Author: Laura

Dear all,

Less than two weeks to go to WHYW 2022. If you are still swithering as to whether to put in an entry, then please don’t! (swither)

As your chairman, I can assure you that I am surrounded by a strong committee who are working hard to ensure that this years event is going to be a great one!

I have been wracking my brains trying to think of any possible reasons as to why you should not join in with all or part of the week:

• Don’t have enough crew – doesn’t matter. Come along and sail short handed. Who knows – you might find someone on the pontoons. I have done both.
• There is never enough wind at WHYW – not this year. It seems to have been blowing pretty steadily all season. Of course I cant give you a guarantee, but then we don’t sail in Scotland for guaranteed good weather.
• Can’t find the time/ can’t get away from the office- how does the proverb go? Few men die wishing they had spent more time in the office!
• Don’t want to lose my entry money if I cant make it come the day – don’t worry, we will return your entry fee.
• Want to fly away to somewhere exotic – You want to spend time hanging around in airports?! If you want to fly, fly to Oban – no hold ups at Oban airport.
• Not very keen on racing – WHYW is about so much more than the racing. IT IS ABOUT BEING THERE.

On a more serious note, I like to think  that WHYW is synonymous with highland hospitality. If I have one aim as chairman, it is to ensure the “inclusiveness” of the event. I have never won any prizes during previous years, with one exception, and that was the Family Trophy. Having spent a week somewhere between the middle and back of the fleet, and burying my head in shame as my children insisted on flying an enormous orangutan from the head of the mast, I think that one trophy did more to inspire my family to sail than any other.

We look forward to seeing you!

Gavin.

Chariman West Highland Yachting Week, Joint Regatta Committee

Dear all,

We are working hard to make West Highland Week 2022 a year to remember, and to date we are well on track to make that happen.

The racing – the reason we all want to be there – was the first thing to organise. We will start as usual from Craobh Haven, following the arrival of the two feeder fleets from Oban and Gigha. Day one, Sunday, will comprise of a round Shuna race, and one or two “round the cans” races, depending on weather. Monday will see the usual passage race to Oban, with further round the cans racing on Tuesday, and a more gentlemanly course for the white sail classes. Wednesday is the passage race to Tobermory, this being the one difficult day for tides. I am sure you will be pleased to hear that we are not going to start you at dawn in order to catch the tide, but we may start you north west of the strongest tides off the Lismore Light.

More round the cans racing off Tobermory on Thursday, with the final run home to Oban on Friday.

We have a full and able race committee, lead by principle race officer, the youthful Johnnie Readman. Johnnie has an enviable ability to read the mood of the fleet, and how long everyone wants to stay on the water waiting for the wind, when to shorten courses, and generally give us all good racing.

In order to make up for the lack of social activity last year, we have a designated committee member looking after entertainment off the water – Carrie Reid, who will be well known to many, is working hard to put together a really good social programme, about which more later – watch this space!

Before I sign off, do please get your entries in, if you haven’t already. We do need to know that you are coming to the event – it makes it so much easier to organise it all for you. And if you have any concerns or need to know more, do please get in touch. I would be delighted to hear from you.

Gavin.

Gavin Marshall

Chairman Joint Regatta Committee, WHYW.

Entry is now open for West Highland Week 2022!

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

SI 6.2     Thursday 5^th August amend to

               Up to 2 races     Argyll fleet

               Up to 3 races     Tunnocks fleet

Appendix 5.2      ARGYLL FLEET Change to VHF channel to ch 77

Appendix 5.3      Replace wording with …Argyll Fleet Starting Area North of Tobermory Bay. Competitors are warned that the starting line may be up to 6.5 miles from the entrance to Tobermory Bay to the north west and should allow adequate time to reach the area

Appendix 5.5      VHF channel is changed to Ch 77

Appendix 5.9      Change Tunnocks fleet courses to BOTH FLEET COURSES Courses will be described on VHF Ch 77 – See Appendix 3

A second race will be started as soon as possible after the first race. The second race my not have the same configuration as race 1 or starting order of classes and boats should monitor VHF 77

Explanation

If the weather allows us to catch up with Monday’s lost race, we need the facilities to have 2 races for the Argyll fleet & 3 races for the Tunnocks Fleet. We will only use one start line; therefore, we will only use Ch 77.

7.1 Delete and replace with

7.1.2 For the Series, boats shall race in the following classes.

Fleet               Class    Handicap Band                                                                                                                 Race Flag

Tunnock’s        1    CYCA handicaps, 10.00 minutes and below                                                                                  Pennant 1

Argyll                2    Restricted Sail class for CYCA handicaps, below 14.00 minutes                                              Pennant 2

Tunnock’s        3    CYCA handicaps, over 10.0 minutes to below 17.25 minutes                                                    Pennant 3

Argyll                4    Restricted Sail class for CYCA handicaps, over 14.25 to 28.00 minutes                                 Pennant 4

Tunnock’s        5    CYCA handicaps, over 17.50 minutes to 28 minutes                                                                   Pennant 5

If an entry does not have the correct class flag to display on the backstay, they may claim exemption from SI 7.1 by WhatsApp or Text

Explanation     To realign classes to conform to the actual entries.

10      MARKS  Add

Orange marks may be replace by blue or black inflatable marks.

Explanation, an unexpected shortage of orange marks.

APPENDIX 2 – SERIES RACE DAYS

WEDNESDAY 4 AUGUST – OBAN TO TOBERMORY PASSAGE RACE 

4.4 Delete and replace with

4.4.2 FINISHING LINE  Situated between Mark 5 and Tobermory Bay. About 23 miles.

Explanation, there is no Mark 6.

THURSDAY 5 AUGUST– SOUND OF MULL RACES                                    

5.4 Delete and replace with

5.4.2 ARGYLL FLEET LIST OF MARKS:

0          Orange inflatable mark approximately half mile to windward of the starting line.

1         Inflatable mark north-west of the northern point Calve Island                                        56 37.6N 6 02.8W

2          Inflatable mark in the Sound of Mull                                                                                      56 37.8N 6 01.5W

3          Inflatable mark approx. 1 mile north of Ardmore Point                                                     56 40.3N 6 07.0W  

4          Inflatable mark off Kilchoan                                                                                                       56 41.2N 6 07.2W

5          Inflatable mark west of Sron Beag                                                                                           56 41.0N 6 11.0W

6          Inflatable mark west of Ardmore Point                                                                                  56 39.1N  6 10.5W

7          Inflatable mark off Quinish Point                                                                                             56 38.4N 6 13.9W

8         Inflatable mark east of Ardnacross Buoy                                                                               56 35.2N 5 59.6W

9         Inflatable mark off Morvern shore                                                                                          56 34.9N 5 57.8W

10       Iinflatable mark north-west of Green Isle (E.Glasa)                                                            56 32.3N 5 54.9W

11       Inflatable mark off Rubha nan Gall                                                                                          56 38.6N 6 04.0W

12       Inflatable mark approx. 1 mile west of New Rocks Buoy                                                   56 39.6N 6 06..0W

SUPPLEMENTARY MARKS : list of marks may be supplemented and will be numbered 13 successively. The location and description of supplementary mark(s) will be broadcast by VHF Ch 72

Ardnacross Red Buoy (Lateral Red 56°35.0’N, 5°59.1’W) shall be passed on its correct side.

New Rocks Buoy (Cardinal 56 39.07N 6 3.33W) shall be passed on its correct side.

John Readman PRO 30 July 2021

Appendix 3.1 Add Class start order will be announced on VHF 77

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Amending NOR 14 and SI 17 

Add

17.4 A boat wishing to lodge a protest shall contact the protest committee administrator by phoning 07522156568 within the protest time limit to set up a system to lodge a protest form.

The protest time limit for each fleet is 60 minutes after the published race time limit ( or its extension) for each race day.

17.5 Notices will be posted to inform competitors of hearings in which they are parties or named as witnesses. The location and time of hearings will be posted

17.6 On the last scheduled day of racing a request for redress from a protest committee decision shall be delivered no later than 30 minutes after the decision was posted