Scottish Student Team Racing League - Weekend 1

100% wins for Edinburgh Blue and Strathclyde Green

This weekend the first Scottish Team Racing League 1 took place on Bardowie Loch (this is the first of the Scottish 'qualifiers' for the BUCS Team Racing Championship 2017-18). 23 teams from across Scotland travelled to Glasgow to start the Scottish Team Racing calendar. Teams included Aberdeen, Dundee, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde, University of the Highlands and Islands and two 'dream' teams, consisting of sailors from universities such as Edinburgh Napier who don't have their own team, but are still able to compete.

The fun carried on away from the racing, with glitter ending up on more and more people as the day went on and many teams showing off matching hats, whether it would be Primark's finest bobble hat or a Christmas-styled snap-back.

On Friday night the teams arrived at their hosts flat eager and excited for the weekend ahead, with all that built up energy they headed off to Sanctuary to dance the night away.

Scottish Student Team Racing League weekend 1 at Bardowie Loch - photo © Sophie Wilbraham

Saturday morning came grey and icy, with the teams arriving ready, not so patiently, to get started. Due, however, to a lack of wind, it became a waiting game; shortly after 11.00 wind started to appear from the west, and it was all guns blazing as teams launched and the first race of SSS League 1 2017-18 went ahead. Early wins were taken from Aberdeen White and Dundee Black. Strathclyde Green came in strong at race 37 after a long wait ashore. The wind held somewhat steady allowing 48 races to be completed, until the wind dropped with the daylight. With the boats all packed up for the night, the teams donned their finest Blue Planet II fancy dress and headed out into the city.

Sunday started promptly with shifty and light winds, with racing moving steadily along. After a short lunch break, while the Loch was more of a mirror, the wind picked up again and races 61-112 could be completed in the dying light of the day.

Unable to complete the round robin, the results were based on win rate and points to give out prizes. Edinburgh Blue triumphed in the Blue fleet achieving 100% wins with only 1,2,3s. In the Yellow fleet, it was the highly experienced Strathclyde Green team who all awkwardly sailed round the wrong mark and yet miraculously still reached the correct one in a 1,2,3, keeping their 100% win rate.

Scottish Student Team Racing League weekend 1 at Bardowie Loch - photo © Sophie Wilbraham

Thanks must to Glasgow University Sailing Club and Lindsay McCosh for organizing and hosting the event, to Robyn Fitzgerald for her brilliant PRO'ing and constant cheerful nature even in the lack of wind, to Mirjam Timmerman for all the reminders and updates about entries and medical forms to Peter Collings for the results.

Thanks to Niall McLeod the newly awarded International Judge for being Chief Umpire and overseeing the other umpires, Emily Robertson, Carol and Jon Haines, as well as the Assistant Umpires Lindsay McCosh, Mark Taylor, Scott Graham and Martin Nicholl and to Ciaran McMonagle to shuffling and reminding teams out to the racecourse.

To all the helpers in the kitchen making bacon butties and pasta, to the start and finish boat that managed to avoid frostbite even staying out all day, the RIB drivers ferrying the sailors out to the pontoon who made the event such a smooth operation, we are very grateful..

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Results based on percentage wins after first weekend:

Scottish Student Team Racing League weekend 1 at Bardowie Loch - photo © Sophie Wilbraham