Loch Long Week 2008

Honours shared in Loch Long Week 2008 on the Alde (writes Jamie Bruce-Lockhart)

(all photos provided by John McMurtrie Jnr and copyright unattributed)

From 20-25 July thirty-four Loch Longs competed in a series of quality races at Aldeburgh on only the second occasion on which the annual championship of this seventy-one year old class of classic yacht has been held away from the Association's home on the Firth of Clyde. (not quite so scenic eh?- chas) Eight boats from Cove Sailing Club (CSC) came south for the event and one Aldeburgh boat was sailed by a Scottish crew.

After a sturdy Force 5 on the first day, and blustery north-westerlies of Force 6 gusting 7 on day two, light cyclonic airs typical on the estuary came as something of a relief on day three. A one and a quarter mile long windward-leeward course was sailed on the upper reaches of the river when conditions permitted, with others set on home reaches with their fast running tides and exposed mud flanks. In the final two days needle matches were settled throughout the fleet in pleasant Force 4 south-easterly breezes.

The battle for the coveted Clyde Cup in the ten-race series (eight results counting) was settled only in the last race with a narrow yet emphatic win for Simon and Ning Fulford of Aldeburgh Yacht Club (AYC) in Whim with 9 points. In second place, ever in close contention, were Mark Bradshaw and Jack Fordy (CSC) in Pamina with 17 points followed closely by Murray Caldwell (CSC) in Dolphin with 20 points in third position. These former champions from north and south dominated the fleet but relentless in pursuit were three other yachts, only a point apart: Ripple (Phil Montague, AYC) with 51 points, Eden (Ari Liddell, AYC) with 52, and Pippin (Jimmy Robinson, AYC) with 53 in sixth place. The next six places saw equally exciting racing, with Matthew Duncan (AYC) seventh in Trya with 59 points, outgoing Commodore Jonathan Evans (AYC) eighth in Tantrum with 63.2 points and Dennis Mossman (AYC) in Zimmer ninth with 65 points; behind them Robert Mulcahy (AYC) in Fiona took precedence in a count back over incoming Association Commodore Eric Robertson in Bora, both scoring 78 points, while David Trower (AYC) in Carousel came in twelfth place with 86 points.

Similar close duels were repeated throughout the fleet and the championship saw its share of incident, broken spars and broachings, but in the final count honours were shared between older boats restored and the more recent builds and between Anglian and Scottish sailors, underlining once more the continuing well-being of one of the most successful classic small yacht classes in Britain.

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