Harken One Design Regatta at Largs Sailing Club

Close Racing in the D-Zero Fleet at the Harken One Design Regatta at Largs Sailing Club © Zoe Linton

Slipping up the inside, Robbie Burns and Viki Simpson in RS 200 1632 at the Harken One Design Regatta at Largs Sailing Club © Zoe Linton

On the weekend of 20th & 21st of May Largs Sailing Club hosted their fifth One Design Regatta for D-Zeros, Musto Skiffs, RS200s, RS400s, ILCA6's and 7s which was yet again sponsored by HARKEN. This is a very popular event that grew out of a well supported D-Zero Scottish open which started in 2016.

The event attracted nearly 60 boats from all over Scotland and the North of England with the strongest classes being the D-Zeros and RS200s at 14 boats each. With all the fleets having very active class reps there will be class by class reports popping up, so this report covers the whole event.

Unfortunately having enjoyed some pretty epic strong wind events in recent years this weekend was set to be one for the featherweights and light wind flyers. Forecasts were generally showing just a few knots and looking out from the comfort of the Largs clubhouse there was little evidence of even that occurring. Rob Brown, the weekends RO, held crews ashore for an hour or so and then whilst folk were relaxing, drinking coffee and chatting in the dinghy park and looking at a Largs Channel that resembled a mirror rather than a championship sailing venue Rob made the call to launch... Nuts?... No!... A genius, well informed move that saw crews launching into a pleasant 4/5 kts that maybe increased to 7kts occasionally.

The race team headed by Rob and ARO Anne Roy with the marks layers ably led by Alistair Leicester rapidly laid a quad course for D-Zeros et al and a W/L for Mustos, 400s & 200s and racing started promptly. The D-Zeros were first away and set the tone for tight starts and really close racing. Winds were shifty and weed caught out the unwary but, as ever, the good guys found their way to the front. A late shift saw the Mustos and RS's having to wait for the course to be shifted to west but the D-Zeros, first to start each time, had been a tight fleet and well-behaved and managed to get three races in without delay. This meant they got ashore, to the showers and the beer before the other 40+ boats fought it out in very lights winds for their last race.

Rob did well to get three races in for every fleet and the day's racing closed with the leaders as:

• D-Zeros - John Bassett (LSC) - 6pts, Ian Baillie (DBSC) - 12pts, Simon Limb (LSC) 14pts
• ILCA7 - Gavin McGill (LSC) - 4pts, Pete Malcolm (LBSC) 5ptd - Gabrielle Dado (LSC) 9pts
• ILCA6 - Alexander Cogan Sivarjan (CCC) 6pts - Cameron McDaid (LSC) 7pts - Ian Fitzgerald (DBSC) 8pts
• Musto Skiff - Euan Hurter (PYC) 5pts - Ollie Bull (CSC) 8pts - Dylan Noble (UYC) 9pts
• RS200 - Robbie Burns/Viki Simpson (LSC) 6pts - Roo Purves/Rachel Scarfe (ELYC) 7pts - Fiona/Peter Rigg (ELYC) 10pts
• RS400 - Jamie Calder/Keith Bedborough (DBSC) 3pts

Sunday dawned to an overcast, warm and very still day and the channel was pure glass! A postponement flag was hoisted soon after and whilst some boats were uncovered and some bimbles were being carried out, most the crews felt the cancellation of racing was inevitable. At around lunchtime N over A was hoisted... no more racing... racing abandoned or in RS200 racing was given the Boot! So the results from Saturday stood and a grand array of prizes were awarded by Neil Gould, Rear Commodore of Largs Sailing Club.

Prize winners in the Harken One Design Regatta at Largs Sailing Club - photo © Colin MacDonald

Thanks go to:

• HARKEN UK for their primary event sponsorship and a generous supply of £25.00 vouchers, Tee Shirts, Beanies and Visors
• Stewart Brewing for lubricating the RS and Musto Fleets
• D-Zero Sailing UK for additional class prizes in the D-Zero Fleet
• The whole team at Largs SC, the committee, the volunteers, the bar team, the caterers and the race team for organising a great event

The D-Zero Clan during the Harken One Design Regatta at Largs Sailing Club - photo © Colin MacDonald

Overall Results: