The West Country Boat Repairs RS200 South West ‘Ugly’ Tour 2024 Summary
by Lorna Glen 1 Nov 16:14 GMT
West Country Boat Repairs RS200 SW Ugly Tour at Bowmoor Sailing Club © David Fewings
The West Country Boat Repairs RS200 South West ‘Ugly’ Tour has wrapped up for another year, and it has been quite a year!
With five successful events and 61 participating boats (plus many more if racing had occurred at Parkstone!), it was a fantastic season for the tour. The essence of the SW tour lies in great racing (regardless of your position in the fleet) at some lovely venues, all while enjoying the warm welcome from fellow competitors. Trophies for the top ten finishers overall, along with the leading competitors in silver and bronze fleets, create ample incentive to attend enough events to count towards the overall series.
Due to the cancellation of the Parkstone event (some sailors still remember that cold, windless day in July), the series results were determined from three of the remaining five events. Duncan and Lorna Glen clinched the SW tour title in style, achieving a perfect score, closely followed by James Williams and Ruth/Christophe/John, with John Teague and Naomi Pound finishing on the podium. Positions two through six were tightly contested, with only 8 points separating them, and several final standings were settled on the last day of racing at Chew. Prizes for the top silver and bronze boats went to the popular duos of Kyle Brown/Madeleine Strugnell and Martyn Stubbs/Yvonne Smith, respectively.
With that, it’s time to extend three huge thank yous to those who make the tour possible.
1. West Country Boat Repairs (Pete Vincent and team). We couldn’t make this happen without your support – thank you immensely for your ongoing contributions. Your expertise is invaluable, and we feel so fortunate to have such a fantastic sponsor for the tour.
2. Our host clubs and the teams behind the events – Bristol Corinthian, St Mawes, Bowmoor, Parkstone, Exe, and Chew Valley, your warm welcome and seamless organization make our experiences enjoyable and allow us to arrive ready to race, knowing we can expect an excellent day on the water paired with unmatched hospitality. To everyone involved in documentation, entries, race committees, mark layers, safety personnel, trolley help, cake bakers, bar and catering staff, and all those who contributed – we are deeply grateful!
3. Lastly, a big thanks to our fellow competitors for making the tour such a success. Personally, I always look forward to the SW tour events to reconnect with friends, and this camaraderie is what makes the tour so remarkable. There’s never a shortage of catching up, sharing advice, engaging in fair competition on the water, and witnessing smiles from everyone post-race. The people involved truly make this tour extraordinary, so thank you for your ongoing support (and a special shoutout to my Dad for still agreeing to join me in the boat every now and then!)
So, here’s to next year – we are excited for even better racing, thrilling new venues, and an increase in participants for the Ugly tour. Can’t wait to see you in 2025!
P.S. A massive fourth thank you from the RS Class Association to Lorna, who works tirelessly and always with a smile to ensure this wonderful tour runs smoothly and makes everyone feel welcomed!
