Report from the Secretary.
Shirtsleeves sailing. Today there were gusts of wind and unpredictable changes in direction. A couple of the boats were sailing one up so that it was suggested we might not use spinnakers. Thalia, not an enthusiast of the third sail, leapt on that. On the water Race Officer Iain MacGillivray was persuaded by his crew to go along with it.
With wind from the East, a start to windward was not possible. Iain set a course beginning with a fetch to A, off the club, downwind to C at Clynder and a beat back. In changeable air like this, we all know not to get too far away from the line. So (except for Circe) what did we all do? Catriona made the best of it to start second. Teal was set up for a fine reach to the pin but was badly headed. Halcyone and Thalia were timely but closer to the shore which was not favoured.
Offwind, Catriona could not get past Circe. From A to C, spinnakers might have been overly sporty in the gusts which were often on the beam. Halcyone went right to find good wind and move up. Teal went left with the same effect. Schoolboy error, Catriona tried to luff Teal not registering they were on opposite tacks. Teal on starboard. Following the penalty turns, Catriona watched from a distance as the rest rounded C.
There was a bit of luck to the beat in the changeable wind. We were caught in headers which induced tacks towards the Shandon shore. Immediately after which there were gusts with strong lifts on the previous tack. Anyway, Catriona was back behind Circe at the line and again unable to overtake on the way to A and thence C. Halcyone found her good air to the right again and was close to achieving an inside overlap to round C second.
Circe chose the Clynder shore for her first tack of the beat. The rest went out into the loch to begin with, which paid. Halcyone and Catriona resisted the temptation to tack on the headers and were rewarded by the lifting gusts. Sufficiently to get back at Circe. Approaching the line, everyone had remembered to cover the opposition. We were just in time for a third round but the consensus was to finish.
1 Catriona, 2 Circe, 3 Halcyone, 4 Teal, 5 Thalia.
President: