Tunnock’s take the biscuit with class win during yachting week
A WIN in class for West Highland Yachting Week major sponsor Boyd Tunnock CBE made a fitting start to the first day of the points series at this year’s West Highland Yachting Week (WHYW) that started on Saturday and runs until tomorrow.
His Moody 38 Lemerac revelled in the good 15-knot breeze to win by just five seconds from closest rival Shadowfax, the Beneteau 31.7 of Oban’s Steven Forteith. Local boats took up good placings with Peter Watt’s BB10 Vaila from Glencoe Boat Club finishing third, returning to WHYW after an absence of 11 years, and Graham Anderson of Oban Sailing Club finishing fourth in his Hanse 371 Lucky Ned Pepper.
The 88-strong WHYW fleet enjoyed good opening breezes with close- quarters competition for the Craobh race circumnavigating the Isle of Shuna in Loch Melfort.
Jack Aitken’s First 36.7 Animal took the spoils in the Tunnock’s spinnaker fleet Class 1 from Carmen II, with James Hardie of Oban racing his Grand Soleil 40 Taz third.
Danny Sinclair’s Oceanis 45 Kalita was a dominant winner in Argyll Fleet restricted sail Class 2 from the Chalmers family on Sunrise. In white sail class 4, Bruce Johnston’s Mystic Sun took the honours from the Sigma 33 Mayrise.
Only 10 seconds split the Moody 336’s of Craig Anderson and team on Cool Bandit and John Corson’s new Salamander XXII in a closely-fought Class 7. And the margin was even tighter in restricted sail Class 6 with two seconds separating Brian Wiseman’s Sorr of Appin and Stephen Owen’s Oceanis 361 Halcyon. Clyde-based Murray Caldwell secured Class 8 with a massive margin on corrected time with his Trapper 500 Oystercatcher.
The fleet race from Craobh to Oban on Monday.
Results: Class 1 – 1 Animal; 2 Carmen II; 3 Taz. Class 2 – 1 Kalita; 2 Sunrise; 3 Ionara. Class 4 – 1 Mystic Sun; 2 Mayrise; 3 Valhalla of Ashton. Class 5 – 1 Lemerac; 2 Shadowfax; 3 Vaila. Class 6 – 1 Sorr of Appin; 2 Halcyon; 3 Reever. Class 7 – 1 Cool Bandit; 2 Salamander XX11; 3 Piecemaker. Class 9 – 1 Oystercatcher; 2 Marisca; 3 Circe.
Feeder races
The Craobh to Oban feeder saw variable conditions for the 25-strong fleet through zephyrs to winds up to 15 knots with the faster boats managing to stay on the breeze for most of the 24mile passage.
Much of the fleet became becalmed off Seil Island and it was a slow and frustrating effort to tack out west to find the wind again.
James Hardie’s Grand Soleil 40 Taz of Oban Sailing Club secured the day’s win from David Walter’s Arcona 430 Requiem and Gordon Lawson’s J122 Moonstruck Too.
Nicholas Marshall’s J92 Satisfaction won the Gigha to Craobh race from Meka II, the Sigma 33 of Jim Shields and Hamish Jackson’s Elan 33 Hoo-Ha.