Scotland's first Olympic event

Today marks the anniversary of Scotland's first Olympic event, the 12-metre yachting race held on 11 and 12 August 1908. Under Olympic rules only two vessels of the same nationality were allowed to compete, and with no foreign entrants, the two boats were selected after the Clyde Fortnight: Mouchette, owned by Charles MacIver and crewed by men from Merseyside, and Hera, owned by Thomas Glen-Coats, crewed by men from the Clyde.  Each boat had an amateur crew of ten, and the owner steered over a 26 mile course from Hunter’s Quay to Inverkip, Dunoon and Kilcreggan, twice round. Hera won on both days to take the gold medal. 
   Thomas Glen-Coats (born 5 May 1878 Paisley, died 7 March 1954 Glasgow) was the eldest of four sons of Sir Thomas Glen-Coats, Bt. Educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford, he succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father in 1922 and played no part in the hugely prosperous family business, J&P Coats Ltd, the spinning merchants. In 1935, Sir Thomas married Louise Hugon (formerly Mrs JC Newman) of Paris but as there were no children, the Baronetcy died with him.
   Until the recent football matches at Hampden (where I was venue media manager), this was the only Olympic contest ever staged in Scotland.