New Laser Radial for Jack

Jack now has Laser Radial (no 185610) purchased from a member of Largs SC last weekend.  It has been cleaned up and titivated over the week and taken to the Club today for his first outing. Unfortunately the wind was far too strong and all competitors in the first day of the Drysuit Diehards Series decided to stay ashore!  Now looking forward to NoSSS training at Chanonry next weekend.

Scottish Laser Squad

Jack's  application to join the Laser Squad has been accepted.  He is over the moon and had to be scraped off the ceiling when I got home tonight!

First squad training at Cumbrae - 8-9 November.

Next NoSSS training 25-26 October.

Peterhead Results

One of the blowiest events on the Topper calendar with training on Saturday am blown off and according to Jack "the strongest winds I've ever raced in" on Sunday. Waiting for final results to be published:

This event: Jack 3rd and Callum 6th

Scottish Topper Traveller Series Results:  Jack 3rd and Callum 9th 

Scottish Topper Inland Championship:  Jack 2nd and Callum 8th

(This was the aggregation of results from two events: L Venacher and L Tummel)

Both have shown very consistent and improving placings this year.

Peterhead this weekend

The final Topper Traveller event for 2008 takes place this weekend at Peterhead SC. Unusually this incorporates a Training day on Saturday and then 4 races on Sunday. Final placings in the Traveller Series are still uncertain so the pressure will be on everyone to do well! 

Kate and Norman are transporting boats this time.

Laser for Jack

Tonight agreed purchase of a Laser Radial by and for Jack (and Richard!?). We go to Largs on the 11th to pick it up!

Ross and Cromarty Sports Council

At the R&C SC AGM and Awards meeting on Monday 6 Oct. Jack was announced winner of the "Active Participant" Award. He is delighted and thanks the Sports Council and local Black Isle Councillors for their funding support, plus his coaches, David Murray (Lochcarron - for the loan of his tripple stak trailer), Callum's parents and his own for their help and support. Next job is to find somewhere in the house for the massive trophy to stand!

RYA Scotland Zone Championships at Largs

Last weekend Jack and Callum took part in the Zone Champs at Largs. An early start to proceedings on Saturday required journeying down on Friday evening arriving about 22:00 at our B&B. Curious set up involved booking with No. 22, sleeping in No. 26 and eating breakfast in No. 18 and sharing one bathroom with all guests in No. 26!

The almost 100 strong band of competiting sailors was divided into Topper (35), Optimist (6) and Handicap classes on one course, Windsurfers (18) on a second course and a "Regatta" (less advanced) fleet (16) on a third. Race officer for this latter fleet was NoSSS Head Coach Paul Bartlett at short notice!!

Richard (E) spent the weekend on one of the RYA Coach ribs with Matt and additionally with Kirsty on Sunday. Very interesting to see the coaches in action and some useful coaching tips picked up as well as how to improve his own sailing!

Both days were very shifty; F1-F3 from the WSW on Saturday and on Sunday a much lighter Wly. Each day was punctuated with rain squalls from the W and NW. The challenge for the fleet was to see the shift or the gust coming in time to take advantage of it or to limit the damage! Both J & C has good and bad "luck" out on the track and achieved some good placings with overall positions for Jack at 3rd and Callum 9th. Both made 2nd place in one race.

Journey to Pwllheli

Delivered Jack to Perth where we met Ian Milford and Katie in the Tesco car park at about 14:15.  Transferred Topper and gear plus Jack (and homework!) to the trailer and camper van.  They set off for Pwllheli half an our later and Jack reports that they arrived at 22:30 - good going.  Well done Ian!

Today, Saturday it has been too windy to sail so no doubt Jack has done all his homework!!!  Forecast for tomorrow is for lighter winds (W of N 13-15 knots) and no rain after 10:00.  Hoping that comes true and they manage 3 or perhaps 4 races.

