BUSA Team Race Playoffs 2024 was hosted by Edinburgh University Sailing Club on the 2/3 March; 20 teams from all around the UK travelled to Edinburgh to compete for a chance to get to BUSA Team Racing Finals in April!
Saturday morning started with a short AP waiting for the wind to fill in. One wind shift and course change later, racing was underway with a beautiful south easterly breeze across the loch. The wind came through in bands throughout the day, and 76 were completed as Loch Ore delivered its finest. After day 1 the results were extremely tight, with Oxford, Portsmouth and Solent all on 1 loss, with Bath, Bristol, Edinburgh and Warwick on just 2 losses. A 1630 finish gave enough time to get ready for the Ceilidh in Edinburgh, with 200 people attending! The English learned how to ceilidh dance, with mixed results.
Sunday had a scheduled 0857 first warning, which was not looking hopeful with the Loch like a mirror for much of the early morning. The PRO sent the fleet out regardless, and 10 minutes before the first gun, the breeze filled to a beautiful force 2 with clear blue skies above. The race team cracked on with rolling races on schedule, quickly passing 100 races. The breeze held all day, with the event finishing on race 160, with every team completing 16 races. The overall standings were extremely tight, with a 4 way tie for 7th place. The teams that qualified for BUSA Finals are:
1st Oxford Blue
2nd Bristol Black
3rd Solent Black
4th Bath Blue
5th Warwick Black
6th Bristol White
7th Edinburgh Blue
Full results available at KSail