Ardgour Double and Round Balnagowan Races 2001

A weekend of dramatic contrasts provided some testing conditions for Glencoe Boat Club’s annual Ardgour and Balnagowan races. The first leg of Saturday’s Ardgour Double turned into an Ardgour ‘Single’ when the evening pursuit race home had to be abandoned for a total lack of wind, but at least the morning’s race from Glencoe to Ardgour had provided some light wind sport after a delayed start for the five competitors. It was won by the handsome margin of eleven-and-a-half minutes by David Cooper’s Redwing, clearly enjoying her best race of her first season.

Similar conditions looked set for Sunday’s Round Balnagowan Race, but the six competing yachts soon found themselves up against a stiff, but unforecast, south-westerly on the beat down Loch Linnhe. Cornovii and Elrhuna both retired on the outward leg, but the day’s real drama was still to come as John Hardie’s Foxterrier Sionnach broached under spinnaker on the way home and snapped her rudder in two at the waterline! With Redwing quickly coming to her aid, the two had a coming together which also took off Sionnach’s backstay crane, but both boats eventually returned safely, albeit out of the race. Meanwhile Fascinator (skippered this weekend by Alasdair MacPhail) had arrived back at the Ballachulish Bridge with the tide still ebbing, powered through under spinnaker, broached twice in what had become a very gusty breeze, before tramping across the line in fine style under white sails to win for the third year running. The only other finisher was the other big boat, Iain Young’s Young at Heart.

Results:

Ardgour Double 1

  1. Redwing (Trapper 28), David Cooper, T 1055, Elapsed Time 10598, Corrected Time 10045
  2. Fascinator (UFO 34), Alasdair MacPhail, R 956, Elapsed Time 10268, Corrected Time 10741
  3. Sionnach (Foxterrier), John Hardie, C 1069, Elapsed Time 11924, Corrected Time 11154

Round Balnagowan Race

  1. Fascinator (UFO 34), Alasdair MacPhail, R 956, Elapsed Time 14299, Corrected Time 14957
  2. Young at Heart (Westerly Oceanquest), Iain Young, C 990, Elapsed Time 16428, Corrected Time 16594

Feedback to sailing@petestack.com

Valid HTML5