Regatta 1970

Holm Regatta 1970

Top

'Fluky' weather at Holm Regatta

For the first time ever, Holm Regatta was held on Sunday, because the weather on Saturday was so bad that it had to be postponed.

By Sunday the westerly gale had moderated and though the skies remained overcast all day two South Ronaldsay men described the weather as 'Fluky'. One minute it was practically calm and the next a full sail breeze. In one race- the centre board- it even changed direction!

In all, twenty boats were forward, including three Orkney Yawls, two Enterprises, three Mirrors, three Rockets and nine Snipes. There were four rescue boats in attendance, and an inflatable rubber dinghy with outboard motor, skippered by Mr. gordon Muir. the rescue boats were in charge of Mr. J. Wylie, Mr. C. Robertson, Mr. E. Sutherland and Mr. J. Norquoy in Mr A. Flett's boat. At one time during the afternoon I counted 99 cars from No. 2 Barrier to the end of the village.

The First Race

The wind held steady south-west for the first race for Snipes. The course set was a reach for No. 1 Barrier, a beat to No. 2, a reach to the Ness buoy and a reach home, twice round the course.

A ding-dong battle developed between Viking (A. Flett) and Valhalla (E. Rendall) who led round No. 1 buoy, but they went a bit too far out in their beat to No. 2 buoy and were pipped at the post by Tyro (H. Johnston) who crossed the line first, closely followed by Erma (J. Foubister). Valhalla (E. Rendall) was third and Viking (A. Flett) was fourth.

Snipes:

Second Race: Merlin Rockets

For this race three boats were forward and they set off a quarter of an hour after the Snipes over the same course. Freya (R. Drever) and Rock 'n Roll (E. Brown) were neck and neck at the start and the positions see-sawed as the race progressed with Rock 'n Roll gaining the lead at the last buoy and crossing the line over a minute ahead of Freya.

Merlin Rockets:

Third Race: Enterprise

The third race was for Enterprises and for this only two boats were forward. They were Merry Dancer (J. Leslie), Kirkwall and RFJAKA (D. Esslemont), Orphir. Merry Dancer crossed the line first and increased her lead all the way round, finishing a worthy winner.

Fourth Race: Fixed Keel

The fourth race was for fixed keel boats and we were very pleased to have three boats all the way from Stromness for this race; they and one of the Mirror Class dinghies were towed across Scapa Flow by the Stromness Sea Cadet launch.

The three Orkney Yawls which showed their paces in this race were Emma (W. Tulloch), Pansy (R. Sutherland) and Susie (A. Porteous).

There was a good stiff breeze for this event and they made a pretty picture as full sailed they spewed the spray from their prows as they leaned over in the full force of the wind. Emma (W. Tulloch) gradually drew away from Pansy (R. Sutherland) and crossed the line almost eight minutes ahead.

Fifth Race: Mixed Centreboards

This was for all centreboard boats and included Merlin Rockets, Enterprises and Snipes, fourteen boats in all. This was the race with the 'fluky' weather. the race started with a stiff southerly breeze. Rock 'n Roll, off to a tremendous start, had just rounded the Ayre buoy when his rigging snapped and his mainsail went over the side. Fortunately one of the rescue boats (C. Robertson) was not far off and soon had him in tow to the pier.

Then came torrential rain and the wind dropped for a short time, only to blow afresh from the south-west and strengthen when the rain stopped. The dropping out of Rock 'n Roll left Freya (R. Drever) in the lead with Merry Dancer (J. Leslie) an Enterprise, close on his heels, with First Attempt (D. Grieve) not far away.

The stormy wind was ideal for the Snipes too, and it was exciting watching them manoeuvring for position at each buoy. Only seconds separated the leaders at the finish.

Mirror

By this time a third Mirror dinghy had arrived (Taurus, J. Tait), and immediately they were set off in the sixth race of the day, twice round the same course, in a stiff breeze.

The experience of J. Tait, skipper of Taurus, paid off, for on the beat up to No. 2 buoy he held a fair wind and increased his lead which he maintained to the end.

Seventh Race: Allcomers

The last race of the day was the Allcomers, and this was sailed under the Portsmouth Handicap rules. There were sixteen boats forward , but again the wind played tricks- now dying away and then blowing fresh, so that toward the end, waves were breaking white in the bay. there were lots of casualties- fortunately none serious- and no rescue boat was needed.

As Snipe Erma (J. Foubister) was about to cross the line at the start a pin came out of his sheet shackle and he had to retire.

The course set was a reach to No. 1 Barrier, a beat to No. 2 Barrier, a reach to Ness Buoy and a reach home- twice round. Rock 'n Roll (E. Brown) had made temporary repairs to his rigging and had got off to a great start rounding the first buoy just behind Freya (R. Drever) with La Rocca lying third. On the beat up to No. 2 Barrier one of the crosswires on La Rocca's rigging gave way and he had to retire. Meanwhile the two rockets Rock 'n Roll and Freya, the leaders at this stage, were being hotly pursued by Enterprise Merry Dancer (J. Leslie) and Snipe Viking (A. Flett) with Snipe Kontiki (N. Johnston) also well up.

Then disaster struck Freya (R. Drever), A hallyard snapped and he had to retire. Squally showers made conditions increasingly difficult and boats were shipping a lot of water as they approached the Ness buoy.

But this is the kind of weather that Snipes like. There were further casualties. the three Stromness Orkney Yawls, Emma, Susie and Pansy, all retired, as did H10 Valhalla (E. Rendall), and at the end only eight boats finished the course.

After the Allcomers Race and the boats had been pulled up on the shore, with everyone lending a hand, crews and officials repaired to Mr. A. Flett's big shed where tea had been prepared by Mrs. Daisy Laughton, Mrs. Lily Johnston, Mrs. Hilary Russell, with helpers Miss Heather Flett and Miss Christine Russell.

Quite a crowd were present to hear commodore Jack Foubister call on Heather and Christine to present the prizes. In his speech he thanked the rescue boats for being there, the ladies for making the tea, Messrs A. Flett for the use of their shed; the Commodore and staff of Kirkwall Sailing Club for their assistance on the point of the pier; Mr. John Tait, Holm's hard working secretary for his organisation of the event; and lastly the crews themselves for turning up and so making the Regatta possible. He hoped that next year the prize-giving would take place in the new hall.

The Regatta Dance billed for Saturday evening at Rockworks took place as planned with a large attendance making merry to the lively music of Jim Wylie's Band.

Hope Regatta 1970

Top

23 Boats in 'Hope Regatta

The annual regatta of South Ronaldsay and Burray Sailing Club was held in Water Sound on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 29, in which 23 boats competed in the different class races throughout the afternoon.

The wind was very light in the early stages of the afternoon but freshened considerably later on, especially for the Allcomers and last catamaran races. The wind, which was well southerly at the start of the races, veered around to the south-east.

The course at the start of all the class races was sailed anti-clockwise, giving the boats a run to the navigation buoy off the point of the Needle, after which they had to reach to a mark buoy off the Burray Barrier, then a reach down to a buoy of Hunda, to finish with a beat to the starting line. Owing to the light wind which prevailed for the early races it was decided to sail only once around the course; the only race sailed around the course twice was for the Catamarans' third race, after the course had been changed to clockwise, owing to the change in the direction of the wind, which gave the boats a slightly better beat to windward.

In the absence of the Commodore, Dr. Hooker, the duties on the pier were carried out by members of the Orkney Sailing Club from Kirkwall, and the races went off without a hitch, with one exception, when Fleetwing, after finishing in the Allcomers, capsized off the pier head, being the only casualty of the day.

Catamarans

The first race was for catamarans in which class only two boats were forward, the Tern from Westray and Rip Tide from the South Ronaldsay Club. The wind was very light at this time which accounts for the longer time they took to complete the course.

