Highland games

Numbers were down again at the Scottish Series this year. We must not lose this endearing regatta says Ed Gorman

In general the CCC and the current sponsor, the stockbrokers Bell Lawrie, seem confident about the future but neither can afford to be complacent. Loch Fyne is a long way away for many English and Irish sailors and getting there, either on the water or by road, requires time, money and a lot of organisation. My own view is that the regatta - despite being somewhat underwhelming from a media perspective at present - must not be allowed to decay further.

The event has its own character and, in many ways, it's the most charming of the lot. The setting is unbeatable. Every time you go to the Clyde it only serves to remind you what a run-of-the-mill and polluted place the Solent is. Loch Fyne is a stunning, moody bit of water. It may be tricky from a racing point of view but most skippers and tacticians recognise that, like anywhere else in sailing, the breaks usually even out in the end.
Race management is steadily improving in a difficult environment for setting courses because of the extreme depths in the Loch. While few complained on this score this year, the main bone of contention were the twin feeder races from Gourock and Bangor which many skippers wish to see re-thought or even scrapped and it seems the CCC is going to have a look at this.

On shore things are very low key. Whereas at Cowes you have to endure wall-to-wall sponsor logos, the Scots are very backward at coming forward in this area and the character of the place shines through as a result, despite the sudden invasion of boats and people. While the entertainment has a long way to go to rival the feast laid on every two years at Cork, yachtsmen at Tarbert still seem to enjoy themselves thoroughly after racing. All of which should help to encourage the English to make the effort to come back next year and let's hope they do.

For Ed's overview of the racing see page 3...