707 fleet at the June Forth Regatta at Port Edgar Yacht Club

707 sailing in the June Forth Regatta © 707 Class Association

Ten 707s turned out for the June Forth Regatta - a new event for this season hosted by Port Edgar YC. A mixture of local boats and travelling crews contested some incredibly close one design racing, with variable conditions keeping the racing close and tactical. Despite some challenging conditions all seven scheduled races were completed over the weekend.

Racing got under way on Saturday as planned, in some light and shifty conditions. More T Vicar took the gun in race 1, having got away from the line and extended just as the breeze died. Racing Demon and Jetstream did well to keep their momentum through the light stuff to take second and third.

After the first of many wind shifts of the day, the course was re-laid and More T Vicar triumphed again in race 2, closely followed by family boat Pocket Battleship in an impressive second place.

Fresh wind and rain arrived from yet another direction, meaning another course change before race 3 could get under way. Partial Pleasure took their first bullet of the regatta, followed by Rammie and More T.

The final race of the day was also taken by Partial Pleasure from More T Vicar, with Jetstream claiming third to cap off a super consistent day. The overnight standing were More T Vicar leading, Jetstream second, and Rammie in third.

Huge credit and thanks must go to the race committee and mark layers for achieving the four scheduled races in such challenging conditions which saw a near 720 degree wind swing throughout the day. The mark layers in particular went above and beyond what would normally be expected of them, continuously relaying the course in order to get racing going again. All the volunteers from Port Edgar YC do a fantastic job for all the 707 events they host, and the class are very grateful for their efforts.

Sunday saw near perfect conditions with a steady 10 - 15 knot breeze. Race 5 started with Pocket Battleship pulling off a textbook start to shut the door on everyone at the committee boat end. The aftermath saw many of the contenders stuck in a four boat raft - Partial Pleasure, More T Vicar, Racing Demon, and Rammie. Jetstream took full advantage of the chaos to take the bullet, with a second place the reward for Pocket Battleship's fine start. The final two races of the day were won by Partial Pleasure, who were pushed hard by Racing Demon who put in a fine performance on the Sunday.

Coming off the water on Sunday it was too close to call and no one was sure who had won - always a sign of a closely fought regatta! In the end, despite some inconstant results, four race wins were enough for Partial Pleasure take the overall win. Jetstream were rewarded for a remarkably consistent weekend with a second, whilst a strong performance on Saturday helped More T Vicar cling to third.

Thanks again to the race committee and all the volunteers from Port Edgar YC for putting on another great event. Next up for the 707 class is the Hartlepool Marina Nationals at Tees and Hartlepool YC from 27 - 30th June.

707 sailing in the June Forth Regatta - photo © 707 Class Association

Overall Results: