Report by Carol Rowe
The evening was a tale of 2 halves with strong winds from the north west backing and eventually dying and thus two rounds with very different conditions.
The course zig zagged the loch. Hermes benefited from Catriona’s absence in having her crew providing a much needed third crew member for the extra weight and skill with the spinnaker. Hermes was in a good position at the start but tacked to avoid Thalia which proved a benefit as when she tacked back across the loch she was up wind of the close fleet. Zoe was ahead of the fleet short on weight and with the extra weight on Hermes it was Hermes that was ahead at the C mark at Clynder. Thia was performing well with her new jib. The run back across the loch was a reach followed by a beat to the D mark. There the rest of the fleet passed as Hermes dropped the jib to hoist the spinnaker. At the end of the run Zoe being first and Hermes by then second at what might have been the finish but clearly was not failure to know that the next mark was C and not A to which the spinnaker would have been flown meant that the spinnaker came down too quickly and the fleet passed. Some head way was made on the tack back to the C mark but Hermes was last to round that mark. It was clear that close inshore was not the place to be so Hermes headed out to pick up better wind and soon passed the fleet. At the B mark off Silvers minds were concentrating on taking down (unnecessary)the spinnaker smoothly before rounding the mark when it had to be put back up again with Zoe by then ahead but by the time the finishing line was passed Hermes was in front followed by Thalia then Zoe and the rest of the fleet close behind.
1 Hermes, 2 Thalia, 3 Zoe, 4 Thia, 5 Ceres
President: