Kestrel Scottish Championship ’22

Hosted over the weekend 18/19th June by Royal Tay Yacht Club, home of the largest Kestrel fleet north of Watford. Sadly the cost of fuel deterred customary entries from south of the border. Reducing the fleet number from previous years.

Saturday dawned sunny but very windy. A spring tide was roaring out and conditions were frankly brutal. The Solo class were off three hours before other fleets for their one-day event and they provided great spectator sport. After two races which were all about survival of the fittest their third race was binned and all sailing cancelled for the rest of the day as the nanometer topped out at 37 knots.

The evening pizzas provided by sponsors Dominos and live entertainment sponsored by Highlander Boats seemed to make up for a day ashore and a good time was had by all.

Starts on the Sunday were brought forward to 10am. The Kestrel fleet followed the Dart 18’s, and RS400’s all of whom were also using the event as their Scottish championship.

With a fresh gusty wind coming over the land, the tide ebbing hard and massif wind shifts it was always going to be a tough day at the races and so it proved.

In race one Paul Barnet led off the line followed by Malcolm Worsley, but as they covered each other fiercely Stewart Murdoch was able, under the cover of a Dart, to sneak through before the first mark and went on to take the first race.

The Race Officer must have thought we were really enjoying ourselves and added a third lap to an already large course for races 2, 3 and a bladder bursting 4.

The pattern was, however, set and despite close racing in the early stages of each race the team of Murdoch and Scott-Brown came through to count four firsts, Malcolm and Danielle Worsley were second with Ian Hunter and Trevor Jones spoiling the Worsley’s run of second places by beating them in the last race. Paul Barnett and Robin Lamb finished fourth and won the prize for the prettiest looking boat and the only one to capsize (just to show off that zany colour wrap to best effect).