Elf Too takes West Highland Yachting Week premier prize

Clyde-based sailors, Robin and Christine Murray, lifted the premier prize at the 2010 West Highland Yachting Week, the annual regatta that finished on 6th August.

The couple’s First 40, Elf Too, sailing in Restricted Sail Class 2, ended the week counting five firsts and a third place over the six-day series and winning the Peter Cocks Trophy awarded for the best performance over the points series.

The Murrays, who keep the boat at Ardrossan, also took home the Tennent Caledonian 25th Anniversary Salver for the best corrected time in the Tobermory to Oban passage race as well as the Iona Shop Trophy for the yacht with the best total corrected time over the three passage races.

Christine Murray said: ‘This has been a wonderful regatta and to win the prestigious overall Trophy is amazing. It’s our first year with this boat and also our first West Highland Yachting Week. We never thought we would be in the running for the overall prize.

‘We went with the restricted sail class since our daughters Erin, (6) and Katie (4) were aboard and we were delighted with the performance of the boat, new to us last year. We even had a family pet trooping around – the goldfish Zephyr – given to us by Steve Cowie from a sistership First 40, Zephyr, who won Class 1.’

The Murrays praised the organisation of WHYW. ‘It has been a brilliant regatta, really well run and with a superb friendly atmosphere’.

Elf Too is to be campaigned in 2011 at Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the Scottish Series and West Highland Yachting Week.

Overall WHYW report and winners

The 121-strong fleet had a week of excellent racing with the final passage race from Tobermory to Oban shortened at the Grey Rock Buoy in the Sound of Mull. The event mixes passage racing between the venues of Craobh, Oban and Tobermory with Olympic style racing on two days for the Tunnock’s sponsored spinnaker fleet. A circumnavigation of the island of Lismore is also part of the racing programme when tides are favourable.

Robin Ferguson’s X332, Hoodlum from Troon, racing Restricted Sail Class 4, also finished the series on just five points with a similar five-win run and a fourth to discard and was narrowly eclipsed in the contest for the overall title.

Steve Cowie’s Zephyr from Fairlie, also a First 40, battled it out in Class 1b with Chris Tiso’s Farr 40, Thunderbird of Rhu, to end the series tied on points. On countback it was Zephyr‘s win in the last race that brought it the class trophy.

Gordon Tourlamain’s CNB 60, Sunbird, was an impressive sight throughout the week, raced by the Sunbird team from Ardrossan. The mini-superyacht raced in Class 3a winning the final race of the regatta and finishing third overall in class.

Helensburgh based Alan Jeffrey and Paul Scut’s Carmen II won the newly introduced IRC Class 3b by just one point from Ken Grant’s J109, Tigh Soluis II.

Class 5 was again a race to the finish with Steven Forteith of Oban pulling out all the stops on the First 31.7, Shadowfax. Clyde sailor Ruaridh Angus, from Fairlie Yacht Club, lifted the silverware in Class 7 with his Hustler SJ30, Misjif and also won the Angus Meldrum Trophy for the best overall corrected time in the Oban to Tobermory passage race.

Glencoe based David Cooper’s Redwing took Class 8 with Judy Orr and her MGC 27 from Campbeltown winning restricted sail Class 9.

This years, West Highland Yachting Week, organised by Oban Sailing Club,  has received support from Tunnock’s, The Oban Common Good Fund and Argyll and Bute Council. Tobermory Whisky and Tobermory Harbour Association also stepped aboard with support as well as Caledonian MacBrayne, The Crown Estate and West Coast Motors.

Full results for the week’s races are at the West Highland Yachting Week website.