The weekend of 28th Feb/1st March saw a successful event for Team Scotland at the inaugural Spring Championships at Weymouth. The team were using this event as a training regatta to try out new techniques, particularly their starting strategies. As this event’s results do not go towards the national ranking it gave a great opportunity to try new ideas whilst racing against the best in the UK.
 
The three GBR squad boys Callum Airlie, Ali Gray and Ross Stanley-Whyte entered the Gold Fleet and Jamie Calder the Silver Fleet.
 
Saturday brought a steady eight knot breeze and sunshine for the one hundred and sixty three boats on the water.
 
In a very competitive Gold Fleet starting was very tight with the fleet lining up on the line two and a half minutes before the start making it very difficult to get a clean start. Ali Gray opened Team Scotland’s success with a six in the first race and Callum posting a third in race three. Ross was unlucky to get pushed over the line in two of the starts to make it very difficult to come through the fleet but put in a good effort to pull back to the mid thirties in such a competitive field. Jamie opened his regatta in the Silver Fleet with a race win followed by a seventh and a second.
 
Sunday saw similar conditions all be it the wind in the opposite direction, giving the fleets a long sail out to the start.
 
Callum put a great series together with a tenth and sixth in the last two races to move him up the result sheet to tenth overall. A fantastic result in such a competitive fleet. Ali also put a good series together with a sixth in race five, giving him a great result of twenty first overall. Both boys proving their rightful place in the National GBR squad. Ross put in a good effort trying new techniques with his starting and finished fifty seventh overall.
 
Jamie continued to have a consistent regatta on Sunday posting two race wins although only leading the fleet by two points from his nearest rival Ross Mackley. In the final race Ross rounded the windward mark in fourth, Jamie in fifteenth. As the race went on it became quite a nail-biter as Jamie moved up the fleet, finishing in fourth place, one place behind Ross, giving him the Silver Fleet Championship by one point.
 
All in all a very successful regatta for Team Scotland. Great results, new ideas discussed and tested against top competition not to mention a great advert for Scottish Optimist sailing and our Squad system.
 
Roll on the next event………………..