The National Scorpion Association organises racing events and events to promote the class every year. The Silver Scorpion Travellers' series of Open Meetings sponsored by CraftInsure are spread over the season and over the country. The annual highlight is the National Championships, which were hosted in 2023 by Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club in Sussex. The 2024 Championships is at Castle Cove SC in Weymouth.
Castle Cove S.C. Silver Scorpion Open Meeting
9th - 10th July 2022
With the promise of sun, sea and sand, 27 intrepid scorpions headed for Castle Cove Sailing Club, and the annual Weymouth Dinghy Regatta. After a brief postponement and a change of sailing instructions on Saturday morning, the sea breeze kicked in right on cue. With 4 races planned, the fleet headed out into the harbour…
Race one saw close racing throughout the fleet. Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray (fresh from Salcombe week) took the lead with the battle for second place being fought out just behind them. As Adrian Smith and Rob Smith had a little tacking battle towards with line with Pete Gray and Debi Gibson, Sandra Smith and Jeni Richards pipped them all and took second on the pin end of the line.
Race 2 saw Gillard/Gray and Alan Krailing and Simon Forbes battle it out, with Sam Watson and Andy ‘Shandy’ Thompson hot on their heels. Gillard/Gray took the win, Krailing/Forbes 2nd, Watson/Shandy 3rd and Nigel Potter and Amy Clay posting a solid 4th.
Race 3 and more close racing ensued, again Gillard/Gray took the win with Krailing/Forbes in second and Gray/Gibson in 3rd. The racing was so close between the top 7 boats, that Watson/Shandy and AJ Eaton and Chris Eaton were tied on the line and split the points for 6th/7th. The fleet were let off the hook, with race 4 being reverted back to its original Sunday slot. It was time for beer, burgers and for some, a highly competitive game of crazy golf.
Sunday dawned and with light winds forecast and a number of hangovers around the dinghy park, many hoped that Sunday was going to be a beach day. But the race officer was keen, and the fleet launched on time. Following a brief postponement on the water the fleet got 2 races in.
Race 4 was led from start to almost the finish by Gray/Gibson with Gillard/Gray taking the win in the final meters into the finish line. Krailing/Forbes were not far behind in 3rd.
Race 5 and the wind was getting lighter… Gray/Gibson again lead the fleet around the windward mark, but with Krailing/Forbes and Gillard/Gray in hot pursuit. Final result Krailing/Forbes took 1st, Gray/Gibson 2nd and Gillard/Gray 3rd.
As the wind was dropping, the race officer decided an afternoon on the beach was a best bet and race 6 was abandoned.
Final results saw Gillard/Gray take the overall win, Krailing/Forbes in 2nd and Gray/Gibson 3rd. A quick pack up done, time to soak up the sun on Castle Coves balcony and enjoy the prizegiving. Rachael Gray thanked the race team, galley and all club helpers on behalf of the fleet, as well as Tom, her helm, for his world class abilities both on the water and in the bar.
Extract from Mark Jardine’s interview with Tom Gillard re his (together variously with Rachel Gray & Andy Thompson) remarkable success in multi-classes this year …
"A good time off the water is just as important as the sailing, so I asked Tom which class, in his opinion, has the best social activities:
I would say the Scorpion. It's a chilled-out vibe, a nice bunch of people, with newcomers to the fleet alongside old hands, and everybody's very open about what they do to make the boat go fast. It's a real community. The class is going from strength to strength; whether you've got a wooden boat or a fibreglass boat, there's help everywhere, and no-one feels at a disadvantage."
