Laser 4000 Scottish Championship. 3rd overall was Mark Haine heading the usually dominant Musto Skiff division for 3rd. Locals Alistair Manderson and Alistair Homer were rewarded for their perseverance to take 2nd in the Laser 4000 Scottish and 6th overall.

The next largest fleet were the Laser Radials, with local boy Moray Clark revelling in the conditions with 5 firsts, Alistair Smith 2nd and Ross Carmichael 3rd.

The Tasar fleet also contested their Scottish Championship with keen racing amongst the leading three. Pete Ellis and crew coming 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 3rd.

The Laser fleet was led by the evergreen Pete Malcolm from Aberdeen with a full set of wins, Sam Hall was 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, whilst the fleet of 11 Sonatas fiercley battled it out with extremely close racing through out the whole fleet to complete the full series of 6 races.

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

The Sonata's 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 6 races the first and last boats were rarely separated by more than 4 minutes.