There was something for all 90 competitors in the Jura Scottish Series regatta just ended in Loch Fyne – variety of courses, weather, scenery, excellent racing and of course entertainment. SS24 delivered a full race schedule for all classes with the help of the deployment of Robotic Marks. Loch Fyne is up to 150m deep, and it is difficult to lay traditional marks.
Some of the prizes weren’t won until the last day. That was particularly so in IRC 1, where Ben Shelley’s J109 Mocking J from Fairlie won overall, having tied on 14 points with Jacob VII, the Corby 33 from CCC (John Stamp). Third was Robin Young’s J109 Jings, which was the order at the top of the RC 35 Championship.
Alan Ovington in the Half Tonner HeadHunter (RGYC) finished well ahead of Ally Paton’s J92 Jammin (HYC) in IRC 2. HeadHunter looked a contender for the overall prize but lost out as the Coastal Course was heavy going on reaching so the J92s did better and that cost them a fifth but they still won IRC 2 and the Scottish IRC title.
Etchells class racing at the 2024 Scottish Series Photo: Marc Turner
Stephen Rarity, in Bounce Back from RGYC, held on to his overnight lead and ended up 9 points ahead in the Etchells division. He has a string of places, never lower than second. To make the Series special for Bounce Back, Stephen won the overall prize.
The crew of Bounce Back were the Scottish Series overall winners in in the Etchells class Photo: Marc Turner
In one of the other One Design classes, the Hunter 707s, Eddie Batchelor from Port Edgar YC held on to his lead to win that class.
A Hunter 707 start at the 2024 Scottish Series Regatta Photo: Marc Turner
It was the turn of the Impala 28 Arcade to head up CYCA 2. Finn Aitken emphasised Impala’s winning reputation in the last series when Arcade was awarded the Overall Winner prize. The overnight leader, Alan Dunnet’s Swan 36, Valhalla of Ashton slipped into third place behind the Mustang 30 (Rory Chalmers) in this class.
In the very competitive Sigma 33 division James Miller won emphatically in Mayrise with eight first places with Griogair Whyte’s Close Encounters runner up and in another One Design division, the RS 21s, Duncan Hepplewhite from Loch Lomond had a clean sweep. Eddie Batchelor (Port Edgar YC) dominated the Hunter 707 class counting seven first places.
Mayrise (James Miller) was the Sigma 33 winner Photo: Marc Turner
The Two-Handed General Handicap class produced an unusual tie for the first three places, with Lyrebird, Liaison, and St Bridget tying on four points each. Clive Reeves won in Lyrebird.
The sole winner from Northern Ireland was in CYCA (R) where Stevie Andrews’ Hanse 371 Dark and Scary, well known on Strangford Lough in County Down, was well ahead of Iain Cameron’s Moody 36 Honeybee from Largs. Dark and Scary apparently was elevated (I’m told) to the position of Superstar in that Class.
Event Organiser Roddy Angus was pleased that the Scottish Series racing was excellent “ Many of the competitors commented that the quality of the racing was the best ever. Being able to sail in mid-Loch in some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland was a joy”.
