Sails and oars to the fore as Yell racers put on the power
The Burravoe Regatta began on Friday at 7pm with three Albacores starting in a fresh north-north-westerly wind over a triangular course, Overby, Westerayre, south-east mark three times.
Flamingo (Graham Hughson and Johnny Wilson) made a neat start and came home first as victors of the Weavers Cup, followed 37 seconds later by Blue Mist (Steven Brown and Frank Guthrie). Skavenger (Mathew Chapman and his girlfriend) retired after tasting the North Sea a couple of times.
The Saturday sailing started at 10.30am with two more boats joining, the Albacore Moondancer (David Thomson and Ellis Johnson) and the Laser Stratus Marrena (Robert Thomson and Douglas Leask).
The course was the same as Friday with two windward/leeward legs adding to the fun in a northerly force four wind.
Blue Mist sailed steadily away from the start to win the Lumiere Shield by one minute 31 seconds over Flamingo, Moondancer and Skavenger. Marrena retired.
The second race of the day was shortened in a northerly force four gusting five. Again Blue Mist sailed away to a two minute 34 seconds win for the Overby Cup over Flamingo, Moondancer, Marrena and Skavenger, but Flamingo kept close to the leaders until a mid-morning dip and closer look at the sea bed left Graham and Johnny with a damp feeling. Moondancer passed the swimmers but the knots on their jib pole came loose and they were passed again on the reach to the last buoy.
The result gave Blue Mist the Performance Trophy.
The Yell Yoal Regatta started at 3pm on Saturday, as the wind fell away to a northerly force one on a beautiful afternoon for the nine yoals that turned up.
The first row of the day was by the open women where controversy over the finish line ruined results for a few of the teams who stopped too early. But it was also the closest result of the day with the top three places separated by only three seconds. First was Burra in 7:16 minutes, followed by Aith in 7:17 and Lerwick in 7:19 in a nail-biting last 50 metres. Then came Vidlin, Bigton, Nesting, Whiteness and Weisdale and Yell followed by Ollaberry.
Second was the under-16 girls’ race, won in another close contest by Lerwick in 7:46 over Yell in 7:50, followed by Nesting, Burra and Vidlin.
The third race was for the veteran men, won by Burra in 6:30 over Aith in 6:34, Bigton in 6:39, Lerwick, Nesting, Yell and Vidlin.
Fourth over the start line were the under-16 boys and the race was lead all the way by the Lerwick team in 7:07 followed by Burra, Nesting, Bigton, Yell and Vidlin.
The under-21 women took to the oars next and all four teams finished within 16 seconds of each other. The contest was won by Yell in 7:32 over Burra, Lerwick and Nesting.
The under-21 men got the second fastest finish time of the day in 6:26 to the Nesting team, so watch out open men. They were followed in by Lerwick, Bigton, Whiteness and Weisdale, Burra and Yell.
Another final 50 metres fight to the line went on in the veteran women’s contest and it was Burra who landed top spot by four seconds over Aith in 7:15. Third was Lerwick by two seconds over Yell, Nesting, Bigton, Whiteness and Weisdale and Vidlin.
The final race of the day was the open men who always seem to put on a good show for the spectators.
First by one second were late chargers Burra over Yell in 6:12, followed closely by Nesting, Lerwick, Aith, Bigton, Vidlin and Whiteness and Weisdale.
This meant that Burra took the performance trophy for the day’s events over Lerwick, Nesting, Yell, Bigton, Vidlin, Aith, Whiteness and Weisdale and Ollaberry.
Along with the sailing and rowing there were several side shows, a barbecue and the SWRI teas shed, along with the Kaleidoscope disco at night, and both clubs would like to thank all the folk for the hard work done to get the show on the road.