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Jack off to Wales

Jack has taken up a very kind offer from the Milfords of L Tummel SC to take him and boat to the next Topper Nationwide Traveller in NW Wales at Pwllheli next weekend - 6/7 September.  155 entries so far and building.

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Topper Scottish Championships 2008

Yet more travelling last weekend to Tarbert Loch Fyne YC (most of the way down the Kintyre peninsula) where the midges have fangs and the air is usually damp - at least it was when we were there.  Having said that Saturday was for the most part dry requiring sun block and "skin so soft" while Sunday was anoracks (actually full foul weather gear) and "skin so soft". 
28 boats competer in the Main fleet for the Scottish Champs and about 12 others in the development fleet.  I think everyone was surprised how many boats turned up - probably the best turnout of 2008.

The light and flukey winds seemed to suit Andrew McGowan (Helensburgh) and Jamie Noyes (St Mary's Loch) who fought hard over the first two places overall. They didn't have it all their own way and were beaten to first place 3 times including by Jack and Callum in the 4th and 5th races.  Our boys ended up 3rd and 5th overall respectively as detailed below. If only Callum had not had a 12 to count he would have been up there in the top 3 - well done Callum.

Sailed:6, Discards:1, To count:5, Entries:28, Scoring system:Appendix A

Fleet           SailNo       Helm                    Club R1     R2     R3      R4      R5      R6    Total Nett   Notes

Main 46098  Andrew McGowan         CCC/Helensburgh SC    1.0     2.0     3.0    (29.0 DNF)  2.0        3.0        40.0      11.0       
Main 45003  Jamie Noyes                 St Mary's Loch    2.0     1.0     4.0     (29.0 OCS)          4.0        1.0        41.0      12.0       
Main 45407  Jack Evans                   Chanonry SC         6.0    (8.0)  5.0    1.0     8.0     6.0     34.0  26.0  
Main 46060  Angus Gray-Stephens   TLFYC       5.0    5.0     10.0    (29.0 OCS)  3.0    5.0     57.0      28.0      
Main 44359  Callum MacIver             Chanonry SC      3.0     7.0     12.0   7.0    1.0    (13.0) 43.0      30.0      
Main 46110  Alistair Gray                 Helensburgh SC  9.0     10.0    2.0     6.0    5.0    (12.0) 44.0      32.0   
Main 45747  Patrick Shellcock          Loch Tummel SC 8.0     9.0     8.0     11.0  10.0  (17.0) 63.0      46.0      
Main 44701  Crawford Paris              Strathclyde Loch SC     (15.0)  12.0   1.0    9.0    12.0   14.0      63.0      48.0      
Main 45772  Emily Robertson           RFYC         7.0    11.0    (24.0)  16.0   7.0    7.0    72.0   48.0      
Main 44691  Iain Symons                 Helensburgh SC  10.0    6.0     14.0   (29.0 OCS)          9.0        10.0      78.0      49.0        
Main 44578  Jennifer Abraham          Helensburgh SC  13.0    16.0    (25.0) 8.0    6.0    8.0     76.0      51.0      
Main 45152  Katie Milford                 Loch Tummel SC 14.0    15.0    11.0   3.0    (16.0)         9.0        68.0      52.0      
Main 46363  Emma Palmer              RFYC/DBSC       11.0    13.0    (18.0) 13.0  18.0  2.0     75.0      57.0      
Main 45625  Samm Foster               Loch Tummel SC 18.0    (20.0)  7.0     2.0    15.0  16.0   78.0      58.0      
Main 26384  Graeme Stocks            Tayvallich SC      16.0    (21.0)  6.0     12.0  11.0  15.0   81.0      60.0      
Main 46310  James Morson             St Mary's Loch    (25.0)  17.0    9.0     17.0  14.0  4.0     86.0      61.0      
Main 45806  Sarah Jeffrey                Helensburgh SC  20.0    (24.0)  13.0   5.0    13.0  11.0   86.0      62.0      
Main 43581  Alexander Still              RGYC        12.0  4.0     16.0    4.0     (29.0 DNC)          29.0 BFD          94.0      65.0        
Main 34878  Jessica Campbell          Annandale SC     22.0    3.0     19.0   18.0  (29.0 OCS) 22.0      113.0    84.0      
Main 45644  Calum Wilson               Helensburgh SC  21.0    18.0    17.0   14.0  19.0  (25.0) 114.0    89.0      
Main 33692  Alistair Johnstone         Annandale SC     17.0    22.0    21.0   10.0  20.0  (23.0) 113.0    90.0      
Main 44645  Andrew Mawer             CCC  (27.0) 14.0  15.0    19.0    24.0   21.0  120.0          93.0      
Main 45631  Rory Kilgore                Cove SC/Helensburgh SC       4.0     19.0  23.0  (29.0 OCS)     21.0      29.0 DNF        125.0  96.0           
Main 45189  Joanne Foster              Loch Tummel SC 26.0    (28.0)  27.0   15.0  17.0  18.0   131.0    103.0    
Main 45237  Andrew Mitchell           Helensburgh SC  19.0    23.0    20.0   (29.0 DNC)          29.0 OCS          20.0        140.0  111.0          
Main 14575  David Abraham            Helensburgh SC  24.0    27.0    22.0   20.0  (29.0 OCS) 19.0      141.0    112.0    
Main 29044  Murray McDonald        Prestwick SC      23.0    26.0    (28.0) 21.0  22.0  24.0   144.0    116.0    
Main 45647  Samantha Gray           Helensburgh SC  (28.0)  25.0    26.0   22.0  23.0  26.0   150.0    122.0     

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Worlds and Nationals placings

A bit more information about the latest 2 competitions that the boys have taken part in; i.e. the Topper World Championships in Ireland and the Topper UK National Championships in Paignton, Devon. The fleets taking part in these events are much larger than anything they have seen before. This size of fleet comes with sailing and tactical challenges that they have both benefited from. Each event took place over 6 days and each involved sailing more races than the sail racing events at the current Olympic competitions in China.

176 boats took part in the Worlds racing as 4 flights of boats with 2 separate starts;the flights were rotated so that each flight raced against the other 3 flights. Midway through the week the competitors were finally allocated to either Goldor Silver fleets (88 boats each) depending on their position midway through the event. Their final positions were:- Jack 3^rd and Callum 60^th; both in the Silver fleet, and they beat 47% and 14% of the fleet respectively.

The Nationals were even more challenging with a staggering overall entry of 307 boats which was similarly divided between Gold, Silver, Bronze and Regatta fleets. The Regatta fleet was limited to 31 leaving the other fleets at between 91 and 93 boats each. Both boys showed improved overall positions and consistency during the week and their results were:- Jack 12^th in Silver and Callum 7^th in Bronze. They beat 70% and 38% of the fleet respectively, both showing around 24% improvement over their Worlds achievement.

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Safely back

Arrived back in Avoch at about 01:00 Sunday after leaving Tralee at 07:30 Saturday. A long and arduous drive for Norman and Kate but at least they are home and can rest all day today (Sunday). Special thanks to Norman and Kate for looking after Jack.

Jack too excited to sleep so we chatted about the week for an hour or so in the kitchen. A great experience for both sailors and Callum's family.

The next challenge

Once the boys return home late tonight they start to prepare for the Topper Nationals at Paignton.  The journey begins next Friday trailing their 2 boats all the way - 12 hour journey?

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Jack 3rd in Silver Fleet

The subject says it all. By all accounts he seems to be very happy.
Those of us (Evanses) that have had to follow this week's events on the high seas at Tralee have been frustrated with the lack of accurate results being published in the Internet. Now we can't wait to speak to the boys to see how they feel.

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Topper World Championships at Tralee Bay Sailing Club

Boys in Ireland taking part in the Topper World Championships at Tralee Bay Sailing Club at a place called Fenit. 176 entries; seem to be only 9 or so Scottish entries - see some in the photo. Callum worked hard on his boat to make it go fast.