Saturday was the last day of the Wick Model Yacht Clubs season, an additional day added to our normal schedule, we held three races in light winds. The 5ft class of yacht, the larger of our two classes, were sailed.

The first race of the day was for the Donald Hendry Memorial Cup. The light winds eased as the boats reached the opposite end of the loch the Firewood hugged the long side which allowed it to gain a slight lead.

In first position was the Firewood sailed by Kevin & Lewis Paterson, 33m33s. Second Jolly Roger sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 34m30s. Third Orca sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson, 39m03s. Fourth Girl Janis sailed by Barry & Brian Scollay, 42m35s. Fifth Argo Archie & Fiona Miller, 44m13s and in sixth position was the Firedancer sailed by Robin Webster, 45m00s.

The second race was for the Donaldson Cup with an increase in the wind the Argo took the lead which it slowly improved upon as the race continued. The Shingani also improved in performance and was right in the middle of the pack. First Argo, 25m16s. Second Jolly Roger, 26m43s. Third Shingani sailed by Tony Wilson, 27m38s. Fourth Firewood, 29m10s. Fifth Firedancer, 29m20s and in sixth was the Girl Janis, 31m00s.

The final race for the George Groat Cup. The Shingani and the Girl Janis gave the Argo a run for its money, but it was not to be, the Argo showed no sign of weakness and continued its winning streak. First Argo, 28m37s. Second Shingani, 30m10s. Third Girl Janis, 31m00s. Fourth Jolly Roger, 33m02s. Fifth Firewood, 33m47s and in sixth position was the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson, 40m00s.

The prize giving was held in The Smiddy Inn in the evening with some very happy faces from the juniors when they were presented with there trophies. This season has to have been one of our better seasons with excellent weather, a new fastest time and new competitors. The friendly family atmosphere we have is the main reason the club has lasted so long, 82 years and still going. I would like to thank all the participants for making this happen and to thank Isla Mcleod from the Thrumster Estate for her continued support of the club.

Saturday was another cracker of a day at sarclet loch both in terms of the weather and the sailing. For the past three weeks the wind has blown from the same direction and has been a very similar speed. This has made the set up of the yachts fairly simple week in week out. Mid size sails were used. The downward leg required spinnakers, by the time the boats reached the far end of the loch they were still tightly packed, a quick turn around adjusting the sails for the return leg sailing upwind was the critical portion of the race.

The beautiful weather was also drawing people out of there homes for a bit of fresh air which was a welcome sight. The fauna were also out, ducks and ducklings, a solitary swan and a stoat with a vole for lunch.

The first race began with eight contenders for the Wm. Sinclair Cup. In first position was the Sapphire sailed by Barry Scollay, 26m34s closely followed by the Firewood sailed by Kevin & Lewis Paterson, 27m07s. Third Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam, 27m37s. Fourth Argo sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller, 28m33s. Fifth Pioneer sailed by Tony Wilson, 28m38s and in sixth was the Jolly Roger, 36m23s.

The second race for the prestigious 1903 cup went to the Argo with a very good return leg in a time of 26m30s. Second the Firewood, 27m00s. Third Pioneer, 27m10s. Fourth Apollo, 27m32s and finally the Thor sailed by Robin Webster, 37m00s.

Tomorrow is our last racing day of the season we shall be sailing three races one of which is to raise funds for the RNLI.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day for sailing. A fine steady breeze saw most adopt their middle sized sails. The downward leg required a spinnaker, from the goal the boats drifted off heading towards the hut but the wind had a slight bend, pulling the boats away from the short side then onwards touching the shore between the chicken rock and the opposite goal. All the boats were fairly even on the downward leg the real test was the return leg.

The winner of the first race for the Dunlin Cup was the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson, 25m08s. Second Argo sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller, 25m48s. Third JollyRoger sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 28m11s. Fourth the SRII sailed by Jim Oag and Jenny Lawless in a time of 29m10s and in fifth position the Pioneer sailed by Tony Wilson, 29m30s.

The second race of the day was a junior event for the W. Tait Memorial Cup. In first position was the Pioneer sailed by Katie McKinnon in a time of 23m50s. In second position was the Apollo sailed by Jack Hamilton, 25ms40s. Third Firewood sailed by Lewis Paterson, 25m50s. Fourth Thor sailed by Rosie Banks 28m26s. Fifth Valsheda sailed by Adam Bremner, 35m00s.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day although if you were hanging around it was quite cool. A fine steady breeze saw most adopt their middle sized sails. The downward leg required a spinnaker, from the goal the boats drifted off heading towards the hut but the wind had a slight bend, pulling the boats away from the short side then onwards touching the shore between the chicken rock and the opposite goal. During the days events the return leg was the crucial one, it determined if you were a winner or loser.

The winner of the first race for the Cameo Shield was lucky enough not to tack and managed to sail from end to end only briefly touching the shore, requiring a slight redirection. All the other vessels had to tack losing out.

In first place was the SRII sailed by Jim Oag in a time of 23m55s. Second Aurora sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller, 26m38s. Third Thor sailed by Robin Webster, 27m54s. Fourth Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson, 28m25s. Fifth Firewood sailed by Kevin Paterson, 29m23s and in Sixth position was the Valhalla sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 36m00s.

The second race for the Sarclet Queen followed the same format as the first, emphasizing the importance of not tacking on the return leg. This time the Firewood achieved first position in a time of 23m33s. In second position was the Thor which also managed the end to end return although at a marginally slower pace, 24ms23. Third SRII, 26m23s. Fourth Aurora 27m32s. Fifth Apollo, 27m40s and in sixth place was the Valhalla, 35m00s.

With a light to moderate North to North Westerly breeze blowing at Sarclet, six yachts competed for the Dunlin Cup. A welcome sight back at Sarclet after an absence of around 30 years was ex - wicker Michael Sutherland accompanied by his son Alan, who despite having a round trip of more than 200 miles from their home competed in both races with their old timer Fin-Mick-Tam (Ex Girl Shona). Despite being around 50 years old she was far from disgraced competing against the modern day yachts.

After an even start the Aurora went into the lead and was first at the turn with the Thor and Jolly Roger close behind. On the homeward leg there was not much between the Aurora and the Jolly Roger and at the winning post the Aurora won by 25 seconds.

Dunlin Cup 1st Aurora sailed by Archie and Fiona Miller 27mins 30 seconds 2nd Jolly Roger sailed by Sandy and Adam Bremner 27.55 3rd Thor sailed by Robin Webster 34.02 4th Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam 34.52 5th Srii sailed by Jim Oag and Jenny Lawless 39.20 6th Fin-Mick-Tam sailed by Michael and Alan Sutherland 40.26

The second race was a points race which also incorporated the 3rd leg of the Sarclet Queen Trophy for the junior members. The Thor went into an early lead closely followed by Apollo. Aurora and Valhalla backfilled and lost ground. At the turn it was Apollo who was leading the pack and despite a collision with the Srii lost some ground but once clear led all the way to the finish.

1st Apollo sailed by Jack Hamilton assisted by Donald McWilliam 2nd Valhalla sailed by Adam Bremner assisted by Sandy Bremner 3rd Thor sailed by Robin Webster 4th Aurora sailed by Katie McKinnon assisted by Archie Miller 5th Srii sailed by Jim Oag and Jenny Lawless 6th Fin-Mick-Tam sailed by Michael and Alan Sutherland

3rd leg Sarclet Queen Trophy (Juniors) 1st Apollo sailed by Jack Hamilton 2nd Valhalla sailed by Adam Bremner 3rd Aurora sailed by Katie McKinnon

This weekend racing will take place with two races, the first for the Cameo Shield and the second race will be a points race incorporating the final leg of the Sarclet Queen Trophy.

Sarclet loch hosted the annual Inter-County Challenge where contenders from the Wick Model Yacht Club and the Kirkwall Model Yacht Club contested for trophies. The two day event consisted of six races for five trophies, which is very kindly sponsored by the Dounreay Employees Charity Fund. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a decent breeze easing as the day progressed half of the sailors adopted middle sized sails initially but eventually all fitted there largest sets. 3 of the 6 races where held on saturday, 2 for the Mayday Shield and the last for the 1st leg of the Caithness Glass Bowl.

The Swan, sailed by Alan Walls and Ian Kirkness, an Orkney vessel was triumphant in winning the Mayday Shield with 11points. Second position went to the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson 10points and in equal third position was the Pioneer sailed by Tony Wilson and the Hope sailed by Bill Drever and Arthur Deerness with 5points.

Sunday was overcast which was somewhat of a welcome relief to some of the more follically challenged competitors with sunburns. The wind was marginally stronger than the previous day but most of the vessels still used there largest set of sails. The first race concluded the Caithness Glass Bowl with the Apollo collecting the trophy with 11points. In second with 8points was the Firewood sailed by Kevin & Andy Paterson and in third position was the Aurora sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller with 7points. The Swan unfortunately lost out in this race with damage to its jib boom. The last race of the day was rather exciting literally just as the whistle blew to begin the final race the wind fell. The yachts that gained a few feet advantage began to pirouette, the waves disappeared leaving a mirrored surface which was only broken by trout jumping after the mayfly. After about 20minutes of this the wind reappeared and strengthened, enough to bend the Firewoods mast rendering it unusable. Only 3 boats managed to finish this race within the 1 hour time limit. The Quatercentenary Cup was shared between the two Orkney vessels, the Swan and the Hope with equal points, 11. Second position Apollo with 8 points and in third the Firewood with 3.

The Viking Cup which is won by the yacht with the most points accrued over the two days went to a local boat the Apollo with 29points. Second Swan with 26 and in third Hope with 17.

The Bill Drever Cup which is won by the Orkney vessel with the most points accrued over the two days this went to the Swan with 26 points. Second went to the Hope with 17points.

The Wick Model Yacht Club would like to thank the participants from Orkney for making the event competitive, sociable and enjoyable.

Saturday had a steady strong breeze with all contenders adopting there small sails. The wind direction was just off of beam which required a flat spinnaker in one direction. The first race for the Cameo Shield saw one yacht stretch quite an unbelievable lead, it had finished the race three quarters the length of the loch ahead of the nearest competitor. The Pioneer sailed by Tony Wilson completed the run in a time of 16m40s which is the fastest recorded time in years. Second position went to the SRII sailed by Jim Oag, 23m20s which itself is a respectable race winning time. Third went to Aurora sailed by Archie Miller and Katie McKinnon, 24m04m. Fourth, Bee sailed by Andrew Banks, 25m00s and in fifth position was the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam, 27m15s.

The second race for the Dunlin Cup saw a reversal of fortunes and at a slower more respectable pace. The Aurora pipped the Apollo by 2 seconds to win the race in a time of 29m18s. Third position went to the SRII, 32m38s. Fourth Pioneer, 36m40s and in fifth position Bee in a time of 37m40s. The previous saturday also had a wind direction slightly off beam but was not steady, it would very subtlety change direction which caught a few of the yachts and there sailors out. The first race for the 2nd leg of the Valkyrie Cup was comfortably won by the Jolly Roger sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 26m29s. Second position went to the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson, 37m00s. Third Aurora sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller, 38m20s. Fourth the SRII sailed by Jim Oag, 38m50s and in fifth place was the Firewood sailed by Kevin Paterson, 39m30s.

The second race of the day was a junior event the 2nd leg of the Sarclet Queen. In first position was the Firewood sailed by Lewis Paterson in a time of 29m11s, Second place went to Apollo sailed by Jack Hamilton, 31m42s and in third place was the Valsheda sailed by Adam Bremner, 32m44s. The juniors were assisted by the veterans.

Saturday had a decent breeze, requiring our mid-sized sails, which was a refreshing change from the previous weeks weather. The days racing began with all vessels, bar one, flying there spinnakers on a downwind leg. The odd one out, the Sapphire, adopted the gull wing method which is possible with the vane steering gear attached.

The first race of the day was the 3rd leg of the Alliance & Leicester Shield. 3 of the 5 boats hugged the short side on the downward leg stretching a small lead which was difficult to overcome and the final results reflected this. In first position was the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson in a time of 23m. In second position was the oldest member of the club Jim Oag sailing the SRII with Jenny Lawless in 24m. Third Sapphire sailed by Barry & Brian Scollay 25m30s. Fourth, Firewood sailed by Kevin Paterson and in fifth place was the Valsheda sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 32m.

The second race was the first of the junior events of which four juniors took part. This year has been a surprisingly competitive season for the yacht club with finishes so close we may have to introduce a photo graphic system to identify the winner. The junior race was another such race with 13seconds separating the first two yachts. Taking the lead was the Valsheda sailed by Adam Bremner, 29m25s closely followed by the Firewood sailed by Lewis Paterson, 29m38s. In third position was the SRII sailed by Jordan Bruce, 29m58s and in fourth the Apollo sailed by Jack Hamilton, 34m12s. The juniors were assisted by the veterans mentioned above.

Saturday has to have been the wildest day for sailing since our season began. All of the yachts adopted there smallest set of sails. The waves on the loch were large enough to break and the yachts traversing the waves looked more like rubber ducks in a kids bath bobbing around, but this did not stop us, the racing carried on regardless.

The first race of the day for the Valkyrie Cup was not the quickest but for two contenders it was the closest of finishes, separated by no more than a couple of boat lengths which after almost 1.5miles of sailing is remarkable. The boat that took the win crossing the finishing line in first place was the Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam and Willie Thomson in a time of 28m52s followed promptly 5seconds later the Sapphire sailed by Barry Scollay. The Firewood sailed by Kevin Paterson took third place, 29m50s and in fourth position was the Jolly Roger sailed by Sandy & Adam Bremner, 34m00s.

The weather deteriorated during the second event, for the Seaforth Cup. On the return leg a blizzard appeared reducing visibility to just a few feet, but luckily it did not last for very long, just enough to cover the grass with what could be described as an icing sugar coating. All of the vessels were slower apart from one which seemed to thrive in the rougher weather. With a clear win the Jolly Roger finished in a time of 27m followed by the Sapphire 2m10s later. Third was the Apollo 33m20s and in fourth place was the Firewood 45m.

Saturday the 29th of March a lovely sunny day initially with strong winds but as the afternoon progressed the wind reduced in strength and changed direction. The wind caught several of the competitors out, 2 of the boats settled for small sails and the rest of the fleet went for their middle sized. On the first race the larger sails posed no advantage until part way through the race when the wind fell which saw the boats with smaller sails fall of the pace not completing the first race. First race of the day was for the Webster Cup 2nd leg. In first position was the SRII 29m 5s, second Valsheda sailed by S. & A. Bremner 34m 30s in third place was the Sapphire 35m 10s and in fourth was the Apollo in a time of 37m 40s. The second event had the change in wind direction. Several of the yachts were in very close contention for first place with the winner only becoming evident within the last few seconds of the 1.5mile race. The prize went to the Apollo in 27m 33s followed by only 7seconds the Aurora sailed by F. Miller & K. McKinnon, third Pioneer sailed by T. Wilson 31m 40s and in fourth place was the SRII 37m30s.

Saturday the 22nd of March had an ominous start to the day, snow lying on the ground, strong winds, a very miserable looking day indeed, but the weather did not stop the participants from appearing. As the afternoons racing commenced the weather improved only slightly. The racing was excellent every competitor was in contention for the winning the races with the lead changing hands several times. First race of the day was for the W. More Cup 2nd leg.

In first place was the Sapphire sailed by B. Scollay in 28m 37s followed closely by the Apollo sailed by D. McWilliam and W. Thomson, 29m, third Shangani sailed by T. Wilson 29m 34s, fourth Firewood sailed by K. Paterson 31m 45s, fifth SRII J. Oag and J. Lawless 32m20s and in sixth position was the Jolly Roger sailed by S. & A. Bremner 32m50s.

Second race was the 2nd leg for the Shetland Tankard In first place with a convincing win and the fastest finish of the season so far was the Apollo in a time of 21m50s followed by Shangani 24m 18s, third SRII 26m42s and in fourth position was the Jolly Roger in 27m 29s.

The 4th week of the season consisted of variable of winds, the first race for the Webster Cup started with most adopting the middle suit of sails, part way through this first race the wind strength dropped and change direction. The effect of this saw the Valhalla and the Firewood fall of the pace allowing a clear winner the Apollo sailed by D. McWilliam & W. Thomson in a time of 31m30s. Second Sapphire sailed by B.Scollay, 34m04s. Third Srii sailed by J. Oag & J. Lawless, 44m45s. Fourth Valhalla sailed by S. & A. Bremner, 48m30s.

The second race for the Alliance & Leicester Shield to everyones delight had a steady wind. All the vessels started the race with spinnakers flying, but with a starting interval of 10seconds it does have its hazards and this was highlighted within about 30metres of the start line. The Valhalla and the Srii collided and were entangled, by the time they drifted to shore the rest of the field had a significant lead too great to overcome. The Apollo made up a lot of ground on the return leg passing the Thor and Firewood to cross the line in first in a time of 33m49s. Second Thor sailed by R. Webster, 34m40s followed 7seconds later by the Firewood sailed by K. Paterson, 34m. Fourth Srii, 39m30s

The first race of the day was for the Wm. More Cup, the sun shining and with strong wind saw the Shingani cross the finishing line first in a time of 26m 26s sailed by Tony Wilson, second and separated only by 6 seconds was the Apollo sailed by D. McWilliam and W. Thomson, third was the Aurora in 26m 54s sailed by A & F Miller and fourth was Valhalla sailed by S & A Bremner.

The second race for the Shetland Tankard concluded with 3 vessels suffering damage, only one of the three managing to complete the course, the wind strength increased as the afternoon rolled on developing the windiest conditions this season so far. In first position was the Apollo in a time of 26m, followed by the Shingani in 31m and with some minor damage the Aurora in third, 33m.