Merlin Rockets

The next race was for Merlin Rockets in which five boats took part, all from the Kirkwall Club: Tyste, Rock 'n Roll, Freya, first Attempt and Njord. the wind at this time was also on the light side which made the boats clock a much slower time than in the races which followed.

Snipes

Six boats were forward for this race, all from the Holm Club, and with the wind freshening considerably, the boats clocked a much faster time for the course than in the previous races.

Other Boats

Three other boats were forward for this race: two Wayfarers and an Albacore from South Queensferry. The Vanity finished 1 min 43 seconds ahead of Viad (an Orphir entry), followed by Eynhallow.

Inside Ballast Boats

Five boats took part in this race by which time the wind had increased to a lovely full-sail breeze, and Falcon, the first boat home, completed the course in the excellent time of 52 min 12 sec.

2nd Catamaran Race

The second Catamaran race followed, the cup for which was decided by a third cat race, when the boat with the best times, after both races had been added together, was declared the winner. Rip Tide proved the winner of the second race, leaving the Tern with a handicap of 47 seconds to make up in the third race

Combined Times

Centreboard Dinghies

There were 16 entries in this race which was one of the most spectacular of the afternoon as the boats all passed the pier head on the way to the navigation buoy off the Needle with their various coloured hulls and sails gleaming in the sunlight. After a very evenly contested race, especially by the three leading boats times are shown below:

The last race of the day, the Allcomers and the inside ballast boats were sailed also on the reversed course, 14 entries competing in the Allcomers class and three boats in the latter class.

Allcomers Race

There were only two boats in this race. Freya and Orpjara not taking part. This race was practically a repeat of the Centreboard Race, but sailed in a reversed direction. Vanity finished in first place with a lead of 3 min 17 seconds ahead of Eynhallow, who was followed 2 seconds later by Tyste. Vanity's time of 35 mins 6 seconds was the fastest of the day by single hulled boats.

A strange coincidence in this race was the fact that after the second boat completed the course the next five boats finished exactly two seconds after each other, which gave the officials on the pier head an anxious 21 seconds.

The racing programme being completed for the day, the officials and crews were entertained to tea in the Murray Arms Hotel where the needs of the 'inner man' were amply provided for, after which the prizes were presented in the Cromarty Hall at 10pm followed by a lively dance which once again concluded another day's proceedings in the annals and history of the South Ronaldsay and Burray Club.

Kemp Cup 1970

Top

Eroll Bruce Cup

The race for the Errol Bruce Cup (long distance) was held on Sunday afternoon in Kirkwall Bay, which was for the Catamaran class. This race which should have been sailed off on Friday evening but was unavoidably cancelled owing to some of the boats being unable to compete on that night.

Three boats were forward for the race on Sunday at 3pm and the course set gave a broad reach to a buoy at the north side of Thieve's Holm, a reach to Scargun and a beat to the home buoy, and then a lap around the points course: Greenfield, Crowness and home. The wind, which was well southerly at the start, went more westerly later after the boats had rounded Scargun, leaving the leading boats, which were half across the bay, when the wind went westerly, in a leeward position, with Never-Can-Tell well in the weather berth, to take a leading place, which she maintained on the points course to finish an easy winner by 3 mins 8 secs.

Kemp Cup

There were eight boats forward for the Centreboard race for the Kemp Cup on Friday evening. The wind was south-easterly at the start, but went more easterly in the latter stages of the race. The race, which was a long-distance one, was around a buoy to the north of Thieve's Holm, thence around Scargun buoy and round the home buoy off the pier, followed by a round of the points course: Greenfield, Crowness and home.

At the Thieve's Holm buoy the leading three boats were Vanity, Tyste and Rock 'n Roll, and on the reach to Scargun the same three boats maintained their places. By the time the home buoy was reached, however, Rock 'n Roll was in the lead, followed by Tyste and Vanity, as they set out to complete the shorter points course.

As the race proceeded on the short course many changes of place took place, especially on the last leg from Crowness to the home line, it being impossible until well up to the finishing line to say which boat would be the winner. the most notable change however was that of the Viad, lying fifth as she rounded the home buoy line in the first round, coming up to second place at the finish.

Kirkwall Regatta 1970

Top

Fine conditions for Kirkwall Regatta

The annual regatta of the orkney Sailing Club took place in Kirkwall Bay on Saturday. Early in the morning weather conditions were not too promising, the course being enveloped by a thick fog, accompanied by a lack of wind.

By 10am however, however, the course was quite visible and a slight breeze had sprung up which, as the races proceeded, increased to a nice full sail breeze, which made sailing conditions ideal for the eight class races.

Boats with Inside Ballast

The first race was for boats with inside ballast, in which four boats took part- three Westray Skiffs and an Orkney dinghy. The course set gave a broad reach to Crowness, a reach to Greenfield and a beat to the home line, the boats completing the course twice, a distance of approximately six miles. On the completion of the first round Puffin was in the lead at the home buoy but, unfortunately, rounded the buoy on the wrong side and had to return and round again, leaving her in third place, a position she never got out of.

Catamarans (YWC Class)

Three boats took part in this race which was around Scargun buoy. Greenfield and the home buoy, then having to complete the points course in the second round. Tern led on the completion of the first round followed by Rip Tide and Never-Can-Tell. No alterations took place in the second round. Tern, finishing a winner by 1 min 16 seconds, followed by Rip Tide and Never-Can-Tell.

Enterprises

The next race was for Enterprises, in which three boats took part, two boats from Westray and a Kirkwall entry. The boats completed the points course twice and finished as below:

Merlin Rockets

Five boats were forward in this class, all from the home club, and completed two rounds of the points course, with Rock 'n Roll eventually finishing a good winner by 2 minutes 19 seconds, followed by Tyste. First Attempt, Njord and Freya.

Snipes

Eight boats were forward for this class, all from the Holm Club, and after two rounds of the points course the boats finished with Tyro winning by a matter of 5 seconds, followed by Kontiki, Firewood, Fleetwing, Teeack, La Rocca, Erma and Viking (who retired).

Mirror Class

Only two boats were entered in this class, Greeshanks, South Ronaldsay and Taurus from the home club. The latter retired after rounding the Greenfield mark and was towed home. Greeshanks' time for the one round is given below.

RNAS Class

Only two boats, manned by Sea Cadets, competed in this class going once round.

Wayfarers

Only two boats competed in this class, Viad (an Orphir entry) and Eynhallow from the home club. After completing the two rounds Viad proved an easy winner by 3 minutes 58 seconds

After the Wayfarers' race was completed the officials and crews retired to the Loft, Harbour Street, which was kindly loaned by Mr. Lyall Flett for the occasion, where they were entertained to high tea by a committee of ladies, under the supervision of Mrs. D. Kirkpatrick, who attended to the needs of the 'inner man' in their usual high class manner, which left nothing to be desired.

Much refreshed after the meal, the crews and officials returned to the pier where the next races were competed.

Catamarans (Eunson Cup)

The first race was for Catamarans in which three boats took part. The course was reversed to anti-clockwise for the remaining races, so as to get a better beat to weather from the Scargun to Crowness marks. The cats had to complete the course of…

On the completion of the Centreboard race the crews and officials once again returned to the Loft where the ladies had everything in readiness for another meal, which was doing ample justice to before they returned to the pier again to complete the racing for the day- a third catamaran race and an Allcomers (single hull boats only) which owing to a falling wind the course set for both races was Greenfield, Crowness and home, the boats only going once around the course.

Catamarans (Scollay Cup)

Allcomers (single hull)

There were twenty seven entries in this race, which was practically a repetition of the Centreboard race with the addition of the skiffs, RNAS Class and Mirrors. the course was reduced to once around the points course.

This race produced one of the closest finishes of the day, almost a photo one, when Tyste just managed to pip the Rock 'n Roll on crossing the line with barely a second separating them.

Centreboards

Port to Port

The Port to Port race was sailed from Holm to St. Margaret's Hope on Tuesday July 28. A light north westerly wind held steady for the complete race.

Thanks are expressed to the rescue boats which were in attendance and to the Kirkwall officials for their services on the starting gun and finishing line.

In all, 14 boats took part: 12 centreboards and two catamarans.

Catamarans

Centreboards

Westray Regatta 1970

Top

The "Orcadia" arrived about 10:30am with an assortment of visiting boats: Rockets, Snipes, Cats, Mirrors, and annual visitor from Edinburgh, Dick Percival with his Albacore.

When the boats were unloaded the crews were taken smartly to the school for lunch. The local skipper began the regatta about noon to permit the visiting crews time for an after-lunch 'nap'.

The wind was fresh from the north to north-west, quite gusty, with frequent lulls followed by strong puffs making control of the boats difficult at times.

The races started on a broad reach from the pier to the inner marker, a short leg which required skilled rounding to avoid 'bunching' and consequent fouling of leeward boats, this was apparent in the Enterprise race when J. Leslie's "Merry Dancer" fouled twice before rounding the first mark and on subsequent complaint was disqualified.

A Good Chop

There was a good "chop" in the sea between Ness and Berriedale, plenty of sea was shipped by all boats and those fitted with self-bailers congratulated themselves upon their wisdom.

The programme of the day proceeded rapidly, allowing a break of about an hour in the afternoon to allow the Orcadia to berth after her island round trip without interference.

The trophies were presented at the pier by Mrs. Taylor, wife of Dr. Bill Taylor of Dundee University, a well known figure in Orkney yachting circles for many years.

The Westray Yacht Club wish again to thank all those who helped to make the regatta a success- the ladies who prepared the food and contributed sandwiches and baking; Mr. and Mrs. John Drever for the use of their bakehouse; the boatmen who paraded the course as rescuers, and the visiting sailors and officials without whom there would have been no regatta. Miss Agnes Logie also deserves special mention for awarding a trophy for competition by the third-class skiffs.

After departure of the boat, the Westray people returned home to prepare themselves for the regatta dance which went on till midnight to the music of the 'Scratchers' and the Scott Band. There was a large crowd at the dance, which some described as being more like a wedding than a dance. So ended the public celebration of Regatta Day 1970.

Prize List

Skiffs: Class I- 1 Ivy (J. Brown), 2 Curlew (J. Mowat)

Skiffs: Class III- 1 Puffin (John Drever), Emu (J. Scott), 3 Karen (James Drever)

Skiffs: Allcomers- 1 Puffin (John Drever), 2 Ivy (J. Brown), 3 Curlew (J. Mowat)

Rockets: 1 Rock 'n Roll (E. Brown), 2 First Attempt (D. Grieve), 3 Freya (R. Drever)

Snipe: 1 Erma (J. Foubister), 2 Fleetwing (F. Johnston), 3 La Rocca (R. Laird)

Enterprise: 1 Diana (J. Burgher), 2 El Diablo (W. F. Brown), 3 Myrlin (J. P. Drever)

Catamarans: Race 1- 1 Rip Tide (J. Mainland), 2 Never-Can-Tell (W. Tait), 3 Tern (G. Costie) Race 2- 1 Tern (G. Costie), 2 Rip Tide (J. Mainland), 3 Never-Can-Tell (W. Tait)

Centreboard Allcomers- 1 Vanity (R. Percival), 2 Merry Dancer (J. Leslie), 3 Diana (J. Burgher)

Mirrors: Race 1- 1 Sula (Dr. W. Taylor, Pierowall School), 2 Overdraught (C. Johnston), 3 Ingi (H. Scott, Pierowall School), Race 2- 1 Ingi (H. Scott), 2 Sula (Dr. W. Taylor), 3 Greenshank (J. Rosie)