Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta

Notice of Race PDF format

In 2008 Holm Sailing Club will host a yachts and singlehanders event on July the12th as well as the traditional Holm Regatta on August the 16th. The racing will be run from the pier in St Mary's, on the Eastern corner of Scapa Flow. The Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta will be open to all types of keelboats and singlehanded dinghies.

In 2007 the Orkney Yachts proposed the idea of running three consecutive regattas within Scapa Flow. The sequence of the events will be: Longhope on the 5th of July, Holm on the 12th of July followed by Stromness on the 19th July. It is hoped that having these regattas close together will encourage the yachts from the North of the Flow to journey into Scapa for all three events. Longhope, on the dark Island of Hoy, is a very scenic spot to sail and will appeal to many. Stromness regatta will coincide with the start of Stromness Shopping Week. The Holm event will draw those looking for a challenge and will also provide a very scenic backdrop, situated alongside the historic Churchill Barriers.

By running the event for singlehanders along with the yachts, Holm Sailing Club hope to encourage the younger sailors in Orkney currently sailing Toppers and Picos to attend this event. There are quite a few talented young sailors in Orkney who perhaps don't feel confident enough to attend the main Orkney regattas, but who would enjoy some racing in a fleet of smaller boats. St. Mary’s bay provides an ideal location for the smaller boats, being reasonably sheltered and free of problems with creel buoys or ferry traffic.

There are also several keen Laser sailors in Orkney and The Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta hopes to provide them with some good racing, as well as being a qualifying event for the 2009 Island Games. At these Games – to be held in Åland, Sweden, Lasers - both full and radial rigs will be the class used in the sailing events.

The main Holm Regatta will still be run on the 16th August, and will be a big event for the Snipe class. Holm Sailing Club has been a base for the Snipe Class of two man dinghies for over sixty years, and the Holm Regatta has traditionally been held in August where the racing can be very close in a good sized fleet.

Holm Regatta is open to all sailing craft. The biggest fleet present will be the Snipes, but the regatta is also popular amongst other local two handed sailing dinghies as well as the traditional skiffs and yoles.

The Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta will be held on Saturday 12th July, all yachts and singlehander dinghies are welcome.