Results / East Lothian YC - 05/05/2001

GUL RS RACING CIRCUIT HEADS TO SCOTLAND AND HAS A STORMING EVENT. The GUL RS Racing Circuit event has seen some remarkable events but it is difficult to remember a better event then the one held at East Lothian YC, North Berwick on May 5/6. Glorious sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, great sailing water, spot on race management, good sea sailing, a really sociable clubs, good breezes, no gap at all between races, stacks of accommodation within staggering distance of the club, a prize giving held very quickly after racing, picturesque scenery, no silly licensing hours, Puffins and free ice cream as you pulled your boat up the ramp!!! Add in RS sailors enjoying themselves to the full and it was difficult to work out what could be improved on. On both courses the race officers laid excellent courses and managed the great feat of causing very mild discomfort for the competitors by turning races round so quickly that no one had enough time to get the Mars bars out!! Saturday saw good sunshine and light winds in the morning but Race Officer Jim Sinclair was spot on with his predicted sea breeze from Bass Rock, which slowly built all day so the majority of the racing was held in a force 3-4 from the east with some good waves. Sunday saw totally clear blue skies, again a sea breeze set in although staying down around a force 2-3. RS300's This time last year there were no RS300's racing in Scotland so it was very encouraging to have six Scottish 300's on the start line at East Lothian producing good competitive sailing. Scores for Richard Cumming of 2.2.1, Ian Baillie, 3.1.3 and Neil Beveridge 1.3.2 gave a very tight overnight situation on Saturday night. Richard Cumming then gave an emphatic display on Sunday to settle the argument to score three firsts and win overall. Ian Baillie was equally secure in second overall with three seconds on Sunday. It will be very interesting to see what happens when the Scottish 300's came up against some of the established 300 sailors at later GUL events. Next weekend the GUL RS Racing Circuit moves to the other end of the country with the 300/600/800's at Stokes Bay and the 200/400's at Lee on Solent. It should be a monster event.