Please select your home edition
Edition
Sunstorm Marine - Winch Handle Bag

HD Sails Scottish Solo Travellers at Loch Tummel Sailing Club

by Ross Watson 20 Sep 2022 20:51 BST 17 September 2022
HD Sails Scottish Solo Travellers at Loch Tummel © Graham Logan

As the class has done many times in the past the Scottish Solo fleet travelled to Loch Tummel SC as part of the HD Sails Travellers Series. All week the airstream had been from the North which is definitely not a direction anyone would want at Loch Tummel as the wind comes straight over the hills.

As it turned out we were lucky to get a westerly breeze blowing right down the loch. The wind varied in strength but was mostly F 2-3 shifting about 20 degrees either side of the mean direction so plenty of opportunities to work the shifts. It was not very warm!

Chatting to race officer Colin Scott when I arrived he was keen to get as many short races completed on Saturday and with four classes to start was aiming for the same number of races. At the briefing there was a discussion about whether the classes wanted windward leeward courses of triangles. In the Solo fleet there was no clear consensus so we had a mixture.

Loch Tummel SC are lucky to have some very long standing members who are involved in every event the club runs. As well as Colin and Douglas on the committee boat there were Nicky, Denise and Di in the galley with Graham and Neil in the rescue boats.

The Solos were third start meaning we could watch the lowrider Moths and the Lasers go ahead of us and have a good look at the line bias. As it turned out the committee boat end was favoured most of the time.

In the first race it was Stuart Gibson who was the early leader followed by Ross Watson although this pair were soon caught. Down the first run David Sword sailed past your scribe who realised why David had been so keen on a windward leeward course. By the finish, after two laps, it was Keith Milroy in front followed by Malcolm Worsley and Stuart Gibson.

The second race started quickly and this was led throughout by Stuart Gibson. With Keith second and Malcolm third. The start and finish lines were set either side of the committee boat meaning a slight detour on the downwind leg to avoid sailing through them. In the first race everyone went outside the starting line on this leg but in race 2 Ross went down the other side and picked up a place. Others tried it on different rounds but it did not always pay.

For race 3 we had a triangle course with the gybe mark set close to the club but there was not enough wind to give the spectators any excitement. Keith Milroy was the winner with Malcolm getting another second and Ross third.

For the last race we had another windward leeward course. The wind had shifted slightly to the south at the start but a port tack start by Ross did not quite come off. At the first windward mark Stuart realised he could not lay it and Keith was right behind. Despite a valiant effort to luff and scull his way past it he drifted onto the mark and, as it turned out later, did Keith.

Malcolm and Keith had a very close race with plenty of luffing and gybing down the run with Keith coming out ahead.

On the same leg Stuart on port decided to cross Ross on starboard to get to the inside, only to discover too late that the boats were overlapped! There was some interesting manoeuvrers by both boats to avoid a collision. Donald Aitken from Largo Bay in his first travellers event had his best result with second in this race.

Once ashore and after some welcome refreshment it was time for the prize-giving. The overall results of the HD Sails Scottish Solo travellers were Keith Milroy being the winner followed by Malcolm Worsley and Stuart Gibson. The next, and final event of the series, is at Loch Ard on October 9th so hopefully we will have a good turnout.

Overall Results:

PositionSail NoName ClubR1R2R3R4Points
15602Keith MilroySt Marys Loch SC121RTD4
24502Malcolm WorsleyRoyal Tay YC23215
35948Stuart GibsonCCC314RTD8
45841Ross WatsonEast Lothian YC453310
54850Donald AitkenLargo Bay SC776215
6561Bruce BirrellLargo Bay SC665415
75486David SwordCCC547DNC16
85447Richard PatrickLoch Tummel SCRTDDNCDNCDNC27

Related Articles

Salcombe YC Spring Series race 4
Owning a Merlin, Solo and Salcombe Yawl is known locally as The Golden Triumvirate Teams were confronted with a briskly flooding tide and a solid but gusty 15 knot breeze on this fine day. Much like handicap racing across the UK, Salcombe relies on trusty club stalwarts for weekly handicap attendance. Posted on 31 Mar
Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club Tipsy Icicle Series
150 sailors competed across 11 weekends Despite severely adverse weather conditions, the Tipsy Icicle Series once again provided great dinghy racing for NW dinghy sailors. 150 sailors competed across 11 weekends in gentle breezes, strong gusty winds, ice and floods. Posted on 24 Mar
Salcombe YC Spring Series race 2
A brisk 10-15 knot north-easterly, paired with plenty of blue sky and sunshine A brisk 10-15 knot north-easterly, paired with plenty of blue sky and sunshine, set the stage for Race 2 of the Spring Series. Launching once again at low tide turned into a muddy affair. Posted on 17 Mar
Solo Winter Championship at Rutland Water
Near perfect conditions for the fleet The Solo fleet returned to lovely Rutland Water for the first time in a few years and were delighted to find near perfect conditions for our Winter championship and first North Sails Super Series event of 2025. Posted on 15 Mar
Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series Race 1
Between 0-15 mph depending on where you were in the estuary at any particular time The 2025 SYC Spring Series got under way at Salcombe with grey skies and a North Easterly breeze of between 0-15 mph depending on where you were in the estuary at any particular time. Posted on 9 Mar
Whitstable Yacht 2025 season preview
Including hosting national championships for Tasars and Wanderers Whitstable Yacht Club is looking forward to the new 2025 season with a schedule that includes national championships for Tasars and Wanderers, the Solo Spring Championships, the return of the SE Toppers together with a full programme of 107 club races. Posted on 6 Mar
Solo class prepare for Dinghy Show this weekend
See one of the most tricked out Solos for many years The National Solo class is super excited to welcome visitors to our stand (number 350, opposite the interactive area) at this weekends RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. Posted on 18 Feb
Solo class Traveller Series dates announced
After 2025 success with 143 sailors taking part The 2024 Solo Southern Area Series comprised ten events with 143 sailors taking part in at least one of them. Papercourt SC hosted the last event of the series where we had the prize-giving for the 2024 Southern Area winners. Posted on 22 Jan
Solo class in the Hayling Island SC Winter Series
High winds reduce the series to four races Hayling Island's close of season events runs from Early November until mid December with one race each Sunday. The fleets are separated by 5 starting groups with the Solo class as usual having their own start each weekend. Posted on 16 Dec 2024
Solo Season 2024
And the release of SoloInteractive 21 Here we are near the very end of another Solo season, a new Nation's Cup and National Champion and the first Dutchman since Mark Tigchelaar won at Medemblik in 1990. Posted on 24 Nov 2024