A superb day, sunshine and sufficient wind. We were rewarded with nine Garelochs at the starting line. On the water race officer Peter Proctor set us on a course down, then up the Shandon shore.
Those who tried to make a textbook start, beating to the slightly favoured pin end of the line, were undone by those who reached in from the loch. Those boats had momentum and blanketed the ones who thought to avoid being squeezed out by being close on the wind. Thus it was that Teal, Thalia and Hermes started well. Ceres and Catriona did not.
Tide was ebbing so that a course to the windward mark further out into the loch was favoured. Catriona took this and was leading comfortably at A mark, off the club. Thalia a determined second.
Downwind to G had become a reach. A little fine for spinnakers at times. Again it paid to go further out. Despite now adverse tide, the wind was better.
Upwind, back to the starting area, the challenge from Thalia had faded. Hermes had made the best mark rounding in the confusion of boats. There were now three separate groups with close competition in each. Hermes, with the bit between her teeth, and Catriona at the front. Thalia, Teal and Zephyrus then Halcyone, Athene and Ceres. Thia was out of sorts.
There was ample time for a second round. Downwind, Hermes chose the correct course and passed Catriona to windward. A lead she was not to give up. In the second group, places kept changing, eventually Thalia came out on top. As did Hlacyone in the third.
1 Hermes, 2 Catriona, 3 Thalia, 4 Teal, 5 Zephyrus, 6 Halcyone, 7 Athene, 8 Ceres, Thia DNF.
President: