Edit – corrected results (Hermes not Thalia!)
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Wind was gusting strongly enough to discourage some. Thia and Ceres went out to rig but did not leave their moorings.
On the water Race Officer Iain MacGillivray was able to set a course zig zagging across the loch, giving two true windward legs and taking us to the northern most mark on the Clynder shore.
Catriona started reasonably well at the favoured shore end of the line. Her tack to cross the line was not as snappy as it should have been so that she was only just in front of Dione. On the way across the loch, Dione had better speed and pulled ahead. Teal, a few boat lengths back, in third place.
Wind blowing from the shore is often variable. Dione failed to tack on a big header which set her back a couple of places. Teal ventured in shore and took the lead at the first windward mark. When Dione tried the same, she had a torrid time of it.
Downwind to the Shandon side of the loch no places changed and Teal increased her lead. She hardened up at the mark. Catriona, thinking to do something different, tacked and saw the gap increase dramatically. She concentrated on covering Dione.
The final leg to the finish had the wind on the beam. In the gusting conditions, spinnakers led to a high risk of broaching. Both Teal and Catriona succumbed. In the second of her broaches, Catriona’s helm lost control, the boat tacked and dropped him into the water. It is said total immersion is the quickest way to learn. Anyway, he was recovered but with all the messing about Dione moved into second place.
1 Teal, 2 Dione, 3 Catriona, 4 Hermes.