IOM Scottish District Championships 2009 Castle Semple – 11th & 12th July 2009

Report by Ali Law      Score sheet

Castle Semple Watersports Centre, situated a few miles southwest of Paisley, is now the recognized venue for major Scottish District events and was first choice to host this year’s 2 day IOM district championship. The Centre hosts a wonderful cafe, toilets and shower room as well as alarmed over night yacht storage. Coupled to this the Centre also provides very helpful park rangers who go out of their way to assist with the running of the event.

The race team arrived well in advance of the skippers, and had the course set up ahead of registration. During registration, the district senior measurer carried out check weighing of all the yachts randomly checking either keel weight or all up weight.

RO Ali Law and his race team for Saturday – David Smith (scorer) and John Matheson (finish line judge) held the skippers briefing on time with the first seeding starting promptly at five minutes past ten.

Nineteen skippers had entered but sixteen actually came to the start line over the two days. To control the event it was decided to use the two heat option as this would help to provide race observers and the smaller fleets would make it easier for the less experienced skippers. Throughout 2009 the Scottish District has been trialing starting advantages and a twenty second advantage was given to seven qualifying skippers in the B heat only.

RO Ali Law set a windward – leeward course with a spreader mark at the windward mark and a gate at the leeward end but never used the gate. The wind strength on Saturday was fairly steady but was very changeable in direction, swinging from SE to west over the day and never settled making course setting near impossible and difficult to sail. The weather however was excellent with brilliant sunshine all day.

The preliminary seeding races were won by I Dundas sailing a Widget and R Brown sailing a Pikanto. All the racing on Saturday was sailed in tricky wind conditions but after ten races (twenty heats) a lunch break and no protests Ian Dundas held a small lead from Robert Rooney with Robert Brown breathing down their necks in third.

Under wet conditions racing started on Sunday at 09h45 (decided by the skippers the previous day).The Race team was reinforced by Nick Cowern and John Mason allowing John Matheson to sail. The wind was a little kinder coming out of the s/w and although it threatened to blow to near 2 rig it never actually did. The wind whilst better was still fickle and often skippers were caught on the wrong side of the course.

Robert Brown gave himself a mountain to climb having landed in B heat in the last race on Saturday and remained there for a few races only coming good in the last three races. Ian Dundas had the opportunity to win the event but he also had a series of poor races on Sunday not to mention a metre of weed around his keel, and finished the day in second place overall. Richard Costigan improved in the slightly stronger conditions and sailed his Lintel into third position overall, closely followed by Richard Ennos – sailing his own designed and build yacht, Kelpie into fourth place. The man of the weekend however was a quiet man from Paisley sailing a Topiko, Robert Rooney, who had mastered the conditions on both days. He stamped his authority over the course of the event, illustrated in the last A heat when he was called over the line early, went back and proceeded to sail through the fleet and passed his nearest rival for first place. Robert sailed a faultless race, won it and so the regatta.

Robert Hughes Jnr started with a starting advantage but lost it by race seven and continued to raise his game by sailing his Widget into fifth place overall – a very commendable effort.

The race team though small managed to keep the racing running at a brisk pace and all did their respective tasks very well. The wind was not kind on both days and this made the sailing very difficult, more so for the less experienced skippers yet all did their best and have gained valuable experience in large fleet racing.

The Saturday night social event was well attended at the Bowfield and was a resounding success with many new friendships formed over a bar supper and the relaxing atmosphere.

At the prize giving David O’Neill the Castle Semple Centre Manager presented Robert Rooney with the IOM Scottish District Cup and mentioned how much Castle Semple looked forward to hosting future Scottish district regattas. District Chairman Richard Ennos echoed this sentiment and pointed out how gratifying was to go to a water sports centre that welcomes radio sailors and wants help to make the event successful.

Top placings were: