Scottish Blaze at Port Edgar, Edinburgh.

On the 11/12th of September 2004, the Carl Dyson Regatta at Port Edgar Yacht Club (PEYC) was the venue for the third Scottish Blaze Travellers event of the year. The event was also to double up as the Scottish Blaze Championship, which was sponsored by the Bosun’s Locker. However, despite the best efforts of the Regatta organisers at PEYC the weather was just too extreme and all racing was eventually abandoned. However PEYC did attempt to get the first race underway on the Saturday on the Rosyth side of the River Forth. This meant sailing across the river from Port Edgar and just getting to the start line was a challenge and a wild experience with large lumpy waves and lots of wind. With multiple capsizes littering the seascape it was clearly survival conditions.

“The first race on Saturday did start in about 30 mph of breeze but it wasn’t long before the wind had increased in excess of 38mph. Bill Soudan decided that discretion was the better part of valour and decided after sailing up and down the start line for a while that the weather was just too extreme and decided not to start. Peter Collings tipped as the favourite to win the Regatta gave the following account of the abandoned first race. “Nick Lines got off to a flyer with a port tack start. Peter Collings was first to the windward mark with Mervin Wright on his heels and with Nick and Pete Sykes not far behind. Halfway down the first reach a squall of 40mph plus (as measured on the Committee boat) hit, Mervin, Nick and Pete and they capsized. Mervin righted his boat quickly and set off after Peter Collings. They both got to the leeward mark avoiding capsized RS300’s without further incident. Part way up the next beat the OOD abandoned the race.”

Because the event had to be abandoned the results for the Scottish Travellers were decided on the Findhorn and Venachar Events. The Scottish Championship title was decided on the Venachar Regatta result because it was felt by the Class members present at the Carl Dyson that there was not enough time in the season to organise a Re-race.

So the final results were: Bill Soudan Blaze 592, Royal Findhorn Yacht Club was 1st overall in the Blaze Scottish Travellers Series. Mervin Wright Blaze 529, Helensburgh Sailing Club was elected Scottish Champion based on the Loch Venachar Regatta result. Peter Sykes Blaze 623, Port Edgar Yacht Club was third overall in the Scottish Blaze Travellers series and third overall in the Scottish Championship results. Both Bill and Mervin will now be representing Scottish Blaze at the Scottish Champion of Champions event at Loch Lomond in late October. The competition will be hot! with Ian Bailie the RS300 National Champion gunning for Bill and Mervin. All in good fun we hope!

The Blaze Class Association would like to the thank Port Edgar Yacht Club for all the hard work did in attempting to host the Blaze Scottish and the Travellers Event. Hopefully next year the weather Gods will look more kindly on us. Thanks also to the Bosun’s Locker for sponsoring the Scottish Championship Event.

Bill Soudan