A lovely warm afternoon, but with light winds. Race Officer set course H4 (ZADZ) once everyone managed down to the line, as the wind, which fluctuated from South East to East at least promised to give a beat on the leg back from D to the finish line.
The wind went very light at the start of the race and with faint signs of movement in the middle of the loch, the fleet headed out in that direction, however Halcyone (after a poor start) was compelled to do something different and head up the Shandon shore. Everyone drifted along, and waited. It was an easterly breeze that filled in from Shandon side, and Halcyone was perfectly placed to have her own wind first and powered on towards A. The remainder of the fleet picked up the wind in slow order and boats were nicely spread out as they rounded mark A, with Halcyone well out in front.
On the run down to D the wind dropped again, the Clynder side was not the place to be, but there was some air movement which was caught by the boats at the back of the fleet. Halcyone and Zephyrus both lost quite a bit of ground, and the fleet again closed up round D.
The best laid plans of the race officer for a beat to the finish line were thwarted by a veering wind direction, meaning that the finish line could be reached on one starboard tack, and it was on this last leg that Catriona caught up to Halcyone and overhauled her to finish first.
Particular mention goes to Ceres who was glad to be in the fray and didn’t finish last.
1 Catriona, 2 Halcyone, 3 Zephyrus, 4 Hermes, 5 Circe, 6 Ceres, 7 Luna.
President: