Report from the Secretary.
The first race of the secondary points series. A magnificent evening, sun and wind. Wind was from the east so that Race Officer Julian Forrester was obliged to set a course beginning with a downwind leg. To D, north of Clynder. There was inevitable congestion at the pin end of the starting line and thereafter some blanketing. Catriona got away reasonably cleanly. Teal and Circe, who were also timely at the line, indulging in luffing which was helpful to the rest.
Off wind, under spinnaker, the boats had similar speed so that after the leading three or four had rounded D, there was a gaggle and issues of mark room. Catriona, usually the source of intra-boat shouting, and Dione who was on a charge listened with detached interest. The two legs back to the starting area were both fetches (maybe a short tack needed near to the line) and so essentially uneventful. [The Secretary seems to have completely forgotten about the two reasonably good beats back from D – to G in the first round and to Y to finish – in which, at least for the first, there was a curious feature that heading L to the Shandon shore there was much better wind. Whoever went left benefitted. And the further left the better! Teal, ladies and gentlemen, went right. At least on the first round…]
There was time for a second round. Two fine-ish spinnaker legs. First to B, off Silvers, then along the Clynder shore to C before a beat to the finish. No places changed in the second round but Dione, Teal and Circe had a close (and photogenic) fight under spinnaker between B and C.
The beat, in air that was consistently strong but changeable in direction, was a matter of maintaining cover. Guest helm on Thia was Reay Mackay. Those who like to finish in front of her knew they were up against it. Hermes is sharper, after her helm’s workout at the Mudhook regatta. Beaten by Thia by a dog length.
1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Teal, 4 Circe, 5 Halcyone, 6 Ceres, 7 Thia, 8 Hermes, 9 Thalia, 10 Athene.
President: