Report from the Secretary.
The morning’s rain had gone away and the sun was shining. A steady breeze took us to the starting area. By the time the stragglers arrived and we went into a starting sequence, wind was very light. By the start, speed through the water was judged against the flecks of debris on the surface. Halcyone, Hermes and Dione made progress down the Shandon shore in a back eddy of the flood tide. The rest of us stood still.
With intense concentration, sails were induced to maintain a semblance of the correct shape. Catriona insinuated herself past Thalia. Luna, well back, found some pressure to ghost across the loch from the starting area on the way to B, off Silvers.
Hermes and Halcyone swapped the lead. Catriona found a little momentum whilst the two leaders slowed each other. At B, the order was Catriona, Halcyone, Hermes, Thalia, Circe, Dione, Ceres, Luna. Zephyrus had become jaded and took a tow home.
It had taken an hour and 20 minutes to reach B. It looked unlikely we should reach the next mark, G (with the possibility of a finish after at least two legs) before the time limit. The decision was made to go home. As ever, a breeze filled in (through the narrows) to take us to the moorings. Still patchy though. We should have been unlikely to reach G.
President: