Report from the Secretary.
A sunny afternoon with good wind, except that it was at the more variable end of the spectrum. On the water Race Officer Barrie Choules was faced with the problem of wind having an easterly component so that a windward leg to start was not feasible. He set one of the longer courses beginning with a spinnaker leg to D, north of Clynder, then zig-zagging across the loch.
Some elected to start at the pin end of the line, some at the shore end. Either could be made to work. Circe, Teal and Halcyone from the pin end were first to D, Thalia from the shore end next. Catriona found herself pinned on starboard tack from the shore end when she would have liked to sail across the loch. Ceres and Athene blanketing her.
There were errors at D. Athene hit the mark which irritated her helm, the penalty turn set her back. Ceres had to sail round the outside of all that. Circe, who rounded first, mistook the course and sailed further up the loch towards E whereas the rest hardened up to G on the Clynder shore. On this windward leg, wind frustrated. There were holes, gusts and, especially, large changes of direction. Close to G, Teal was in prime position to round first but was thwarted by a huge header and was fourth around.
A broad reach next to E, the northernmost mark on the Clynder shore. Catriona had insinuated herself around G first, from Thalia, Circe and Teal. Wind had become more consistent so that it was hard to pass on this leg and the next a fetch to the finish.
1 Catriona, 2 Thalia, 3 Circe, 4 Halcyone, 5 Teal, 6 Ceres, 7 Athene.
President: