A superb evening of sunshine and breeze. Where else in the world would you rather be.
Helms Fiona Baker (Thalia), Peter Brown (Thia), Lucy Forrester (Catriona) and Michael Milne (Dione) raced. Peter had won last year and the confident body language on Thia was plain to see. Michael, with Roger Kinns as crew, knew that Dione goes well.
On the Water Race Officer Michael Knox was constrained by wind blowing from the shore at the starting area to set a course beginning downwind to C, at the north of Clynder. Dione and Thia got away well with Catriona selecting the wrong gybe. She corrected that and was able to establish an inside overlap by the time the three reached the mark. A better rounding by Dione led to luffing and Thia made hay to take first place. Shortly after, Dione lost her main halyard. The time it took to remedy did for her chances.
Gareloch wind, meanwhile, was unkind to our Race Officer. The second leg, back across the loch to windward, was almost a fetch. Only a short port tack approach to the mark was needed. Thia was not to be caught. Nor was she on the next reach across the loch to Silvers. The leg back to the starting area was a fetch. Thia made a tactical error by standing on unnecessarily at the mark. Catriona tacked at once and edged into the lead. There was a second round. An enjoyable sail in good breeze but no places changed.
1 Lucy Forrester (Catriona), 2 Peter Brown (Thia), 3 Fiona Baker (Thalia), 4 Michael Milne (Dione)
President: