Fever Glenfiddich still unbeaten

Champagne sailing condtions at the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series

Diamond Jubilee or not, 2012 is shaping up as a vintage year for the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series. With a full measure more breeze today and constant sunshine, even the southeasterly breeze stayed settled enough to ensure courses on the Bowmore fleet were especially good.

He may have a vested interest, as a representative of Bowmore who loves his Scottish Series, but Playing FTSE’s Gordon Dundas came ashore with the unequivocal opinion after posting a sixth and two first places aboard Jonathon Anderson’s big Beneteau First 47.7. Their results today takes them three points clear of the Carrickfergus based J/133 Spirit of Jacana.

“It has been the best racing we have had at Tarbert for at least five years,” said Dundas.

Skippered by three times Scottish Series winner Jonathan Anderson this will be the swansong regatta for Playing FTSE, which is being replaced in July after nine years of successful racing.

A lost jib sheet pre-start in the first race was the catalyst of a string of small problems, which meant FTSE was one of two boats over the start line early. The second was twice Scottish Series winner Bateleur and then in Class 2 the only skipper in that fleet to have won the top trophy, John Corson, also broke the start ahead of the gun, proved that every second counts on the race course.

Corson and his crew on Salamander XXI rallied after their misdemeanor and came back to win the first race of their three races today, which they backed up with a fourth and a second to lead IRC Class 2 by a single point.

The only boat in the whole regatta to have retained an unblemished scoreline so far is Fever Glenfiddich. Grant Gordon’s J/97 posted another three wins today in the brisk 15-20 knots breeze to lead by at least 13 points. “It is good racing," he said. "The breezes have been pretty settled but there is certainly enough shifts and changes to keep it interesting and so you have to stay on your toes. The scoreline does not show how close it is and we are definitely being made to work hard.”

Indeed in the third race they won by only 48 seconds.

The SB20 fleet which mustered a good sized class, had three great races in the middle of the loch, with the Irish boat Sharkbait of Brian Moran and Ben Durham leading overall by three points.