Glencoe Regatta 2001

Didn’t take part in the Passage Race, but Twig and Alistair Olsen and Colin Kupris came up from Oban in ‘Tomy’ for the Regatta, and Owen and Daniel Hoey joined us from ‘Poor Claire’. So we had three adults and three young lads on board, enjoyed some excellent racing together and were unlucky to miss out on a prize when a three-way tie for second place left us fourth on a tie-breaker for the second year in a row! Eight boats took part in each of the Saturday keelboat classes, and we had to work hard to recover from a horrid first tack (after a peach of a start!) to come second in the afternoon race.

My report for the Oban Times:

The sailing on Loch Leven is renowned for its changeable conditions, and the 2001 Glencoe Regatta certainly merits its place in the history of fascinating racing on this spectacular sea loch.

Despite the unusual forecast of a force 2 northerly not materialising, Friday’s Passage Race from Oban to Ballachulish Bay provided some interesting conditions for the 17 starters, with some wild gybes and two blown out spinnakers reported during an exciting run up to Port Appin. Although the leading boats had been making exceptionally good time up till this point, they were subsequently trapped by calm patches and the fleet started to regroup as the breeze built from behind. First home in just under four hours was the Laser 28 ‘Farr Out’, followed closely by a number of other boats (including the handicap winner ‘Trip Trapper’ a mere eight minutes later). ‘Sunfire’, ‘Shenanigan’ and ‘Tiri Moana’ also had exceptionally good races, with ‘Sunfire’ taking both a very close second place and the Ray Darker Memorial Trophy for the best Loch Leven based boat. ‘Cornovii’ picked up the restricted sail prize as the sole entrant in that category.

Saturday’s Regatta day was full of the contrasts for which Loch Leven is famous. The morning round the buoys race set off in a nice westerly breeze, but calm patches played their part and a fetch on the last leg for the faster boats had become a run by the time the slower boats were finishing! By lunchtime the breeze looked set from the north (causing a corresponding change of course direction) before dying completely and returning only during the pre-start sequence. It remained very quirky, keeping the competing crews on their toes with crazy lifts and headers, leaving a considerable hole between Invercoe and Camus na Heridhe and finally building to provide a stiff test for the whole fleet.

Class 1 was well won with two first places by ‘Farr Out’, but the other places were decided by the narrowest of margins. Seconds in the morning for ‘Michael’ and afternoon for ‘Fly’, coupled with two thirds for ‘Northern Comfort’, left these three locked together in a three-way tie for second overall, and it took the time-honoured GBC aggregate time tie-breaker to separate them.

Class 2 produced two first places and a clear victory for ‘Didima IV’, with ‘Trip Trapper’ taking second in the morning race and the Manta 19 ‘Tangle’ of Jim and Alison Blair making a very successful debut with a third and a second. These three made up the prize list, but it must be recorded that ‘Shenanigan’ abandoned her own race in the testing late afternoon conditions to go to the aid of another competitor in difficulty. For this, Glencoe Boat Club thanks Hamish Isaac, David Preston and their crew.

Class 3 (dinghies) attracted the sole morning entry of Angus Fyfe and son in the Mirror ‘Imprecation’, but they too recorded two victories to take the class ahead of the Glencoe Outdoor Centre Wayfarers ‘Miriam’ and ‘Keturah’, who joined them for the afternoon race.

The Regatta Dinner and Dance was a fine occasion as always, with May MacConnacher, the Commodore’s wife, presenting the prizes on the day after her birthday. The overall award of the Ballachulish Slate Trophy was a close decision, but Colin Graham and John Payne were judged to be worthy winners for their tremendous two-handed performance with ‘Trip Trapper’.

Results:

J. Malcolm MacMillan Cup
(Oban to Ballachulish Bay)

  1. Trip Trapper (Trapper 500), Colin Graham and John Payne
  2. Sunfire (Invicta), Robert Watt
  3. Shenanigan (She 9.5 Traveller), Hamish Isaac and David Preston
  4. Tiri Moana (HR 31 Monsun), Chris Carver

Matthew MacInnes Memorial Trophy
(Regatta Class 1, Keelboats)

  1. Farr Out (Laser 28), Billy Forteith, 2 points
  2. Michael (modified SK700), Richard Shellcock, 6 points
  3. Northern Comfort (Comfort 30), Graham Anderson, 6 points
  4. Fly (Impala), Peter Duggan, 6 points

Glencoe Hotel Cup
(Regatta Class 2, Keelboats)

  1. Didima IV (Hawk 20), Bob and Jean Aitken, 2 points
  2. Tangle (Manta 19), Jim and Alison Blair, 5 points
  3. Trip Trapper (Trapper 500), Colin Graham and John Payne, 6 points
  4. Elrhuna (one-off), Charles Giffard and Hilary Watson, 9 points

Nancy MacLeod Cup
(Regatta Class 3, Dinghies)

  1. Imprecation (Mirror), Angus Fyfe, 2 points
  2. Miriam (Wayfarer), Glencoe Outdoor Centre, 6 points
  3. Keturah (Wayfarer), Glencoe Outdoor Centre, 7 points

Special Prizes:

MacLeod Cup
(Line Honours, Oban to Ballachulish Bay)
Farr Out (Laser 28), Billy Forteith

Ray Darker Memorial Trophy
(Best Loch Leven Based Boat, Oban to Ballachulish Bay)
Sunfire (Invicta), Robert Watt

Ballachulish Ferry Memorial Trophy
(Restricted Sail, Oban to Ballachulish Bay)
Cornovii (Halcyon 27), Bill Horsnell

Ballachulish Slate Trophy
(Best Overall Performance)
Trip Trapper (Trapper 500), Colin Graham and John Payne

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