Battle lines on the Clyde

Old Pulteney IRC Scottish Championship to take place this weekend

Some 30 top racing yachts will take to the water at the weekend (7-8 June ) for the Old Pulteney IRC Scottish Championship off Kip Marina on the Clyde.

Organised by Mudhook Yacht Club and sponsored by Old Pulteney, the event has attracted pan-Scotland interest and a number of major players from the recent Scottish Series on Loch Fyne, and it promises to be a serious showdown on the waters of the Clyde.

Among the farther-flung entries are Tom and Dianne Andrews’ Elan 40 Amethyst from Northern Ireland, Whitby’s John Allen and his X302 Antix - a yacht with racing pedigree as former overall Scottish Series champion under original owner Anthony O’Leary and winner of IRC class 4 at this year’s event - and east coast visitor Robert Yates with J/92S Nijinsky from Port Edgar on the Forth.

For Paul Scutt and Alan Jeffrey in Carmen II from Helensburgh, the Tarbert racing proved extremely fruitful and the First 36.7 sailed away with the IRC3 fleet overall prize - a feat which she will, no doubt, be hoping to repeat.

Sailing in IRC2 this time, however, it is unlikely the pairing will get it all their own way, as they go up against Clyde faithful Salamander XX - the Corby 33 belonging to John Corson - as well as Kevin Aitken and crew aboard First 42s7 Duckwall Pooley.

IRC1, the domain of the ‘big boats’, currently sees Jonathon Anderson’s First 47.7 Playing FTSE ready to do battle with Geoff Howison’s Local Hero. Anderson has held his fair share of Clyde silverware in his time, as has Howison, and the showdown between the pair should be one to watch out for - both had their peaks and troughs recently at Tarbert and, with the forecast predicting light to moderate breezes, it could go either way.

Class IRC3, meanwhile, should be shaping up as a strong fight between Howard Morrison’s seasoned campaigners on board Sigma 38 Enigma, Yates’ Nijinsky, and Antix.

Entries are still coming in, meaning that any of the classes could be thrown further open.