This year's regatta was an excellent event once again with great winds and close competition. The following article, written by Charles, describes the Enterprise side of things.

Speed Sails Enterprise Scottish National Championship, St Mary's Loch 25-26 August 2007

Race 1: SW, 3-4
With 5 minutes to go local boat 22112 sailed by Charles Morrish and Alison Geddes were still busy righting their capsize. Eventually the tangle of sheets, tiller and rudder were sorted and they planed away from the starting area. They tacked back with the boat still half full of water to make a creditable start at the starboard end of the line. They worked the right hand side of the course to arrive first at the windward mark closely followed by Jonathan Woodward and Alex Halliwell 23089. On the reach/run to the leeward mark another local boat 22273 sailed by Charles Willoughby and Duncan Nicholls planed through below the leaders to hit the front. Up the second beat Robin and Don Wilkins 22108 took the lead by working the right hand side of the course. On the third beat Martin Honnor and Arthur Mason 23222 managed to pull through and take the gun after very close racing with the Wilkins brothers. Richard Adams and Martin Weatherstone were third.

Race 2: "Gez wuz robbed"
Bigger gains could be made on the right of the beat but not too regularly whereas the left hand side tended to pay more often but by not as much - 'you pays your money ...'
Up the first beat Gez Brown and Chris Blundell 23194 lead the way closely followed by Richard Adams/Martin Weatherstone. Gez and Chris pulled clear and were leading comfortably from Tim Sadler and Richard Sault 23127 and Jon Woodward/Alex Halliwell up the final beat. On tacking for the mark Gez must have dropped his fag packet because in the confusion the boat scooped large quantities of water leaving Tim and Saulty to take the gun with Jon and Alex second while Gez and Chris limped in third.
Overnight leaders, after a day of very competitive racing, were Robin and Don Wilkins with a second and a fourth.

The usual St Mary's hospitality ensued and several crews and helms were nursing serious hangovers on the Sunday morning.

Race 3: WNW, 3-4
Tim Sadler/Richard Sault were first to the windward mark closely followed by local boat 22270 sailed by Ali Morrish and Tim Vick and then another Scottish boat 22525 Euan Dunn and Fi Foulkes. Ali and Tim came through to lead at the leeward mark but then Tim and Saulty were first up the second beat while Richard Adams just got water on Ali and Tim to move up to second place. On the final beat Richard went hard left to take the lead and cross the line ahead of Tim and Saulty followed by Ali and Tim.

Race 4
Martin Honnor led at the windward mark followed by Tim Sadler and then Phil Snewin and Ros Coleman 22536 with Ali Morrish fourth. On the reaches Jon Woodward/Alex Halliwell and Graeme Kirkup and Dominic White 23224 planed over the rest to lead by the leeward mark. However by the end of the second beat Tim and Saulty had taken the lead followed by Martin Honnor/Arthur Mason and then Jon Woodward/Alex Halliwell. On the last beat Tim Sadler and Saulty maintained their lead over Martin and Arthur but Ali Morrish and Euan Dunn successfully worked the right side of the course to come in third and fourth. (Richard Adams worked very hard throughout the race to apparently finish third ... however he then discovered that he had been OCS)

Race 5
Several boats were in with the chance of victory in the championship. At the start two possible contenders Tim Sadler and Martin Honnor were OCS and sailed back to restart, with the 'i' flag in operation this was a significant penalty from which neither really recovered. Paul Young and Alison Torrens 22901 were first to the windward mark followed by Pete and Jack Lawson 2303. Both had successfully worked the left side of the beat. Phil and Ros rounded third with Ali and Tim fourth and Euan and Fi fifth. There was lots of place changing up the second beat and by the windward mark Pete and Jack were leading followed by Jon and Alex with Phil and Ros third and Graeme and Dominic fourth. On the final beat Richard Adams pulled through to third behind Pete and Jack and Jon and Alex, while Ali Morrish and Tim Vick came in fourth.

Ali and Tim finished third overall with 15 points but the first two Richard/Martin and Jon/Alex were tied overall on 13 points. However with a first place in Race 3 Richard Adams was the winner and Speed Sails Scottish National Champion.