Scottish Series Opens With Tight Racing Battles

22nd May 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Leading Lines — Ben Shelley’s J/109 Mocking J races on Loch Fyne after winning two races to lead IRC Class 1 on Day One of the 2026 Jura Scottish Series at Tarbert Credit: Andrew Wallace Photography

The 2026 Jura Scottish Series opened with tight racing and unsettled form on Loch Fyne as several defending champions came under pressure on Day One. A steady south-westerly breeze of 10 to 15 knots allowed race officers to complete three windward-leeward races for the One Design and IRC 1 fleets before mid-afternoon.

In IRC 1, Clyde-based J/109 Mocking J leads after winning two of the day’s three races. The family crew skippered by Ben Shelley holds a four-point advantage over Brian Hall’s Irish J/109 Something Else.

Brian Hall’s J/109 Something Else Photo: Con Murphy

Simon Knowles' J109 Indian from Howth Photo: Con Murphy

Shelley praised the conditions after racing. “We are going quickly, so today it was a combination of good decisions and good boatspeed,” he said. “There were some tricky shifts and streaky bands. It was fantastic racing.”

The Etchells fleet saw confusion in the opening race when the leading boat headed for the wrong mark. Colin MacDonald’s Eccentric capitalised to take the win.

Allan Manuel’s Etchells Bounce Back racing hard on Loch Fyne during the opening day of the 2026 Jura Scottish Series at Tarbert. Photo: Andrew Wallace photography

Peter Judd’s Lock N Load won Race Two before Allan Manuel’s defending champions Bounce Back secured victory in the final race to edge ahead overall by one point. “The racing for the Etchells was fantastic today,” said Judd. “Every place is fought for. It is very competitive all the way through the fleet.”

In the Hunter 707 fleet, defending champions Tsunami 2 were penalised after crossing early at the first start. Guy and Ruth Neville’s Po now lead the class by seven points after consistent results across all three races. Andy Marshall, helming SeaWORD, which won the final race, said, “We saw the pin-end bias on the last race and got away cleanly. The fleet is incredibly competitive.”

The IRC Coastal fleet completed a four-and-a-half-hour course to Otter Ferry and back. Arran brothers Iain and Graham Thomson won aboard Sloop John T by just over two minutes.

Elsewhere, Mayrise leads the Sigma 33 class, while Donald Mackenzie’s Ceol Beg tops CYCA 1 after two races.

Racing continues through the weekend at Tarbert, with close margins across multiple classes suggesting another highly competitive Scottish Series.

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in Scottish Series, Sigma, Etchells, J109

Published in Scottish Series

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Scottish Series Background

Although the format of the Scottish Series varies little from year to year, it is interesting to see some of the changes which the event has seen over the years:

CYCA handicap class added to IOR (1976)

IOR level rating classes to reflect the popular sizes and World Championships being held in the UK

Separate one design class for Sonatas (1980 to date)

Campbeltown dropped with offshore races direct to Tarbert (1982)

Unique light displacement CYCA class - the forerunner of today's sportboats (1982)

Computer results system introduced in 1982 and now recognised as the best in the UK

Separate one design class for Sigma 33 (1987 to date)

Separate one design classes in certain years for Impalas, Sigma 38, Melges 24 and Cork 1720

Inner triangle to shorten courses for smaller classes (1986)

Points loading for offshore race reduced from 2 to 1.5 to 1

First racing in Scotland under Channel Handicap (1988)

Second racecourse for smaller classes (1989)

Discard introduced

Windward leeward races - two per day (1993)

Sportboat classes with no overnight races (1994)

Marquee on quayside for main social events (1995-2008)

Restricted Sail Class (1998)

Third racecourse for sportboats with up to three races per day (1998)

Day feeder races (2002)

Overnight and day feeder races discontinued (2005)

Stand-alone Tarbert Inbound and Outbound passage races introduced (2005/6)

With all these changes, some things have stayed the same:

Huge support from Ireland every year since 1975

A magnificent effort ashore and afloat from the volunteer helpers of the Clyde Cruising Club, Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club and Tarbert Loch Fyne Yacht Club

Results and communications service at the forefront of technology

The best competition and the best social scene in the country

An overall Series winner, the roll call including many of the top sailors in Scotland and beyond.

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