Trophy History

Below is a listing of Holm Sailing Club trophy winners, along with a brief description of each event. There are some gaps in this file, please be patient as the information will be updated as time goes on.

Last update 22 September 2021

Allcomers

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In the old days the Allcomers race included traditional boats as well as yachts and centreboard dinghies. As the centreboard dinghies became faster and catamarans were introduced the Allcomers changed to be a race between all the centreboard vessels.

Snipe

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The format of Holm Regatta has changed at various times in the history of Holm Sailing Club. In recent years the Snipe Class trophy has been awarded to the winner on results from two or three morning races.

Points

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The Points Racing consists of evening races during the summer months. At the end of the season the points are added up and the boat with the lowest points' total is awarded the trophy. Fleetwing has won this event ten times over an impressive period of over 40 years.

Mixed Centreboards

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The Mixed Centreboards races were originally to provide a race for the centreboard classes, separate from the traditional fixed keel boats. As different classes of centreboard dinghy became established the Mixed Centreboard trophy changed to become a prize for the fastest centreboard dinghy that doesn't have it's own class race. Normally a class will get it's own race if there are three or more of the class attending the regatta.

Northwards

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The Northwards Trophy goes to the first finisher of the Mixed Centreboard Race at Holm Regatta.

Douglas Robertson

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The Douglas Robertson trophy is awarded to the top junior competitor at the annual regatta. The trophy is in memory of Douglas Robertson 1918-1968, presented by Sheena Taylor.

Port to Port

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The Port ot Port race runs from St. Mary's to St. Margaret's Hope. Originally this race was run prior to the St. Margaret's Hope Regatta. In recent years this race tends to be run on the Sunday directly after Holm Regatta. The port to port event has three trophies, one overall, one from St. Mary's to St. Margaret's Hope (Holm to Hope) and a third return trophy (Hope to Holm). The overall trophy has been awarded based on times and more recently on points.

Merlin Rocket

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The Merlin Rocket has been active as a class in Orkney almost as long as the Snipe. This development class became very popular in the seventies, with up to twelve boats racing from Kirkwall. The design has changed dramatically over the years, but some of the old boats still appear at regattas from time to time. Harcus Hutchison races regularly at the regattas and tends to do well sailing Ellen. Of all the centreboard dinghies racing around Orkney the Merlin Rockets are the most attractive looking.

Wayfarer

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The Wayfarer rose in popularity in the 90s as a practical dinghy which could be used to cruise the Islands of Orkney as well as race. This versatile dinghy was also used by Orkney Sailing Club as a training workhorse for many years, in fact the club still has a few of these boats for use with the RYA courses. In 1986 Jimmy Clouston took his hand built Smyril to the Wayfarer World Championships in Canada. Sailing with his wife Elaine Gunn he finished a creditable 18th. The Wayfarer is a large and stable boat, and can cope with strong winds without difficulty. Frank Dye is famous for taking his Wayfarer to all kind of out of the way places (his book 'Voyage to the Edge of Fear' is well worth a read).

Albacore

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The Albacore became popular as a class in the seventies and eighties. Dan Grieve dominated the class for a number of years sailing Mizpah, his nephew Raymond Grieve also had some success sailing Moonshadow and Corona. David Kemp did well with a boat called Samara. The Pottinger brothers have had success with Barbarian and Dog Woof. More recent class activity has been from Peter Mills with Ginger Nuts.

Laser

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The Laser class has been in Orkney for well over 20 years, this strict one design Olympic Class can be very rewarding to sail, although it is quite a physical boat and can be a hard work in a strong breeze. A big attraction of the Laser is the Island Games, an international sporting event which runs every two years. The Island Games allows mere mortals to compete against top flight sailors from round the world. Despite the high level of competition the class attracts, the laser is a very simple boat and can be rigged and launched in minutes. The Laser is very versatile; various rig options are available to suit different sizes of sailor. The laser 4.7 is suitable for children in the age range of 11 up to 16. The radial rig, suitable for body weights of between 60 and 75 kgs is popular among the ladies. The standard rig is suitable for weights of 70 up to 90 kgs. There is also a laser 8.1 rig, aimed at the heavier sailor. The rig options require a different sail and different lower mast section.

⁵0⁵

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Since the 80s some of Orkney's top sailors have been attracted to the 505 as a fast boat, capable of winning Allcomers races at all regattas. In a breeze on a big course the 505 can do well but has to be sailed well and a fairly weighty crew on the trapeze helps.

Enterprise

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The Enterprise became popular in the sixties, as a versatile dinghy suitable for home construction. The Enterprise can be regarded as the Wayfarer's little sister. Designed by Jack Holt in the fifties the Enterprise took advantage of new marine plywood construction techniques. The hull is light and responsive. The distinctive light blue sails always add a bit of colour to a regatta.

Other Boats

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The Other Boats trophy was originally awarded to the winner of a race for boats which did not have a class race.

Orkney Dinghy

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Catamarans

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Traditionally the Catamarans have done their own thing at local Orkney Regattas, choosing courses and race formats that suit the characteristics of Catamaran racing. These days they tend to have two long races at each regatta, with a trophy awarded for each race. The Orkney Catamaran scene is almost exclusively made up of the Hobie 18 class.

Catamarans, R. Drever Cup

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The Orkney Catamarans have a long history in Orkney. Initially home built wooden cats were sailed, these boats began to show their age and eventually a group of cat sailors all bought Hobie 18s. These newer boats have been very successful with up to six cats appearing at Orkney regattas.

Inside Ballast Trophy

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The Inside Ballast trophy was awarded to the fastest traditional boat at the regatta.

RNSA Trophy

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The RNSA (Royal Naval Sailing Association) trophy was awarded to the top sailors from the Orkney Sea Cadets, who attended many local regattas in the seventies and eighties.

Longhope Cup

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The Longhope Cup is awarded to the best under 21 sailor competing in the points races.

Mirror

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The Mirror is a class suitable for both adults and children.

Topper

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The Topper class is ideal for youngsters learning to helm, it has a very simple rig and a light but very tough hull. Toppers have been used by Orkney Sailing club for training purposes for many years.

Pico

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The Pico trophy is awarded to the winner of Pico races at the Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta.

Junior Pico

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The Junior Pico trophy is awarded to the junior (under 16 years) winner of Pico races at the Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta.

Yachts

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The Yachts trophy is awarded to the winner of Yacht races at the Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta, CYCA handicap is applied.

Yachts Passage Race

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The Yachts Passage Race trophy is awarded to the winner of the passage race to the Holm Yachts and Singlehanders Regatta, CYCA handicap is applied. This trophy was kindly donated by George Shearer.

Crew's Cup

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The Crew's Race trophy is awarded to the winner of the crew's races during the summer points series. Crews who have previously helmed for a season are not eligible for this trophy.

The Skipper's Trophy

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The Skipper's Trophy is awarded to the winner of a series of races where the skippers (and crew) swap boats between races. In this way the Skipper's Trophy winner can be regarded as the top sailor, without having advantage of the fastest snipe.

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