Scottish Grand Prix Series
Fifteen Standard rigs and 10 Radial rigs showed up for the opening event of the Scottish Season with several youth sailors not long back from the RYA Youth Nationals where they had aquited themselves brilliantly.
Racing started on time on Saturday with a decent F4 breeze from the South West, which built gradually through the afternoon and by race 3 it was gusting F6. The first race went to Sam Room, and then Peter Malcolm showed great pace to win races 2 and 3 as the wind strength increased and he established a good lead at the end of Saturday. Just as the fleets finished the rain came in and the wind dropped off.
Sunday was forecast to have much less wind and initially it looked like conditions might be very light indeed, but luckily the breezed filled in from the NW around F3-4 to allow the first two races to run smoothly with close competition. Callum Calder pressed hard and won the first race and was second in the second with Peter Malcolm 2nd and 5th, which meant it was down to the last race to settle the win.
Rather unkindly the wind dropped shortly after the first signal for the last race, and then came back in from the W around F1, leading to a very pin biased line. On the start the fleet tacked as one and headed straight to the windward mark. The wind faded and strengthened and shifted back and forth for the rest of the race with areas of low pressure waiting to catch the unwary. Unluckily Callum got stuck in one of these near the end of the second last lap and ended up last, and Peter Malcolm was able to win comfortably with Callum winning the tie break for 2nd place from Geoff Henstridge.
Many thanks to Loch Lomond Sailing Club for organising this opening event for us and running it very smoothly.
| Rank | SailNo | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 184853 | Peter Malcolm | Aberdeen & Stonehaven | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | (5.0) | 4.0 | 11.0 |
| 2 | 169155 | Callum Calder | Cramond Boat Club | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | (13.0) | 15.0 |
| 3 | 184358 | Geoff Hendstridge | Pentland Firth YC | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | (5.0) | 1.0 | 3.0 | 15.0 |
| 4 | 176318 | Andrew Clegg | Helensburgh SC | (6.0) | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 21.0 |
| 5 | 179855 | Sam Room | St Andrews SC | 1.0 | 4.0 | (11.0) | 7.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 22.0 |
| 6 | 179802 | Michael Gorzkowski | Loch Venechar SC | 8.0 | (9.0) | 8.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 30.0 |
| 7 | 178745 | James Lewis | Aberdeen & Stonehaven | 5.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | (11.0) | 9.0 | 8.0 | 33.0 |
| 8 | 182232 | David Woakes | Port Edgar YC | (10.0) | 6.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 34.0 |
| 9 | 184360 | Greg Shaw | Loch Venechar SC | (11.0) | 10.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 40.0 |
| 10 | 183116 | Robbie Lawson | East Lothian SC | 9.0 | 11.0 | (dnc) | 3.0 | 11.0 | 9.0 | 43.0 |
| 11 | 179768 | Neil Malcolm | Aberdeen & Stonehaven | 7.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | (13.0) | 12.0 | 43.0 |
| 12 | 151250 | Peter Collings | Port Edgar YC | (12.0) | 12.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 46.0 |
| 13 | 91154 | David Hutson | Kinghorn SC | (13.0) | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 62.0 |
| 14 | 147138 | Andrew Leslie | Holm SC | 14.0 | (dnf) | 12.0 | DNC | DNC | DNC | 74.0 |
| 15 | 174707 | Will Normand | RNCYC | 15.0 | (ocs) | 14.0 | DNC | DNC | DNC | 77.0 |