Category Archives: Race Reports

(Report from Wendy Jones on Hermes)

A typical Gareloch day.  No snow or thunder, but otherwise an astonishing change in weather over a short afternoon. Six boats turned out with several new sailors aboard. As we boarded the boats, a baleful raincloud lurking to the north end of the loch made a rapid approach, bringing both wind and water.

Ceres’ crew set a course up the east side towards the Shandon shore, across to Clynder and then back towards the southerly mark. The soggy sailors made their way to Clynder, at which point Dione and Catriona decided against spinnakers on account of still strong wind. Ceres, Circe and Hermes (led by example) were thus not too far away. Thia a little further behind by the end of the first lap. The wind was moderating all the time. Thia decided to do some spinnaker practice over on the Shandon shore and retired from racing while others continued.

There was some changing of places going round the second lap. Catriona initially heading for Clynder having misread the course card. Catriona found her spectacles (or perhaps observed the rest of the fleet) and was unaccountably still first at G, ready for the reach to Clynder. This time, in lighter air, spinnakers were set. The weather gods were having none of this and shifted the wind direction to minimise their advantage.  By the time the fleet arrived at A, off the club, wind had all but disappeared. Dione tacked out into the loch and Catriona covered. Others went up the shore and found a little more pressure.

Circe’s helm nudged the boat to creep across the finish first, followed by Catriona breathlessly arriving from the west. Ceres likewise crept in ahead of Dione, who pipped Hermes on the line.  

Results:  1 Circe 2 Catriona 3 Ceres 4 Dione 5 Hermes. Thia DNF

(Report from Arke)

The second of the short midsummer Tuesday series. A mere five boats out (not including Hermes who was out for a cruise with some guests and potential new Gareloch racers!). Another classic NW course with a beat to D. Circe and Catriona made good starts at the shore end, Arke suffering in their wakes. Further down Dione and Athene powered out in good wind. There was distinct streakiness to the wind across the loch. Catriona leading up the middle. But the fleet all tight.

Across from D to G Catriona leading from Athene who made a high and left route pay. Circe went low and got inside on Dione who had managed to undercut Arke with a couple of well timed gybes. Back at Y and the ROs decided there was time for another round. Why not?!

Catriona again went mid way across and tacked up the middle in a good streak. Looking uncatchable. Athene and Dione went across and both looked like they might have over-stood given a backing westerly wind. Which left Circe, followed by Arke looking good further right as they were lifted further out in the loch. In the end there was a degree of randomness and luck: poor Catriona was completely undone by a hole at D, Athene and Dione got past up the shore on some breeze. And Circe and Arke circled the mark on a lifting wind bend that always made tacking in to the mark unattractive! Arke at least had it better on the inside and got past Circe who had a torrid time.

On the run back to the finish Dione got past Athene to swap the previous Sunday’s race’s places. And likewise Catriona held off Arke’s constant luffing challenges to reverse their positions too. Poor Circe followed up to finish in a position which might feel disappointing but – in a strong fleet and against some snakes-and-ladders sailing – she had really done nothing wrong…

Results: 1 Dione, 2 Athene, 3 Catriona, 4 Arke, 5 Circe

(Report from Arke)

There was good if gusty strong westerly-ish forecast after a morning of monsoon showers. Rigging on the moorings the sun even started to come out while we pumped out the deluge. Six boats out but two of them were aware that this was the last race of the series, that they were on equal points and that whoever finished in front would win the series. The Convenor on Circe took on on-the-water RO duties and sent us on the classic NW course, starting with a good long beat up to D.

Of the two key protagonists, Catriona led in to the marginally favoured shore end but was early and tacked back out. Our other key protagonist, Arke, hit the spot and tacked out followed by Dione. Dione tacked off out of Arke’s dirty air up the loch. Catriona and Arke ignored her and covered and followed each other. Catriona perhaps getting better wind closed to the Clynder shore. Meanwhile Dione and Circe had both made spectacular gains on the right and Dione especially crossed the others by miles. Arke tried to close the gap on Catriona but rounded in 5th from Dione, Athene (going brilliantly with Nikki on the helm and her father Mike Lapsley and her youngest son crewing!), Catriona then Circe. Across to G. Thia had to retire somewhere on this first round – sadly but wisely not pushing it given some damage to their backstay.

Dione had a lead but it was close across the rest of the field. At G there was a complicated pile-up for the rest which was largely handled very well by everyone all things considered! Catriona had the inside from Athene – both on port and needing to gybe at the mark. And then Circe overlapped outside or just behind Athene but already gybed early on to starboard, followed by Arke gybing just before the mark! After the mark Arke got the spinnaker pulling earliest and got above and over Circe. Who in turn got above and overtook Catriona. All passing Athene who – with young crew on board – was sensibly not flying her kite. At the Y mark Arke was a couple of boat-lengths clear. Following, Circe failed to go left of the mark with what at least appeared to be a lack of sufficient mark-room being given by Catriona**. Circe retired. Whatever the rights and wrongs, the incident left Catriona clear and in a substantially better position to try to catch Arke.
(**but NB it’s always very difficult to judge these things – doubly so when you are concentrating on your own boat)

That left four. Dione appeared to be well clear heading up the middle of the loch. Catriona immediately tacked up the Shandon shore. Arke, ahead, covered in strengthening conditions. Neither hugely gaining or losing. When they tacked across to D, Arke wondered whether Athene had retired too (which would have been entirely understandable with a wean on board)… but no, they had gone left and then up the Clynder shore and – not covered by anyone – must have been 20+ boat-lengths ahead of Arke and Catriona. And beat Dione to the D mark! They weren’t to be caught by Dione on the run back to the finish – despite still not flying a kite – for a cracking win. Followed by Dione continuing this year’s form.

Arke rounded and was banking on the wind staying westerly and protecting the right from Catriona. But she endured one of the D mark’s holes – and watched Catriona headed left and appearing to get wind – before getting out in to better wind herself. The wind had veered to come more directly down the run but was strong and so shifty that sometimes one was on a reach and sometimes almost by the lee! Rolling and Chinese gybes a constant threat. Arke’s final challenge – and Catriona’s last hope – was the finish line bias. Arke’s helm was always aware of it but her crew must have regretted pointing it out since that convinced her skipper that a gybe on to port to head left and protect against the line bias was necessary for the win. The gybe took her safely across Catriona but the wind was strong enough that her crew gave up trying to gybe the spinnaker pole and cannily merely guyed it out with an arm for the last minute across the line! And that was the series decided.

Later ashore, Circe noted a desire to lodge a protest against Catriona for the mark-room incident.
But it transpired she probably hadn’t made a valid protest (both hailing ‘protest’ and displaying a red flag “at the first reasonable opportunity for each”). Catriona’s skipper announced she was “content” to retire anyway. 
A key conclusion to take away: if you want to defend your rights then you really need to protest properly.

Results: 1 Athene, 2 Dione, 3 Arke
RET Thia (damaged/fraying backstay cable), Circe (after mark-room incident with Catriona) & Catriona (later ashore after mark-room incident discussions)

(Report from Adrian Topham on Catriona)

Windy rigging was followed by lighter winds at the start but this didn’t prevent Dione getting off to a flyer. Somehow coaxing more speed than the better positioned Catriona, Dionne managed the lifts and headers more ably than her pursuer over the loch and towards the first mark.

Alas Dione’s decision to close early with the shore proved her undoing with Catriona staying loch-ward rounding first and building up a commanding lead back to the second mark. With effective spinnaker work it appeared that Catriona was clear to set off for a trouble free second leg without competition but the gods intervened and blinded the poor inexperienced hand on the tiller, prevailing upon the misguided sole to steer starboard side of the mark!

Dione sailed round and Catriona had to beat back and only managed to round the mark two minutes behind the new race leader. Thia rounded three minutes after followed four minutes after with a close tussle between Ceres and Athene who started the second round bows level.

