Results / GUL Grand Prix Prestwick SC - 18/08/2012

Prestwick served up its usual blend of sunshine, sun, wind and waves for the final Gul Grand Prix event of the year. Nine boats lined up in a perfect force 3 with
foaming white horses, and Prestwick squad was using this event as practice for next months National Championships.

The weekend turned out to be a four boat dogfight between Ian Baillie, former National Champion from Dalgety Bay, John Wilson, former National Youth Champion
from Largo Bay, and David McCardle and Neil Beveridge from the home club. John Wilson's inability to remember his trapezoid from his sausage meant that his slim
lead in the first race was lost, and using a perfect wind shift up the beat Neil Beveridge took the first gun from Ian Baillie.

Race two got underway in slightly less wind but conditions where downwind skill on the waves would make a huge difference, and Ian Baillie soon pulled out an
unassailable lead followed by Beveridge whose consistency would play a critical part in the weekend.

The four way fight continued in race three, but this time newcomer (and bright prospect for the Nationals) David McCardle came out on top with Beveridge second
again.

Day two was light and very changeable and PRO Paul Gilmore did a great job of getting two races in. In race four McCardle held a useful lead, but very patchy wind
allowed Baillie to sneak his second win of the event, with Beveridge second again.

In what was to be the final race the four were all together when Wilson got his sausage wrong again, allowing the other three to catch up. Down the run it was four
boats in a row, but Beveridge managed to coax a little more speed out of the dying wind to keep the inside berth at the next mark. A wind change made the rest of the
race a reaching festival, and Beveridge held on with Wilson second.

The wind then switched off, the PRO said that's that, and it was ashore for Tracey's Lasagne and chips.

Neil Beveridge