Nearly 200 boats from IRC racers to local one-designs have signed up for this year’s Bell Lawrie Scottish Series. This five-day regatta at Tarbert is organised by the Clyde Cruising Club and is Scotland’s premier racing event.

Racing commences tonight (29 May) with feeder races from Gourock or Bangor to Tarbert for the big boat classes, while the four-day series of inshore races for all 12 classes including Sonatas, 1720s and other sportsboat classes start on Saturday.

Each class will have a programme of Olympic, inshore, windward/leeward and trapezoidal courses with prizes of Caithness Glass on offer every day in addition to the overall prizes at the end of the regatta. There’ll also be a special ‘Boat of the Day’ prize presented by the commodore of the Clyde CC after each day’s racing.

With such a good entry including some of the countries top racers on the start line, the competition is likely to be red hot. Dave Ovington and his super-hot crew from Newcastle racing aboard the Mumm 30 ‘Ovington Boats Like’ will be looking for a top spot in the IRC Class 1 division but with the likes of Richard Loftus in his Swan 65 ‘Desperado’, Colm Barrington in the Corby 39 ‘Gloves Off’ and Roy Dickson in ‘Cracklin’ Rosie’, it’s not going to be all plain sailing.

The sportboat class should also provide some interesting racing with 12 different classes including the RSK6 and Hunter 707 represented. The 1720 sportsboat, with over 20 entries, has its own separate class.

As well as the jam-packed, on-the-water activities, competitors and visitors should prepare themselves for ‘one helleva’ a fun time on shore too with live bands in the main marquee every night providing the main entertainment.

Watch out for daily news stories and photographs from the race course on yachting-world.com.