Former Tarbert sailor in running for RYA award
Ruairidh Scott is on the crest of a wave this week after been shortlisted for this year’s RYA Scotland Awards.
Ruairidh, who is originally from Tarbert, is nominated in the Performance of the Year category after becoming J70 World Champion and being placed second at the Dragon World Championships in Freemantle.
Further significant victories, including the overall winner of the J Cup, the J70 Nationals and the HM King Juan Carlos Trophy, have all made for an extremely successful 2019 for the sportsman.
The RYA Scotland Awards, now in their eighth year, are an annual celebration of the people who make a difference across the recreational and competitive boating community in Scotland.
Nominations were sought from across a variety of categories to highlight the events and people who make a difference to people’s time afloat – from epic performances to inspiring examples that enable so many people to enjoy Scotland’s waters safely and successfully.
Working for Southamptonbased company North Sails UK, Ruairidh is one of the world’s most successful One Design keelboat sailors.
He managed the 2019 J70 campaign, including the J70 Europeans in Lake Garda and the Worlds in Torquay. The team based itself in Torquay for a total of two and a half weeks for the Worlds and set out a strict regime of training, racing and rest. As a result the team felt confident going into the Worlds with a second place at the pre-Worlds ultimately resulting in winning the 2019 World Championships.
Ruairidh said: ‘I feel very honoured to be shortlisted for an RYA Scotland award. I was lucky enough to win the RYA Scotland Young Sailor of the Year back in 1997, so it’s wonderful to be in with a chance of winning another RYA award.
‘2019 has been a fantastic year for me, with podium places in two of the toughest keelboat One Design classes in the world. Living on the south coast of England has been a necessary sacrifice in order to follow a career in high
level sailing, so it’s even better to be nominated in the region I still refer to as home.
‘Sailing is a wonderful sport and demands a lot of time, effort and dedication in so many areas in order to be successful. The process I have brought to both the J70 and the Dragon has ultimately resulted in fantastic results through being consistent in all areas. My time in the Scottish Sailing squads and in Tarbert helped build the skills necessary to put together a good campaign.’
The 2019 awards’ winners will announced at The Falkirk Wheel on Saturday January 25.