Category Archives: Race Reports

The event is now in its 27th year. Back in the late 1990s one of the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten (FKY) members – Enno Thyen – was in the market for a (classic) yacht and ended up on the banks of the Gareloch being shown McGruer 8m Cruiser-Racers by the legendary David Ryder-Turner. He bought one: ‘Feolinn’. But also, and more importantly for our story, the idea of a team racing event was also established. And here we still are.

Last year the GOD team travelled to the Wannsee near Potsdam/Berlin to race in Dragons. We narrowly lost in a tie counted back on points. This year it was our turn to host. The FKY team were hopeful and arrived with title ambitions – as covered in this excellent article (in German) previewing their trip and which also gives a nice brief overview of the sport of team racing (translated version here).

The weekend kicked off on Friday evening with welcome drinks and a relaxed buffet in the RNCYC clubhouse before an early night ahead of the main team racing on Saturday. (Well strictly for your Secretary it kicked off on Thursday evening with a world-champion fondue brought over from Switzerland by Stefan & his daughter Sophie Züst!).

Team Racing

Saturday’s forecast was perfect: 10 knots+, bright, sunny. Sailing Secretary and GOD team captain Charles Darley was rightly determined to take the racing out in to the lower Gareloch off Helensburgh. Truer wind and easier to lay marks (and a ‘box’ course) in the shallower waters. Race Officer Reay Mackay was happy to make it happen. And we were in good hands: Reay was assisted by a superb Race Committee and ribs for course laying duties. Umpires on hand too for immediate protest resolution! The course was great: short sharp races and a start line long enough to be reasonable but short enough to keep things interesting and competitive. Champagne sailing.

The format was 3 vs 3 team racing – that is a team of 3 boats versus another team of 3 – with both the GOD and FKY having two teams (of 3 boats) each. Each race would have two flights. With each GOD team racing the two other FKY teams and vice versa. Then swapping boats and repeating! And if necessary a final race for a decider…

The FKY had good reason to be optimistic and made a clean sweep of the first four races. The GOD team had not started well – in the general sense and in the even more literal sense (we had not made particularly good starts in the races – essential with short, sharp races)!

We swapped boats and tried to remain optimistic ourselves. The GOD team seemed to remember how to sail (and start). Somehow we then made a clean sweep ourselves of the afternoon’s four races. It would now all come down to a final set of 2 races. It was all very tight but the GOD team took them both to win back the David Ryder-Turner Trophy.

But winning was merely a small cherry on top of a perfect day’s sailing and racing. Some well-deserved ‘malted sports drinks’ in the Rhu Inn helped quench thirsts after.

Dinner and beyond

On to a wonderful dinner at the well-regarded AT Hughes @ Lochside restaurant. Literally loch-side overlooking the Gareloch in Clynder. One or two drams were taken back at home afterwards.

The next day was wet and moody with strong winds forecast. There wasn’t much enthusiasm for any more racing (a fleet race with crew now helming and helms crewing is the usual formula). Well except for Charles who can always be relied on to be keen for more sailing. Whatever the forecast! Plan B was a cruise on Loch Lomond from Luss. Afterwards some ventured to Inveraray and its castle. Sunday finished off with the now almost traditional curry at Annayas.

Thanks

Massive thanks – in no particular order – to our Sailing Secretary Charles Darley who did so much to organise the sailing and racing itself; to our Race Committee led by Reay Mackay, aided by Jean Mackay and Bill McLaren; to our experienced umpires Valerie Ferrat and John McLaren; to our Social Secretary Wendy Jones who led and organised all the social side including the welcome drinks and buffet, and dinners on Saturday and Sunday; to Clare Somerville who organised the buffet and packed lunches, as well as the rest of Wendy’s ‘Team Friday’ of Miriam, Bess and Sue Mucklow. And our Convenor John Campbell who did co-ordinate a lot despite being forced to go to a villa in Tuscany when the event itself was on!! Such hardships must be borne.

And finally to our friends in the FKY without who this would not happen at all of course. We look forward to 2027 and visiting the Wannsee again…

No boats finished within the time limit!

Some of us made good use of the time fettling boats ahead of next weekend’s team racing against the our friends from the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten (FKY) – the (German) Classic Yacht Club.

Race Officer Ollie Thompson – the new-this-season owner of proven winner Iris – was faced with a difficult wind direction. From the east – blowing almost across the loch from the starting area. The fixed starting marks inevitably mean that this will be a downwind start. And so it was, with Ollie wisely plumping for the standard easterly course according to the RO’s instructions: a somewhat downwind reachy first leg to D followed by a good beat to G, then a reach back to Y. A second round would add variety: BCY.

The first key decision – assuming a choice and good timing – was whether to start at the right end of the line – favoured according to line bias but potentially more sheltered – or the left end (vice versa!). Most seemed to favour starting further down the line at the left end. Although Thalia – being helmed by the ever-young Reay Mackay – seemed to favour starting in front of the line. Arke thought there was enough wind – and that it might allow a freer reach – to start further up and got away cleanly. Dione was following but, with a novice crew on board, declined to set a spinnaker in the gusty conditions. Circe also started well but she too declined to fly a spinnaker since she was solo.

Catriona – aided by the spinnaker-less competition – managed to extricate herself from the pack, pulled in to second and attempted to catch Arke. She rounded close behind at D and immediately tacked off right for clear air, while Arke stood on towards the Shandon shore. It didn’t pay. When Catriona tacked back Arke crossed by many boat-lengths. Arke should have tacked for loose cover. Instead she stood on down the loch. That didn’t pay! When Arke in turn tacked she now barely crossed Catriona. Arke tacked on top but it wasn’t a good move: she had not crossed far enough ahead to cover and instead found herself lee-bowed by Catriona. Especially since Catriona’s helm is a master of slowly weaving to windward in gusty conditions. Arke fell in to dirty air and Catriona was away. Dione followed Arke past G in a close third to keep the pressure on. A short reach from G back to Y. The gusts remained strong. Sidedecks were wet. It was fun though. The RO rightly signalled a second round.

Catriona hoisted her spinnaker again. Before even passing Y in fact. Which didn’t go entirely smoothly. Arke followed higher. Her spinnaker allowed her to pull a little clear of Dione. Arke’s skipper was not at all sure about keeping the spinnaker up for the reach up to C. But Catriona attempted it so Arke followed suit. Not always wise in hindsight. The gybe was smooth enough but shortly after Arke’s rear spinnaker attachment point (making double use of a mainsheet track end in a way not entirely as designed) failed. The recovery was not smooth. But she stayed just ahead of Dione.

Back up to the finish at Y. Catriona tacked down the loch as she had done at D. Arke stood on as she had. Dione followed Catriona for clear air. At the finish perhaps not much had changed: Catriona in the lead and Arke held off Dione. Further back Circe sailed a good race single-handed and Thalia made a good recovery from her OCS. Zephyrus gracefully retired from the challenging gusty conditions.

1 Catriona, 2 Arke, 3 Dione, 4 Circe, 5 Thalia, 6 Athene, 7 Halcyone. RET Zephyrus.

(Report from Barrie on Dione)

On the water Race Officer, Dione, was expecting fairly light south westerly wind. What we had prior to the start was very light North Westerly but just enough to sail. It was decided to do a very simple course to D, on the Clynder shore, and back.

Given the light wind and slightly more tide than we expected, not all boats made a good start at the right end of the start line, Circe & Dione got the best of it but even then, there were wind variations such that Circe pulled away slightly. Catriona, behind, tacked right in the hope of better wind but found little.  Those starting at the left-hand end of the line in more tide fared badly. The wind veered more towards North – meaning the D mark could be laid without tacking by some who were paying attention to the shifts and the tide.

Once round D it was a drift back to the start under spinnakers with Circe still leading from Dione then Catriona. The leaders rounded within the hour so commenced the second lap just as the wind picked up.

The second lap was much faster than the first but with wind variations, those in the middle benefitting, Dione overhauled Circe, and Catriona was closing fast by the second rounding of D. The reach back to the finish was more sporty but Dione held her lead and Catriona, ably assisted by Fergus the dog, managed to stay ahead of Circe. Further back, Athene had not spotted that there was a second round and hence sailed a bit further than she needed to.

Results: 1 Dione, 2 Catriona, 3 Circe, 4 Thalia, 5 Iris , 6 Halcyone, 7 Athene

PS Athena’s skipper further noted:

“Athene came last. Jointly and severally her helm and crew got it into their heads it was a shortened course, sailed to the shore end of the line and was 4th over that. She spent quite long time sailing to the anchorage before she realised there were no GODs around. Thalia being and crewed by smarter people had gone for the pin end sensibly to do a second round. Athene eventually turned round but it was too late do anything other than come last. Person writing race report might enjoy to put in a line about this idiocy.🙃”

Although despite the forecast obvious lack of wind, a race was still attempted. When your correspondent asked whether there had been a race the replies were that “it was started but only 2 boats managed to cross the line before it was abandoned”. To which someone added that “they took about 20 mins from bow crossing the line to the stern getting there🤣🤣”.

(Report from the Secretary on Arke)

Arke volunteered to be race officer given others seemed to have new crew or be sailing solo. A good wind from the WNW allowed a classic course to the D mark followed by running reaches to G and then back to the start. Catriona was aggressively early and Arke chased her in. Arke slowed enough to be able to start well at the shore end but Catriona had to cross the line early. Dione looked to be well over oddly early and seemed to need to be told in order to realise it. It later became clear she was looking at the wrong buoy which explained the uncharacteristic error!

Arke thought she was well in control heading across the loch to get out of any remaining tide. Meanwhile – perhaps forced by being OCS – both Catriona and Dione tacked up the Shandon shore. Was it just being forced? Or did they correctly realise there might be even better tide and/or wind on that shore? Or perhaps it was just faster sailing? Probably some combination of all of the above! Because when Catriona crossed she was 10 boat-lengths ahead of Arke!

At the D mark there were more lessons to be learnt, Gareloch style! Arke thought she had laid the mark – especially since Thalia was pointing up higher beneath her. As they headed in however they were both headed and the wind conspired to somewhat disappear. Catriona was more cautious and made it. Meanwhile Thalia and Arke both watched as Dione now waltzed in on some excellent wind, followed by Ceres. Going backwards: Catriona leading from D, followed by Dione, Thalia, Ceres then Arke.

Across to G, Catriona had established a solid lead and Dione pretty well clear of the chasing pack too. Arke headed a bit higher and at least managed to roll over both Ceres and then Thalia to retake third. From Y back up to D now – on a simple ‘sausage’ course (so called because of the shape of the simple loop) – Catriona and Dione made no mistakes in a now much stronger, if still very streaky, wind.

Further back, others had also been caught in the earlier patchy doldrums at D. Hermes had tacked on to port to round the mark and had promptly parked. There was nothing she could do to avoid Iris coming in on starboard. Iris – rightly – protested. Hermes gracefully retired later after a polite post-race discussion in the car park. Everyone recognised it was entirely unintentional and there was nothing Hermes could have done… Worse things happen at sea.

1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Arke, 4 Athene, 5 Thalia, 6 Ceres, 7 Iris, 8 Zephyrus. RET Hermes.

(Report from Charles Darley on Catriona)

A good turnout of Garelochs.  Race Officer Stewart Gibb, assisted by Ollie Thompson, Reay and Jean Mackay had not just Gareloch wind to struggle with but also the absence of the Z mark.  The pin end of tonight’s favoured starting line.  The mooring buoy of a yacht was nominated instead.  Not ideal because the yacht was there too but needs must.

There was the added novelty of instructing Garelochs to sail the Sonar course.  Sonar courses are designed to avoid reaching legs, so not a bad idea.  

Three Garelochs were over anxious at the start and obliged to return.  Ceres took some time to realise and suffered in the returning, Catriona knew at once.  By the time she had started correctly, Catriona was in air so bad, (as Dave Perry puts it in Winning in One Designs) that oxygen masks dropped automatically from the boom.  She had to wait to be rolled by Thalia before she could tack away.

The first leg to B, off Silvers.  The B mark has been out of position.  Lately next to the port hand channel marker.  It was replaced in position at the weekend.  Those who knew were at an advantage.

Catriona found good air away from the rest and was behind only Circe at B, after her appalling start.  Off wind to G, near Gully Bridge, it was a bit fine for spinnakers.  Circe thought to start high so that she could bear away and hoist.  It did not pay.  Catriona, on the rhumb line, was at G first. A curiosity, G would logically be left to starboard for the reach back to the starting area.  The course card had G left to port (the Gareloch course added a visit to C at Clynder so port rounding would be natural) which meant boats leaving crossing the path of boats approaching and a tack instead of a gybe.  Dione was the only one to manage a spinnaker tack at the mark.

There was time for a second round, but it was not ideal.  Wind had veered, so that B was now a fetch, and lightened.  Those towards the back got the worst of it.  A final leg from Clynder to the finish was fine, but called for spinnakers.  Circe had new crew (Mairi McLean).  She was on the helm whilst the skipper operated her complex arrangement for the spinnaker.  He did not do well and let Dione pass.  Similar trouble on Athene promoted Ceres.

1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Circe, 4 Ceres, 5 Athene, 6 Thalia, 7 Zephyrus.  Arke DNF.

(Report from Ollie Thompson on Iris)

The Z mark has decided to go travelling, whilst some thought they saw it against the Shandon shore, subsequent race reports may say that it managed out through the narrows and was heading towards Ardmore point.

Improvisation was called for by the on the water RO in Circe, using the mooring buoy on which a blue cruiser was sitting.

Memory doesn’t serve too well, as this race report slipped away with no volunteer to write it, but the wind was a SW, with the first mark being a beat to B. Most boats stuck on the Shandon shore for the first beat, except Circe who went out. The fleet crossed and Circe gained ground whilst the remainder seemed to slow, with Catriona making the best course. The last time I saw B was that it, also, had been wondering, and it was last seen hard against the port navigation mark off Silvers, and that is where Circe headed. However, Mr Darley had been out that week and re-located the mark, some distance up the loch on the Clynder shore. Surprise therefore on Circe to find that Catriona was going round a mark well downwind of the red Nav mark and after confirming, had to reach for an extra leg to get back downwind to (new location) B. Surprisingly, and thanks to a decent wind, she rounded B 2nd, with Dione following on behind. 

A reach down to C and then across the loch for a second round. Not much changed on the second round and on the final leg, it was a run dead downwind back to the finish line. Dione made good progress, and Circe was too pre-occupied with the sound of the water passing Dione’s bow (rather than concentrating on boat speed) with the result that Dione took 2nd place just on the line.

Further down the field, two separate duels were taking place. Hermes and Iris on the first beat chose opposite routes, with Iris heading out into the channel and Hermes tacking onto port. Each time the boats crossed paths, they had alternated the position, with Hermes ultimately coming out ahead round B and consolidating the position into lap 2.

Ceres and Thalia, meanwhile, were engaged in their own close race. After getting the slight advantage from the start, Ceres rounded the windward mark ahead of Thalia and kept the order intact into the second round. Thalia, however, was able to stay close enough to cause Ceres trouble with dirty air on the final run, completing the overtake with approximately half a leg to go. 

An honourable mention must also go to Zephyrus: her first race under new owners Bill and Wendy

Results – 1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Circe, 4 Hermes, 5 Iris, 6 Thalia, 7 Ceres, 8 Zephyrus