Close racing for Ceilidh Cup 2024
A team from Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club took victory on home waters to claim the Ceilidh Cup in the final qualifier of this year’s RYA National Match Racing Series.
Eight teams battled it out at the club over the weekend of 5-6 October 2024, including five who were also competing for the Scottish Student Sailing (SSS) Match Racing Championship, which was won by Strathclyde University.
While Saturday provided a fairly steady south-easterly breeze, Sunday brought colder, flickier easterlies: two starts had to be abandoned due to 90 degree wind shifts but the conditions were mostly kind and allowed a full schedule of racing.
Topping the round robin leaderboard after winning all their races was Hamish Taylor’s home team from RNCYC, with Patrick Whelan (RLYC) and James Gifford (Strath A) tied in second with five wins apiece ahead of Iain Duncan (Helensburgh SC) in fourth.
Semis & finals
Both semi-finals were then decided 2-0 with wins to Taylor and Gifford. In the petit final, Whelan and co took the first race with Duncan’s team then making an impressive comeback with two wins to finish in third overall.
The final saw Taylor’s RNCYC team taking two straight wins to claim the Ceilidh Cup with Gifford’s Strath A team in second overall retaining the SSS prize for another year.
Picture: Winning team left to right Sophie Taylor, Fergus Wilson, Hamish Taylor and Rory Ferrier, credit Lilli Bell
Winning skipper Hamish said: “It was a great weekend racing at RNCYC, helped by the weather gods with a consistent 7-11 knots all weekend - and dry!
“I’m primarily a team racer and had only skippered one match racing event before this weekend, but given the many similarities between the disciplines, things fell into place relatively quickly. Having Sophie on the boat was also a huge help. She’s an experienced match racer and supported a lot of the decision-making.
“Fergus and Rory are also quick sailors, and together, our boat handling was pretty dialled almost immediately, often giving us a speed advantage around the corners and starts. We enjoyed many close races and were happy to come away with the win.”
- Hamish Taylor, Sophie Taylor, Fergus Wilson, Rory Ferrier (RNCYC)
- James Gifford, Lilli Bell, Calum Warnock, Robbie Littlefield (Strathclyde University - Strath A)
- Iain Duncan, Iona Smith, Alistair Higgins, Nathan Mccabe (Helensburgh SC)
- Patrick Whelan, Miranda van Heel, Tom O'Hare, Jasper Amirante (RLYC)
- Fraser Patrick, Oliver Summer, Rory Shannon, Darla Dennis (Strathclyde University - Strath B)
- Ross Coombs, Oscar Morris, Ruth Neville, Izzy Gibson, Amelia Hamblin (Dundee University)
- Ben Hay, Robbie De Venny, Paul Grant, Audrey Roomian (Glasgow University - Glasgow B)
- Cecily Webb, Izzy O'Farrell, Zoe Riemersma, Dom Burns (Glasgow University - Glasgow A)
Charles Darley led the five-strong team of umpires which included two student umpires coming up through the ranks as RYA Race Officials.
Event coordinator and race officer Eilidh Millar added: “There was a lot of close racing with battling up the beats and some interesting tight manoeuvres on the leeward mark roundings where boat handling was at a premium.
“The conditions enabled us to complete the full schedule and a King of the Hill repechage so everyone had lots of racing over the two days.
“A big thank you to our host club Royal Northern & Clyde YC and its volunteers and to our team of umpires and RYA Scotland for their support.”
Next up is the invitational RYA National Match Racing Grand Finals at London’s Queen Mary Sailing Club, 18-20 October 2024, where the top teams from each qualifier will be competing for honours.
Find out more about the RYA National Match Racing Series at: www.ryamatchracing.co.uk.
