The finale of our seasons competitve sailing was a breezy overcast day. The wind strength gave the sailors a difficult choice of which sail size was the optimum selection for the conditions either top or middle rigs. Two chose large sails the remaining three vessels selected the smaller middle suit. As the race began the Skua was the first boat to have an incident with the RestlessWave which then went on to foul with Aurora. But as the fleet reached the shed the wind strength increased and all the vessels began to head towards the Chicken rock apart from the Skua which steadily continued straight down the middle of the loch. The others began to struggle to get off the longside requiring multiple adjustments. On the return leg with its spinnaker removed the Skua had a substanial lead. As the chasing boats tacked to and fro towards the finishline the BlueHaze was gaining on the Skua however weeds across the mouth of the goal slowed progress and the Skua finished successfully.

Result: 1. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay and David Sutherland 30:55, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 32:20, 3. Aurora Archie Miller 33:47, 4. RestlessWave Graham & Adam & Willie Robertson 40:18, 5. Apollo Donald McWilliam 43:53

The final race, everyone who struggled with the previous spinnaker run made adjustments by increasing spinnaker size. The race began favourably for all. The BlueHaze selecting an oversized spinnaker set off at a fast pace however as it approached the shed the wind strength increased and it became unstable and headed to the longside. The following fleet continued on the short shore with the Apollo now leading the pack. On the return with spinnakers removed the Aurora picked up the pace to overtake the Apollo. The others jostled attempting a long tack from the longside to the finishline for gain third place. The BlueHaze and RestlessWave unfortunately required a short tack but the Skua sailed passed to gain the position.

Result: 1. Aurora Archie Miller 25:45, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 26:15, 3. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay and David Sutherland 29:04, 4. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 30:05, 5. RestlessWave Graham & Adam & Willie Robertson 32:31

To conclude the year the Wick Model Yacht Club held its annual prize giving presenting trophies to each of the winners. The most successful vessel of the year was the RestlessWave which also included the fastest race time of 17:50 on the 9th of March. The Junior trophy competed over three races went to Adam Robertson.

Today with a decent breeze blowing the sailors enjoyed some of the most competitive racing we've had all season. Each model yacht fitted with midsized sails began the race with a long tack towards the longside. Tacking twice to the returning goal where little separated each vessel. On the return leg with spinnakers fitted to their portside the boats tended towards the short shore. The RestlessWave stretched a small lead but with a couple of touches on short side the BlueHaze caught the leader to be positioned side by side at the shed. The RestlessWave was slackened slightly to sail in the stronger winds avoiding the Point whereas the BlueHaze continued passing the Pier towards the Point but it was in the lee of hill with less wind it slowed. At the the Point the BlueHaze was slackened drifting out to the middle slowly heading to the finishline. The Apollo closed for an exciting challenging second position. The unfortunate Aurora collected weed at the returning goal for a long slow return.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 25:55, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 26:25, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 26:29, 4. Aurora Archie Miller 28:52

For the second race the wind eased slightly and all but the BlueHaze fitted their top sails. The BlueHaze with slacker sails kept pace and the Aurora with a flapping mainsail also didn't lose any time. Unusually despite each model yachts uniqueness all of them reached the halfway point at the exact same time. On the return leg the larger sailed vessels suffered on the spinnaker run with instability. The RestlessWave required several tweaks on the short side whilst the overpowered Apollo drifted off to long side and the Aurora was slowed with weed but once removed it composed itself to regain its pace. The BlueHaze sailing steadily slowly passed each boat but as the finish line approached the improved Aurora was quickly closing the gap on the leader.

Result: 1. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 25:12, 2. Aurora Archie Miller 25:49, 3. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 26:22, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 29:39

Saturday was an overcast day with spots of rain falling the off beam wind was proving challenging for some. The competitors were split between choosing a small balloon or flat spinnaker. The Sapphire with vane gear led the way sailing down the middle of the loch followed by the Apollo hugging the short shore and the others heading to the longside requiring adjustment. The leading Sapphire was the first to return with its spinnaker removed but it was running slack and headed for the Hole. The Apollo sailing higher had the better line and passed the Sapphire for the race win.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 26:36, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 28:20, 3. Sapphire Barry Scollay 31:08, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 37:28, 5. Fulmar Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 43:27

The competitors set off in the same manner as they did in the first race but halfway down the loch the wind shifted and all headed to the longside with adjustments they made their way to the returning goal. The Apollo having quickly removed its spinnaker led the returning fleet. The chasing Sapphire slack fell away to the longside whilst a fast moving RestlessWave on the rear of the Apollo attempting to contest the lead also fell by the wayside landing in the Hole. The Apollo continued across the finishline.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 30:53, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 33.00, 3. Fulmar Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 36:46, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 37:00

An overcast day with light winds, the race began with each vessel fitting spinnakers on their port side as they set sail from the startline the RestlessWave eeked a lead with a good line. The BlueHaze & Aurora were not so fortunate they collided and sailed together like a badly formed catamaran half the length of the loch however they still maintained a reasonable pace. Upon separation they were now behind the leading RestlessWave. The also Apollo trailing headed towards the long shore just beyond the Chicken rock requiring numerous adjustments to reach the returning goal. On the return the boats had a short tack at the goal then onwards they continued to the half way point for a second tack resulting in each vessel having to negotiate extraction from the Hole before crossing the finishline.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 30:04, 2. Aurora Archie Miller 31:08, 3. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 31:38, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 35:38

Each model yacht had a clean start for the second race the BlueHaze pulled away although briefly. Close behind were the RestlessWave and Apollo. At the returning goal on the long side the RestlessWave and Apollo quickly removed the spinnaker for a long returning tack. Whereas the BlueHaze had to tack across the mouth of the goal before proceeding but with a lack of wind and some weed it made no progress returning to its starting point. As the race progressed the leading RestlessWave after tacking across the loch landed in the Hole the following Apollo tacked but was more fortunate landing just at the edge and pipped the RestlessWave for the win.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 31:11, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 32:20, 3. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 37:33

A bright sunny day with mid-sized sails and spinnakers fitted on the starboard side. The race began well but minutes later the RestlessWave, Apollo and BlueHaze collided at the Point. Once seperated they continued towards the shed where the Apollo caught up with Aurora having their the sails eased to get off the short shore they continued side by side. They touched and turned backfilling. The recovered Apollo continued despite the collisions managing a very respectful second position behind the RestlessWave. The BlueHaze with a misaligned mast struggled on the return leg. During the course of the day the Apollo achieved an all time record of fouling seven times over the two races

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 28:10, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:28, 3. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 34:31, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 46:30

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 23:48, 2. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 27:16, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:44, 4. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 39:30

The Wick Model Yacht Club held the annual MayDay event with 8 races held over two days. Normally a competition against a group of sailors from the Kirkwall Model Yacht Club but unfortunately this year the Orcadians could not attend. Each days racing began at 11am going through to 4pm. Saturday and Sunday was cool with a strong breeze blowing requiring small sails.

Contenders:

• Aurora sailed by Archie & Fiona Miller
• BlueHaze sailed by Kevin & Lewis Paterson
• RestlessWave sailed by Graham & Adam & Willie Robertson
• Apollo sailed by Donald McWilliam
• Skua & Fulmar sailed by Innes & Barry Scollay & David Sutherland

First race - 1st Leg of Thrumster Estate Cup

Racing began with spinnakers on the starboard side. After the model yachts were released it became very obvious this was a fast leg and each competitor had to run to keep up with the quickly moving vessels. A couple of adjustments on the short side and the BlueHaze, RestlessWave and Apollo arrived at the returning goal together. The Aurora unstable wandered to and fro with the spinnaker. On the return each boat tacked twice apart from the BlueHaze which was sailing high and was lucky with a short tack across the finishing goal to move into the lead followed by the RestlessWave & Apollo. The Aurora caught and passed the Skua just prior to the finishline.

Result: 1. BlueHaze, 2. RestlessWave, 3. Apollo, 4. Aurora, 5. Skua.

Second race - 1st leg of Quatercentenary Cup

The wind eased slightly compared to the first race. The RestlessWave with a good run entered the returning goal first however the Aurora just crossing the line had its spinnaker removed and quickly about turned clinching the lead position. On the return with its mid-sized sails the Apollos jib was slack impeding progress as it continually stalled pointing too high. The Fulmar with its smaller sails moved slowly but did complete the race.

Result: 1. Aurora, 2. RestlessWave, 3. BlueHaze, 4. Apollo, 5. Fulmar.

Third race - 2nd Leg of Thrumster Estate Cup

The RestlessWave was clearly the fastest vessel of this race. The BlueHaze was slower on the return leg and couldn't keep pace giving the Aurora hope for second position as it gained but as they approached the finish the Aurora required an extra tack. The Apollo fitted a larger spinnaker with the intention of extra speed however the boat was less controlled and meanadered down the loch. At the rear was the unfortunate Fulmar which inadvertantly backfilled twice.

Result: 1. RestlessWave , 2. BlueHaze, 3. Aurora, 4. Apollo, 5. Fulmar.

Fourth race - 2nd Leg of Quatercentenary Cup

For the final race of the day the Apollo and RestlessWave were making good progress but on the return the model yachts had two long tacks across the loch eventually landing in the Hole. The BlueHaze behind miraculously avoided the long tacks by pointing high and switching tack mid race then as it tacked towards the Hole it hit a stone again it switched tack sailing towards the finishline ahead of both the Apollo and RestlessWave. The trailing Aurora picked up weed as it exitted the returning goal dramatically slowing it down.

Result: 1. BlueHaze, 2. Apollo, 3. RestlessWave, 4. Aurora.

At the end of day one the points were as follows:

Thrumster Estate Cup, races 1 & 3

1. RestlessWave 11 (55:04)
2. BlueHaze 11 (55:33)
3. Apollo 7 (1:03:26)
4. Aurora 4 (1:03:53)
5. Skua 2 (35:03)
6. Fulmar 2 (39:05)

QuaterCentenary Cup races 2 & 4

1. BlueHaze 10
2. RestlessWave 9 (56:15)
3. Aurora 9 (56:37)
4. Apollo 8
5. Fulmar 2

Sunday

Fifth race - 1st leg of MayDay Shield

Sundays weather conditions didn't improve any remaining overcast and windy all day but nonetheless the sailing continued. The race began with the spinnakers fitted to the starboard side. The BlueHaze off to a good start sailing from goal to goal. The Aurora and RestlessWave had a couple of adjustments on the short shore. On the return the BlueHazes jib was slack it and the Aurora landed in the Hole each requiring a tack which returned both vessels to the Pier whereupon the RestlessWave sailing a different path managed to avoid the Hole and continued passed to obtain the lead.

Result: 1. RestlessWave, 2. BlueHaze, 3. Aurora.

Sixth race - 1st Leg of SMYA Northern Trophy

The BlueHaze began well but midway it backfilled heading to the Chicken rock, the steady sailing Aurora continued to the returning goal. RestlessWave sailing unpredictably under spinnaker also landed at the Chicken rock. On the return leg the Aurora was falling away heading into the popular Hole but the wind was bending as it blew across the loch and the Aurora was redirected and sailed straight across the finish line. The BlueHaze struggled along the short shore and the RestlessWave caught up until they were sailing side by side but as they approached the end the RestlessWave lost some time as it was adjusted at the Point. The Apollo struggled on its spinnaker run losing a lot of time.

Result: 1. Aurora, 2. BlueHaze, 3. RestlessWave, 4. Apollo.

Seventh race - 2nd leg of MayDay Shield

As the boats were released the Apollo and Aurora clashed and continued as a catamaran for half of the lochs length before separation. The BlueHaze with a slack mainsail landed on the rockyshore line just prior to the Chicken rock. The RestlessWave with a clear run gained a lead. On the return all the boats were not sailing as high as they should have been and they landed in the Hole. The Apollo was fortunate with a short tack whereas the others with a longer tack lost time, the BlueHaze moving slowly caught a passed the RestlessWave and Aurora but as the finishline was approaching the faster sailing RestlessWave pipped the BlueHaze at the finish line.

Result: 1. Apollo, 2. RestlessWave, 3. BlueHaze, 4. Aurora.

Eighth race - 2nd Leg of SMYA Northern Trophy

The Aurora was the first to the returning goal followed by the RestlessWave and BlueHaze. On the final return leg all three followed the same route requiring a long losing tack from the long to the short side before progressing. The last placed Apollo managed to sail very high not requiring the long losing tack and passed the other competitors just metres from the finish line to win the final race of the weekend.

Result: 1. Apollo, 2. RestlessWave, 3. BlueHaze, 4. Aurora.

Sunday concluded as follows:

MayDay Shield races 1 & 3

1. RestlessWave 11
2. BlueHaze 9
3. Aurora 7
4. Apollo 6

SMYA Northern Trophy races 2 & 4

1. RestlessWave 9 (50:32)
2. BlueHaze 9 (50:37)
3. Aurora 9 (52:23)
4. Apollo 9 (56:59)

Viking Cup - Most Overall points

1. RestlessWave 40
2. BlueHaze 39
3. Aurora 32
4. Apollo 30
5. Fulmar 4
6. Skua 2

To summarise the weekends sailing it was enthralling, the racing was very close with the lead changing numerous times thoughout each race, no single model yacht dominated with the race wins shared amongst each boat. However as closely matched as the racing had been there has to be an overall winner and the model yacht with the most accumulated points over the two days of sailing was the RestlessWave.

A bright day with light winds everyone fitted large sails apart from BlueHaze with mid-sized. The race began with small balloon spinnakers as we passed the point there were two collisions which luckily did not cause anyone an issue. The boats running slack landed at the shed requiring adjustment. The further we progressed the lighter the winds became and the BlueHaze began to fall behind. The spinnakers were removed at the returning goal with the hope of a single tack to the finish line but the boats RestlessWave, Aurora & Apollo fell short requiring a tack across to the longside. The trailing BlueHaze narrowed the gap continuing on the same tack but with larger sails the leaders covered the additional distance with ease.

Result: 1. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 29:26, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 30:56, 3. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 32:35, 4. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 33:26

For the second race the boats were setup in the same manor although everyones mainsails were tighter. As before they followed the short shore. The Aurora and BlueHaze sailing side by side as they entered the returning goal both were quickly turned for the long tack back. But this time with the wind shift they pulled towards the Chicken rock on the long side and with a slackening of the mainsail they landed in the Hole closely followed by the Apollo. The trailing RestlessWave the only vessel fitted with a flat spinnaker was moving very quickly and caught the leaders for a close finish.

Result: 1. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 26:50, 2. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 27:15, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 27:50, 4. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 27:57

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 25:07, 2. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 28:43, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:44, 4. Skua Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 31:41

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 22:26, 2. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 23:18, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:36, 4. Skua Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 35:16

A breezy day with each competitor choosing mid sized sails for the days sailing. From the startline we attached balloon spinnakers to the starboard side. The whistle blew initiating race start. The BlueHaze eeked a small lead running slack it headed towards the longside beyond the chicken rock with an adjustment, tightening of the mainsail, to reach the returning goal. The trailing fleet running tighter followed the short shore they kept on good pace. The lead acheived by the BlueHaze was short lived whilst removing the spinnaker for the return journey it was noticed that the mast had been dislodged. The time quickly passed whilst realigning the mast and sails allowing the Restless Wave and Apollo who quickly about turned gaining position. The RestlessWave and Apollo sailed towards the short shore approaching the shed. Both required a tack across the full width of the loch this gave the high sailing BlueHaze and the following Skua the opportunity to catch passing the Apollo but the RestlessWave was too fast.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 26:50, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 31:29, 3. Skua Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 32:35, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 38:29

The second race of the day was more predictable with a minor wind shift at race start the quickly moving RestlessWave and Apollo had an unimpeded run with the slower BlueHaze and Skua trailing.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 26:24, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:22, 3. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 29:05, 4. Skua Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 39:10

The model yachts were fitted with small sails as the conditions were blustery from the startline flat or small balloon spinnakers were chosen. The BlueHaze was first at the returning goal to have the spinnaker removed followed closely by the RestlessWave and Apollo. On the return the RestlessWave moving quickly collided with the leading BlueHaze resulting in both vessels about turning. The Apollo took advantage of this opportunity to complete the race.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 22:28, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 23:02, 3. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 25:17, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 26:17

The last race of the day was closely contested with the Apollo, RestlessWave and Aurora crossing the finish line almost nose to tail.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 21:26, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 21:40, 3. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 22:06, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 26:59

A bright day with an off beam wind blowing west to east meaning the model yachts were fitted with flat spinnakers for the outward bound leg and the sailors had a choice of a small balloon or flat spinnaker for the return. A steady beam wind also results in a fast days sailing. The boats if set correctly could sail directly from end to end the fastest shortest path. From race start the BlueHaze commanded a lead aided by the RestlessWave and Apollo fouling just metres beyond the startline. On the return with small balloon spinnakers fitted the BlueHaze stopped at the Point for adjustment and the RestLessWave had closed the gap to pass the stranded BlueHaze awaiting arrival of its sailor.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 20:30, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 21:29, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 27:46, 4. Fulmar Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 29:57

The second race of the day was contested between the RestLessWave and the BlueHaze. The BlueHaze held the lead for three quarters of the race but as they passed the shed the RestlessWave moving faster obtained the lead to win the race. The Fulmar a 57 year old model yacht sailed by David Sutherland in his younger days in the nineteen seventies was resurrected from storage. Now sailing with his grandson Innes passing his knowledge on to the next generation.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 26:31, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 26:51, 3. Apollo Donald McWilliam 30:46, 4. Fulmar Innes Scollay & David Sutherland 34:10

Todays sailing began with very light winds each model yacht fitted with its largest sails in an attempt to capture the slight puffs of wind. Each boat moving very slowly could not complete the race distance within the allotted one hour time limit therefore the first race was abandoned.

The second race after a brief interval was much improved the pace of the wind increased enough to fill the spinnakers although the boats still meandered down the loch they did make reasonable progress.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 34:32, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 34:39, 3. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay and David Sutherland 35:53

A very windy day with the wave tops being picked up, blowing across the loch as spindrifts. Subsequently each model yacht was fitted with its smallest sails with a slightly off beam wind giving a choice of flat or balloon spinnakers. Just metres from the startline all of the model yachts collided. Only the Aurora managed to get cleanly away the others spun round returning to the Hole. Once recovered they began the ominous task of reducing the Auroras lead however the margin was to great to overcome.

Result: 1. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 25:51, 2. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 26:14, 3. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 28:25, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 28:40

The second race began much better for each participant without fouling. The BlueHaze with a balloon spinnaker fitted was sailing much faster than the other vessels completing the first leg with an end to end run. The RestlessWave and Aurora followed the short shore whilst the Apollo required adjustment on the long side. On the return the RestlessWave with one adjustment stretched a lead ahead of the Apollo, whilst the BlueHaze awaiting its sailors lost its initial advantage.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 17:50, 2. Apollo Donald McWilliam 20:04, 3. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 26:03

A breezy day with each competitor fitting mid-sized sails. The boats sailed tacking to and fro to the halfway point and returning with balloon spinnakers fitted on the starboard side.

The latter portion of the first race was quite eventful with the Skua and Aurora with a very close finish.

Result: 1. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay 26:32, 2. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 26:49, 3. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 28:27, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 31:56, 5. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 43:40

The heavens opened with rain falling for the second race. The Apollo with an early lead continued to stretch a lead with others jostling for second position. The RestlessWave suffering with a broken spinnaker boom could no longer return with a ballon spinnaker fitted so with attempted to return in Gullwing configuration, jib on opposite from main sail, unsuccessfully.

Result: 1. Apollo Donald McWilliam 31:05, 2. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 35:00, 3. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay 37:23, 4. BlueHaze Lewis Paterson 38:51

The Wick Model Yacht Club has begun a new sailing season. Each participant departed their home thinking it's a blustery day but upon arrival at the loch side we were all surprised because it's was deceivingly calm with barely a ripple on the waters surface. The boats meandered their way slowly to the start line awaiting the starting whistle. But as we began the wind returned in Goldilocks principle, not to much and not to little but just right for everyone.

When the much anticipated whistle blew the model yachts led by the Aurora headed towards the chicken rock before tacking several times to the half way point. Where spinnakers were fitted to their port side for the return leg. The lead chopped and changed numerous times with the Restless Wave becoming triumphant.

Result: 1. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 30:47, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 33:00, 3. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 33:15, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 43:52, 5. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay 48:10

The second race with a minor shift in wind direction saw the Aurora lead the way. The trailing fleet Apollo, Blue Haze & Restless Wave were jostling for second position. With spinnakers fitted for the return leg each of the boats followed the short shore to the finishing line. The Skua having been newly restored, after laying in a shed for twenty or so years, had teething issues for the first days sailing.

Result: 1. Aurora Archie & Fiona Miller 30:36, 2. BlueHaze Kevin & Lewis Paterson 30:51, 3. RestlessWave Graham & Adam Robertson 31:39, 4. Apollo Donald McWilliam 31:50, 5. Skua Barry & Innes Scollay 37:40