A good evening for racing. More wind than we expected. Maybe the gusts were close to 20kts.
We were sent on a beat up the Shandon shore with the usual pin end bias on the starting line. The Pipers thought it difficult to lay the pin on starboard tack from the shore and mostly started on port. There were enough Garelochs going for the starboard start to make being on port at the pin too risky.
Iris was a little early and was obliged to go round. Hermes was very early and over the line. The recall signal put the wind up Catriona, who had cut it fine. Zoe, then Iris and Teal were close behind.
Zoe and Catriona fought hard on the beat. Zoe never crossing ahead but looking dangerous all the time. Catriona finally got on top of her on the approach to the windward mark. After that, first place was settled.
The reach across the loch to C, at Clynder, had the added interest of a tug passing down the loch. The wash was substantial and provided opportunities to surf for those near enough. Zoe fought off a challenge from Iris for an inside overlap at the gybe mark and kept second. Iris, meanwhile, beat Teal to the leeward mark. Then had trouble dropping her spinnaker and lost a place in the hardening up. Thalia was chasing Ceres. She tried for an outside overlap at the leeward mark, not a good tactic. She did not take the place.
Athene, meanwhile, had started late. Whilst rigging, she had found loose bottle screws. She did not have time to tighten them all. One came apart during the race. She would have been last, but Hermes was towards the back and was racing (for interest) against a late starting Piper. When the Piper got fed up and went home, so did Hermes.
1 Catriona, 2 Zoe, 3 Teal, 4 Iris, 5 Ceres, 6 Thalia, 7 Athene. Hermes DNF.
In the stong wind and swell, picking up the mooring was not easy. Most did not manage it on the first approach. One independent observer reported that Thalia made double figures.
President: