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All that was needed was the young local Tarbert sailor to win the highly competitive class.

Having finished runner up in both of the last two years - losing out in the final stages of the regatta - yesterday Scott and his crew finally completed the fairytale win so wanted by his local villagers who have played host to the regatta for the last 27 years.

Scott, steering King Quick - which he co-owns with his father Graeme, who does mainsheet - not only won the 20 boat 1720 class but was awarded the overall Bell Lawrie Scottish Series Trophy, the top award for the 202 boat annual regatta.

"It is an amazing feeling. Of course you have ambitions in sailing but this is something special that I have always wanted to win ever since I used to come down before school to see the fleet going out and after school to see them come back." Said Ruairidh, who qualified as a naval architect recently and is contemplating a career as a professional sailor.

Counting four first places a fourth and a fifth to win by two points from former multiple dinghy champion Mike Budd on the helm of Gul, coming out on top by two points after a nerve wracking day which culminated in the King Quick team having to take out Gul on the start line of the first race to secure the series, proved the maturity which now underpins the sailing of Scott and his long time tactician , Largs' John Reekie.

"It's been tough being bridesmaids twice here, but I think we learnt from it. In the past we were probably a little too conservative, trying to play the averages a little too much but this time we really made a decision to go for the kill a little bit more and it paid off."

Scott, who first learnt to sail in his father's International One Design keelboat and then with the local Tarbert Sailing Club Topper dinghies, moved through the Scottish Laser squad into keelboats, recruited the core of his crew at Strathclyde University and finished runner up in the Student World Yachting Championships in 2000.

Last year he competed in the Tour Voile, steered the Commonwealth Team's Ker 11.3 Blue Belle at the Rolex Commodore's Cup. In the 1720 fleet King Quick has won the UK National title and the Welsh title twice. Their best finish at the Europeans has been eighth overall, but according to Ruaridh that remains 'unfinished business'.

A final race win and redress granted for yesterday's second race incident when they hooked a stray 100 foot length of rope which was attached to the start line during the second round, ensured that Roy Dickson's Corby 40 Cracklin' Rosie topped the blue riband division, Class 1.

With owner Dickson absent this year the eight year old boat - which has been to all of the Series since she was built as a replacement hull for Dickson's two tonner - had UK McWilliam's John Brinkers driving and Des McWilliam as tactician along with Jamie Boag. They finished five points clear of Keith Miller's new Swan 45 Crackerjack.

In IRC Class 2 it was the 1997 Scottish Series winning Bateleur, the well sailed BH 36 of Chris Bonar which triumphed while veteran owner-helm John Corson steered his Elan 362 Salamander XVI to a popular win in IRC Class 3.

Full Results are available on the event website at the address below