RS300s at Prestwick, Scottish Series round 3.

Round 3 of the RS300 Scottish Series took place at Prestwick Sailing Club over the weekend of the 10th and 11th June and took advantage of the warm sunny weather and a 15 to 20 knot breeze. The first race started into the gusty offshore wind and was quickly led by Ian Baillie, who unfortunately then proceeded to sail the wrong course. This left Matt Sharman in the lead, which he held to the finish ahead of his club mate Stephen Cronshaw. Baillie was back in it for race 2 and showed good upwind speed to lead from the start. John Wilson grabbed second and although under pressure from Sharman and Cronshaw, he held his place well. Baillie again showed great speed in the third race but also made good use of the shifts to record another win. The left side generally paid as the wind came off the shore but those who kept their heads out of the boat were the first to take advantage. Wilson sailed another controlled race for second in front of Sharman. Sunday dawned with the wind now round to the south, giving classic Prestwick conditions with some superb rolling waves. Baillie revelled in the trying conditions and no one could match his speed. Sharman showed great control to finish second in race 4, especially given his lack of experience with sailing the 300 on the sea. Wilson suffered one capsize too many but was just able to hold back Cronshaw. The final race again saw Baillie winning. Cronshaw had a great first beat and was on his transom at the first mark. Cronshaw and Wilson then had a great battle for second with Wilson eventually coming out ahead. However the result was not enough for Wilson to secure second overall, losing out to Sharman on count back. Many thanks to Prestwick for running such an enjoyable event and especially for organising the Mediterranean conditions. Thanks also to The Bosun�s Locker for their welcome sponsorship. 1. Ian Baillie Dalgety Bay 2. Matt Sharman Delph 3. John Wilson Prestwick 4. Stephen Cronshaw Delph 5. Jim McGillvary Prestwick 6. Ian Wilson Preswick 7. Chris Noble Largs.