2010 Regatta Reports

The 2010 Orkney regattas got off to a shakey start; Stronsay was postponed and then cancelled and Finstown was cancelled, nevertheless Longhope went ahead on Saturday 3rd July. Longhope turned out to be a superb event. The 2010 Holm Yachts and Singlehanders event was cancelled and then the Holm Regatta was postponed till Sunday 22nd August due to weather conditions on Saturday 21st. Westray Regatta was a great success on Saturday 31st July.

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Holm Regatta 2010

The 2010 Holm Regatta was due to be held on Saturday 21st August 2010. Due to windy weather the event was postponed and held on Sunday the 22nd. Despite the postponement there was a good turn out of Snipes, Cats and Yoles. Two class races were held followed by a break for lunch and then the Allcomers race. Thanks to all those involved in the organisation and execution of the regatta, it takes a lot of effort to run a successful event, these efforts are very much appreciated. Many apologies for the gaps in these results.

Snipe

15 snipes took part in the racing with a close finish between Neil Foubister's No Fear and Chris Moore's Hassfang. Due to the close nature of the racing it was decided to award the trophy jointly to both No Fear and Hassfang.

Catamaran

4 Cats took part in the racing, doing two long races.

Yoles

Three yoles, three races, with a well defined pecking order.

Allcomers

Snipes only in the Allcomers Race this year. After an unexpected early start to the race many boats were left behind. Despite that, James Burgon's Bonxie come out on top in a closely fought race.

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Longhope Regatta

Longhope Regatta was held on Saturday 3rd July in perfect sailing conditions. The wind was fresh at times, but less than the forecast 20kts, providing exciting but manageable sailing. The rain stayed away and there was quite bit of warm sunshine. A long figure of eight course was laid providing a short beat to start followed by a reach, a long run, another reach and a long beat to finish. Two races were held with a break for lunch in between. The first race was a class race, the Allcomers was held after a meal of soup, mince and tatties.

The number of boats was a bit low compared with previous years. Only one yacht showed up, but among the dinghies there was representation from Stromness, Holm and Kirkwall. Six Toppers raced, sailed by local juniors. These youngsters have been training for a week prior to the regatta with the help of Lee Thompson. There was a great fleet of traditional yoles and a fleet of cats provided some high speed action (notably Lee Thompson's Kleen Gyte).

On the final beat there were some exciting moments as Go Faster Blue, Moonstone and Fiddlesticks fought for the second Snipe place. Fiddlesticks, ably helmed by young Robbie Stevenson eventually came out on top with Moonstone close behind and Go Faster Blue the third Snipe to finish.

After the second race mince rolls were provided, the raffle was drawn and trophies were presented. A bus was provided to allow visting sailors to get home on the Moness ferry over to Stromness. The whole event was a thoroughly enjoyable day out.

Snipe

The main fleet was the Snipes with seven boats and very close competition at the front of the fleet. The long beat gave plenty of opportunities for place changes. Neil Foubister came out on top with the two Tipler boats close behind.

Mixed Centreboards

The Mixed Centreboard fleet was very mixed being made up of David Sabiston's brand new Aegir alongside a smart little Mirror as well as an elderly Merlin Rocket. Unsurprisingly David Sabiston's Aegir with her large asymmetric spinnaker dominated the race.

Allcomers

In the Allcomers race David Sabiston's Aegir finished well ahead of the other boats but was beaten on handicap by Chris Moore's Hassfang. Young Robbie Stevenson did well helming Fiddlesticks to third place.

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Westray Regatta

The 2010 Westray Regatta was held on Saturday 31st July. The event was a great success with the usual outstanding hospitality.

Snipe

Allcomers

Catamaran

Merlin Rockets

Mixed Centreboards

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Kirkwall Regatta

The 2010 Kirkwall Regatta was hosted by the Orkney Sailing Club on Saturday 7th August. The event attracted classes of Laser and Snipe as well as various skiffs, yoles and mixed centreboard dinghies.

Snipe

Laser

Allcomers

Catamarans

Mixed Centreboards