The rest is history, Catriona fought hard with some brave reaching for the wind but Dione refused to yield her lead and gained another minute on the unfortunate Catriona. Thia remained in third and Ceres beat Athene to the finish.

Results:

1 Dione, 2 Catriona, 3 Thia, 4 Ceres, 5 Athene

(Timings R1 & R2: Dione 19.47 & 20.17, Catriona +2min & +3min, Thia +5min & +4min, Ceres +9min & +9min, Athene +9min & +11min)

(Report from the Convenor on Circe)

It’s very heartening that every Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday evening, that you can predict there will be between 7 and 9 boats all taking part in the Gareloch racing. I count us very lucky that this is the case, and is probably the only fleet still doing so on the Clyde. Even more fortunate that the crews this evening included 3 people who recently had got in touch about coming out sailing on the boats. 

The afternoon was always threatening rain, but it didn’t, and the wind was mainly from the west, with a touch of north in it, and strengthening during the day.

RO in Circe set an L7 course, Y-C-G-D-Z-C-B-Z. Race report authors normally know which end of the line was best to start on, but I’m not too sure. However but all boats got clean away from the line. Tacking up to C; well normally you can tell if one side is preferable, or the middle, but I don’t think it really mattered. What was noticeable was the gusts, shifts and the progress of Dione, Catriona and Arke up to C (all predictable then!).

Round C and spinnakers up to cross back to G. I think there were some things going on up front, changing of positions, but I couldn’t see. Then upwind again to D. Dione got there first, with Arke and Catriona maybe overstanding the mark (well definitely – but it was wise given the shifts) but Circe benefitted from a lift and rushed into the mark resulting in 3 boats all abreast, Dione, Circe and Catriona, with Circe sandwiched in the middle. Given that two of the new crew were in the outer boats, spinnaker hoisting was understandably a bit slower, Circe got hers up, just seemed to pick up a bit of wind and shot off. Arke came storming through as well, with Zephyrus leading on behind from Hermes, Athene and Thia. 

Leading boat was 55 mins for the first round, so the 2^nd round was a nice anti clockwise circuit up to C, then across to B and back to the line. From where I was, I think positions remained fairly static after that. C to B was a reach with gusts but do-able with spinnakers, Round B, Circe held her spinnaker up, but the gusts were getting pretty strong now and after doing a risk assessment of losing the lead, she took hers down. Catriona and Arke were neck and neck and amazingly Arke kept her spinnaker up, shipping water over the leeward gunwhale so fair play and *fist bump* RESPECT! She pulled slightly away from Catriona so it was a good call.

Also, well done to the new crews who all managed to get their spinnakers up with no disasters.

Results:

1 Circe (11), 2 Arke (5), 3 Catriona (3), 4 Dione (17), 5 Zephyrus (2), 6 Hermes (8), 7 Athene (6), 8 Thia (9)

(Report from the Secretary on Catriona / photos from Clare on Hermes)

Race Officer Linda Pender selected a course beginning with a leg to windward to mark D, north of Cylinder.  There was the usual, unavoidable,  shore end bias of the starting line.  Also as usual, Catriona (crew Niki Horn on the helm) was first along the line with Arke just behind and establishing an overlap to leeward so as push her rival over.  Circe came to the rescue.  She had gone further inshore and had tacked out for the line on starboard.  Catriona called for room to join Arke in passing behind the starboard boat and made an optimum start.

Various others, including Dione (who has already won the series of which this was the last race) started further back down the line.  Dione had boat speed and would have taken the lead.  But for being caught by the starboard tack Catriona.  

Arke, lee bowed after the start, tacked away up the Shandon shore, quickly found it did not pay and tacked back having dropped about ten boat lengths.  Circe and others did not take the hint and continued up the Shandon shore.  Their excuse in the bar afterwards was every time they thought to tack, they got a lift.

Most tried to make the best of the usual Gareloch variable wind going up the middle.  Athene had gone across to the Cylinder shore early and found favourable air.  She was only just caught by Catriona on the approach to D and rounded second.  Then was engaged in a luffing battle under spinnaker with Arke and Dione.  

This particular course usually calls for a gybe at G, on the Shandon shore north of the starting battery.  This time, G was dead downwind of D so that in playing the angles, the gybe was done in open water.  Much more comfortably. Dione however insinuated herself past – underneath somehow – Arke just before the mark.  

As wind was getting lighter and some of those who went up the Shandon shore were a long way back, Linda shortened to one round.  There was adventure approaching the finish.  Athene kept Circe at bay, despite venturing too close to the shore.  The helm fell off his seat in then sudden deceleration…

1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Arke, 4 Athene, 5 Circe, 6 Hermes, 7 Ceres, 8 Thia.

(Report from Arke.)

It looked, and was forecast, to be an afternoon of good wind – hopefully even strengthening slightly – if a little wet. Reader, it was none of these things.

After some chat about on-the-water race officer duties, Wendy kindly volunteered Hermes. And with a nice steady wind from the SW, they selected course H6: a beat first to B, then a cracking long downwind run (the longest we do?) up the loch to F on the Shandon shore, nestled in a little bay of moorings not very far south of Faslane itself. It looked like it was going to be fun. Reader, it was not.

After a very biased start(line) and an annoyingly moored yacht to be navigated right after the pin, the fleet was off. Good sailing across to B off Silvers. After some good sailing, Dione rounded first, closely followed by Ceres – going well this season. Then Arke and following her Catriona. Dione went high left to keep clear, thinking to be able to bear away later. Arke launched faster and got under Ceres. Ceres then went low and Catriona followed. At this point the wind lightened. The F mark now seemed a long way away indeed. Arke somehow managed to keep going through the middle, inexplicably leaving boats behind to both the left and right. Perhaps just the right combination of a lane of wind and less tide….? Who knows! They rounded the F mark a large number of boat-lengths clear of the rest. And set off across for a beat to C. And into some wind that seemed to have returned! Reader, it had not.

The rest managed to approach F with the mother of all overlaps (well half the day’s fleet): Dione on the inside, then Circe, then Ceres from Catriona. And they too all set off in pursuit. As Arke was approaching somewhere in the vicinity of the C mark the wind seemed to die entirely. And what puffs there were were seemingly random in direction. Perhaps just coming from whatever cloud was closest. Whatever rain cloud. That were now drenching us. Arke sat in a hole while the others at least seemed to have some wind out in the loch and slowly caught up. Catriona – never one to give up and showing mastery of the difficult conditions- did best and managed to get herself into second, threatening Arke. To add insult to injury, as she was caught, Thia – who had headed right of most of the fleet to the Clynder shore – picked up her own personal streak of wind and cruised from the back of the fleet to arrive first at the C mark. Catriona observed and got enough of it to get past Arke. Was that the end of it? Reader, it was not.

Arke managed past Thia with some slick spinnaker handling. And caught up to Catriona with guest helm on board. What to do? Arke went for the pass on some good wind and managed it. Clear ahead! Just at the critical point however – when one might have thought she had maybe snatched victory – the wind had other ideas and lightened and swung back. Catriona managed to get an overlap and sail her proper course at the mark forcing Arke up enough that she was sailing by the lee to lay it. Catriona brilliantly took the puffs to insinuate herself over and that was that. Thia held on for a good third. Circe managed to get Dione on the run. And we were all glad that one of the wettest, most fickle-winded afternoons was over.

But, reader, somehow, we still enjoyed it…

1 Catriona, 2 Arke, 3 Thia, 4 Ceres, 5 Circe, 6 Dione, 7 Hermes, 8 Athene

Decision made by the RO in the face of strong winds with gusts over 30kn. By 7pm the wind was moderating a little – and it was easy to look wistfully and think maybe it would have been ok – but there were still strong gusts sweeping through…