Sunday 22nd September

On the water race officer Iain MacGillivray set a course which took us back and forth across the loch. As we waited for the start, it seemed ambitious. Wind was light and there was a strong tide setting us down the loch. Curious because we were close to high water.
Iain was concentrating on the starting sequence, so that his own start was undone by the tide. Zephyrus would have made a good start, except that she found herself to windward of Catriona and was pushed early over the line. Halcyone was the only other one to be there or thereabouts.
As the fleet moved away from the Shandon shore, wind improved. Catriona thought she was in a strong first place but, approaching C at Clynder, Halcyone crossed her on Starboard tack with elan. Unfortunately, Halcyone is newly afloat and her owner Shane Rankin has not yet rigged spinnaker gear. It cost on the downwind leg with a charging Hermes and the Teal relegating her to fourth.
Wind was beginning to lighten for the last beat across to the Clynder shore. D was devoid of wind, but not of tide. Catriona benefited from many painful lessons of the past and sailed almost to Faslane before heading for the mark. She avoided having to tack up the Clynder shore against the tide with what little wind there was, changeable. Ceres in particular had a torrid time. Athene, from her vantage point at the back, knew to stay away from the shore as long as possible. She was back in contention with Ceres but unable to capitalise.
Wind from behind brought Hermes up to Catriona on the run to the finish. Halcyone’s want of a spinnaker lost her a place to Zephyrus.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Teal, 4 Zephyrus, 5 Halcyone, 6 Ceres, 7 Athene.