North East Clubs 2011 Late Series Event 2 – Buchanness – 12th November 2011

Report by Ian Dundas   Results

The second event in the late 2011 winter series for IOM Radio yachts in North East Scotland was held at Forehill Reservoir near Peterhead.

As it seems to have become customary for winter series events there were perfect conditions, clear skies, warm and a strong southerly breeze. Unfortunately there were only 6 participating skippers which was down on recent fleet sizes. Many skippers were unable to attend due to work commitments or not keen to make to the journey north. At the skippers briefing, as a result of the small fleet it was agreed to forego the “Bye Boat” system normally used to manage the racing.

The wind direction allowed Ali Law RO to set a long windward/leeward course and the wind strength meant skippers elected to use their No 2 Rigs. This was the right choice as strong gusts saw boats nose diving on approach to the leeward gate.

In the strong winds Ian Dundas’s wooden built Eco showed the way winning the first race ahead of Steve Taylor sailing his Robot and Ali Law who was back using his Pikanto but with a newly modified fin. Fortunes were reversed in Race 2 with Ali taking the gun ahead of Ian and Brian Robertson who was going well with his Topiko design that suits these conditions. In the next 4 races through to lunchtime Ian continued his good run with 4 further wins but was pushed hard by Ali with a string of 2nds and Steve who was not far behind. The sailing was challenging and picking up the wind shifts made a huge difference at the end of the long beat. There were also big gains to be made downwind by locking into the gusts.

After lunch the wind had dropped a bit which meant some skippers changed up to their No 1 rigs. At first there was not much in it but as the racing progressed all skippers eventually changed up to their bigger rig. There were a number of retirals as equipment failed or skippers became tired trudging the long course. By close of racing at 15h00, 13 races had been sailed. Ian had a good day with 9 wins, Ali and Steve had 2 each, John had a very good afternoon with several thirds and Brian and Colin were pulled down by retiring from the last 3 races.

Final results:

The last event in the Late 2011 winter series will be held at Inchgarth Reservoir in Aberdeen on 10th December. All skippers will be very welcome.