Torrential rain, then almost no wind wasn’t an auspicious start.
Negotiations over who would be race officer failed, Catriona gave in and set course YCY, across the loch to Clynder and back.
A Boinard Z-Y start line was adopted. In the glassy conditions the fleet were spread out along the line. Catriona picked the unfavoured end, planning to sight along the line. Dione and Halcyone favoured the Z end.
Halcyone pulled ahead by half way across, Dione and Catriona caught a breath from astern first, gathered momentum and overtook. Hermes and Thalia tussled to windward and looked like they would catch Halcyone before the C mark but they hadn’t an overlap. Athene was closing up from behind.
Catriona rounded first, closely followed by Dione. Halcyone next with Thalia and Hermes within touching distance. Athene and Ceres bunched up behind.
Having started as a beat to C, we were now beating back to Y. Catriona inched away from Dione, after a slow leg she crossed the line and blew the whistle for the finish. Dione had a loose cover on Halcyone, Halcyone on Thalia, and so on back through the fleet. Halcyone crept upwind into cleaner air and gradually pulled abeam then ahead of Dione. The wind filled in astern, Hermes pushed to catch Thalia, Ceres crept up on Athene and pipped her before the finish. In the slow conditions no one called for another round.
1 Catriona, 2 Halcyone, 3 Dione, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 6 Ceres, 7 Athene, 8 Luna.
President: