Tiamat comes out on top

Andi Robertson reports on the final day of racing at the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series Trophy

On its maiden regatta outing the new Mark Mills-designed 40ft IRC cruiser racer Tiamat, owned by Dublin Bay skipper Tim Costello, tonight collected the north of Britain's most coveted sailing prize, the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series Trophy.

Winning a highly competitive IRC Class 1 Tiamat saw off three time Scottish Series winning Jonathan Anderson's Clyde-based First 47.7 Playing FTSE which tied on points with the Hamble-based Farr 45 Wolf, owned and steered by Cowes and Cork Week-winning Glyn Williams.

Playing FTSE's win in the final race today ensured they were credited with second place. For Williams and his crew a ninth place in the final race proved expensive. When the wind shifted two minutes before the Class 1 start and they were pinned into the traffic that developed inevitably at the leeward end of the start line, there was no way of making back their time on handicap on what became a badly skewed course for the first lap. In the end Tiamat won by a clear six points after the eight race series on Loch Fyne.

While there is no formula behind what is a subjective decision as to which of the 15 class winners the overall Bell Lawrie Scottish Series Trophy goes to, the choice of Tiomat was a popular one.

Owner Tim Costello is a former Mumm 36 owner who is patently keen to up his and his crew's game with a new custom IRC boat which he plans to campaign at most major Irish and UK events over the next couple of years. He has retained the majority of his former crew of the Mumm 36 and brought in English pros Mike Richards and North Sails' Kevin George to help get the boat and crew up to speed.

"I'm exhilarated. It was an outside chance we would win the whole thing, but the objective was to win the class and we did come to do that, but more in hope than expectation," said Costello, who is a computer process engineer. " This is mainly down to good crewing and a good boat from Mark Mills."

Tiamat's helm Noel Butler admitted: "It was nip and tuck through the whole regatta. Some races against Wolf were only decided by a matter of two or three seconds. They sailed really well."

The winning crew comprised: Noel Butler (helm), Geroid O'Sullivan (mid bow), Gareth Hanley (mast), Tim Costello (navigator), Tim Esson (grinder), Neil Harrison (pit), Kevin George (mainsheet), Nick Heuchin (trim upwind), Simon Morris (bow), and Dave Quinn (trim downwind).

Class 2's winner was Hamish Mackay and his Clyde team on Lance Stevens south coast-based Bavaria Match 42 Sidney. They won four races from their eight starts to comfortably win the 23 boat class which was the 192 boat regatta's biggest, ahead of Peter Rutter's Elan 37 Quokka.

After an exciting final day when the wins were shared between Fever, Grant Gordon and Klaus Diedrich's boat, and Keith Miller's Crackerjack, it was Fever which won the class.

Howard Morrison, who won the overall trophy back in 1991 won IRC Class 3 in the Sigma 38 Enigma.

Having won their class five times previously Nigel Biggs and his Checkmate sailing team won IRC Class 4 on Checkmate, a new Beneteau 21.7 owned by his father John Biggs. They won by three points ahead of Jock Blair, on the RO 34 Eurobo 34 RoBo.

Trophy winners:

Bell Lawrie Scottish Series Trophy: Tiamat, Tim Costello, Dublin Bay Sailing Club.

Causeway Cup: Movistar Bleu, Raymond Killops, Killyleagh YC, Crawford McInnes.

Trophy for best performance by a helm aged under 25: Nimrod, Christopher Evans, Barry YC

Sail Scotland Trophy for best performance by a yacht from outwith Scotland: Sidney, Lance Stevens, Medway YC,


Overall Standings:

Swan 45 Class:
1 Fever (Gordon/Diedrichs) 16 points
2 Murka 2 (M Mouratov) 17
3 Crackerjack (K Miller) 20

IRC Class 1:
1 Tiamat (T Costello) 15
2 Playing FTSE (J Anderson) 21
3 Wolf (G Williams) 21

IRC Class 2:
1 Sidney (L Stevens) 17
2 Quokka (P Rutter) 26
3 Sloop John T (I&G Thomson) 35

IRC Class 3:
1 Enigma (H Morrison) 27
2 Eauvation 4 ( D Clark) 30
3 Hops (Bolton/McLean) 32

IRC Class 4:
1 Checkmate (J Biggs) 14
2 RoBo (J Blair) 17
3 Shadowfax (B Forteith) 31

CYCA Class 6:
1 Tangle O’the Isles (J Gough) 16
2 Pure Magic (D Balmforth) 25
3 Zara of Doon (Lyall/Wilson) 27

CYCA Class 7:
1 Mosika Alma (M Goodwin) 8
2 Mellow Moment (A Rodger) 9
3 Kudos (D Syme) 15

CYCA Class 8:
1 Upstart (E Thomas) 13
2 Pointer (B Robertson) 13.1
3 Oyster of Ashton (G Deacon) 20

CYCA Restricted Sail Class 9:
1 Tem Purr (D&E Lindsay) 10
2 Prince of Tides (J Marrow) 13
3 Pippa (F Gray) 18

CYCA Restricted Class 10:
1 Skibbereen (Pilkington/Anderson) 7
2 Zubenubi (B Waugh) 9
3 Siglet (C&M Craig) 15

Sigma 33 Class:
1 St Joan (I Nicolson) 12
2 Carmen (P Scutt) 13
3 Squawk (C Porteous) 18

National Sonata:
1 So (McLure/Stewart) 11
2 Pied Piper (A Harper) 14
3 Saraband (M Taylor) 30

Sportboat Class:
1 Bertie (S Barter) 6
2 Warthog (A&S Lightbown) 14
3 Clapped Out Toy Boy (I Cleaver) 22

1720 Sportsboat Class:
1 Antix (A O’Leary) 12
2 Goacher Sails (Goacher/Tunnicliffe) 16
3 King Quick (G Scott) 17

Impala 28:
1 Bluestreak (C Hussey) 14
2 Bambi (P Doig) 25
3 Orrkid (A Orr) 26