Playing FTSE dominates

Jonathan Anderson's team claim the big class in the Old Pulteney IRC Scottish Championship

Although day two’s racing in the Old Pulteney IRC Scottish Championship on the Clyde was hardly rock and roll, with only light airs, a consistently stellar performance gave Playing FTSE the IRC Class 1 win.

The worst news possible for the Beneteau 47.7, owned and helmed by Kilmacolm man Jonathan Anderson, was the forecasters telling of light winds – for an older, heavy yacht like FTSE, a bit of a stiff breeze to get her moving is definitely the order of the day. But Anderson and crew only failed to hit the top spot once during the five-race Mudhook Yacht Club regatta at Largs, firmly securing a well-earned victory, as well as taking home the overall trophy as Scottish IRC champions.

The first race on Sunday was the only time that FTSE showed her fallibility, with Jon Fitzgerald at the helm of Chris Tiso’s Farr 40 Thunderbird of Rhu only to happy to grasp the nettle – Fitzgerald and team not only took the win over the water, but were still well ahead on corrected time, with Charlie Frize’s Prime Suspect second and FTSE third.

But it was business as usual in the second on Sunday, as FTSE stormed through for a bullet over the water and on corrected time.

“The first race was pretty bad,” said Anderson. “The race committee got us off on time, which was surprising as there wasn’t a lot of wind – about 10 knots – which then dropped off to about 4-6 knots. And we just didn’t want that. But we somehow managed to sneak a third out of it which was actually quite good.

“The wind had shifted round to the north west in the second and filled in at 10-15 knots, which was fine for us. We got a good start, picked the right side of all the shifts and led all the way.

“Really delighted to have won – she’s an old boat, but she’s still doing well. And the crew work was exceptional.”

Meanwhile in IRC2 the battle for supremacy did seem to go all one way with Keith Lord’s A Crewed Interest proving that consistency really pays.

Of all classes, this one probably saw the biggest mix up with Lord going up against John Corson’s Corby 33 Salamander XX. Fresh from an overall victory at Scottish Series, Salamander should have been riding high, but it never really seemed to come together for them.

The Isle of Man team from A Crewed Interest did not get out there and post a string of firsts like FTSE – instead they kept it clean and tidy, with two firsts, two seconds and a third during the weekend - more than enough to keep them clear of others whose results were rather subject to the yo-yo effect.

The Swan 40 Sloop John T, owned by Iain and Graham Thomson, picked up second place, and team Salamander had to content themselves with third.

It was very tough at the top for IRC3, with a ding-dong battle throughout the regatta between Miles Stratton’s Archambault 31 Imadjinn and John Robertson with Davidson 36 Hops. The competition was finally wrapped up with Stratton and team securing the win by a margin of a single point.

And in IRC4 it was even tighter as Whitby’s John Allen in Antix went up against Largs yacht Mercenary with Mark Bradshaw. After five races, the two yachts were honours even on seven points apiece with Mercenary taking the win on the number of firsts during the regatta.

Overall results, Old Pulteney Scottish IRC Championship, Largs:

IRC1 – 1 Playing FTSE (J Anderson) 4 points, 2 Bateleur 97 (C Bonar) 10, 3 Zephyr (S Cowie) 13

IRC2 – 1 A Crewed Interest (K Lord) 6, 2 Sloop John T (I&G Thomson) 9, 3 Salamander XX (J Corson) 9.5;

IRC3 – 1 Imadjinn (M Stratton) 5, 2 Hops (J Robertson) 6, 3 Enigma (H Morrison) 12;

IRC4 – 1 Mercenary (M Bradshaw) 7, 2 Antix (J Allen) 7, 3 Chia Chia (Eagleton/Waterhouse) 10.