A superb evening. Warmth, sunshine and sufficient wind for good competition.
Race Officer Jean Mackay set what is categorised in the SIs as a short course. It was a true beat to D, north of Clynder, and back. Not as short as might be expected from the category.
The bias of the starting line left the shore end favoured. Catriona was the closest to getting it right and set off across the loch from the shore end. The fleet split with some tacking up the Shandon shore and others going further out into adverse ebb tide.
Dione, who took to the shore, did well. Catriona crossed her and tacked to head across the loch. The wind constantly heading helped to put Dione in front. Both were well below the mark. Dione sailed in the better wind to round with a good lead. Thalia avoided sailing in the light air of the Clynder shore and took second place from Catriona. Wind had not been kind to Teal, who faced a long tack up the shore in lighter air.
Downwind to the end of the round, Dione was not to be caught but Catriona got a place back. There was time for a second round. Dione’s lead looked unassailable. She failed to apply the experience of the first round and sailed too close to the Clynder shore whilst below the mark. A mistake not made by Catriona. Thalia still in the mix made Dione concentrate downwind to the finish.
Ceres and Thia both took places on the second round.
Brand new sails on their first outing on Ceres took getting used to. She started second from last after being pressed by Teal and lost momentum. She failed to take the Shandon shore and later was beating up to D in the light air near the shore. Learning from that, she passed Hermes approaching D for the second time.
1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Thalia, 4 Teal, 5 Ceres, 6 Hermes, 7 Thia, 8 Luna
President: