Category Archives: Race Reports

The Clyde Keel Boats Association (http://clydekeelboats.org) “is a registered charity, dedicated to restoring the graceful, elegant old yachts that are lying in fields, gardens and boatyards – and getting them sailing again!

Inspired by the collective enterprise of the owners of the Gareloch One Design, the owners of the Scottish Islands One Design have got together and formed this Association.

Please join us and help to restore the magnificence of the Clyde!”

So, an association for sailors and admirers of all Clyde-based classic keelboats and an immediate aim to save some beautiful Mylne-designed Scottish Islands ODs.

The last race of the summer series.  Race Officer Neil Isaacs set a course beginning with a leg to windward to D, north of Clynder.  The shore end of the starting line was favoured, Thalia started in the best place with Athene well placed.

Each boat had a decision to make.  Wind seemed better out in the loch but the adverse tide was stronger out there too.  Further to complicate things, there were holes in the wind and big changes of direction.  Hermes is always fond of the Shandon shore and stuck to it until it was clearly not working.  She tacked out but still stayed to the right.  Zoe too began on the right side.  Most of the rest did their best with the tide and capricious wind in the middle.  Dione looking strong.  A substantial backing and steadying of wind favoured those nearer the Clynder shore.  Catriona got the best of it.  Dione was second but fell back a couple of places after penalty turns arising from a run in with Zoe.  She got the place back from Thalia downwind.

There was a reach to the finish, a point of sailing on which overtaking is unlikely.  Dione was not able to get back at Zoe.

1 Catriona, 2 Zoe, 3 Dione, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 6 Thia, 7 Halcyone, 8 Athene, 9 Zephyrus, 10 Ceres.

Guest report from Hermes

On-the-water Race Officer Peter Proctor selected an upwind downwind course to Silvers with the variant of a start line between the Y and Z buoys  giving a better start line (Editor: a Boinard Start after its inventor?). As it was a long start line helms could select a position clear of other boats. The promised fair wind failed to materialise and in the flukey winds eddies were cruel. Thalia eventually took a course across the loch which took her up the loch and away from the windward mark but benefited on tacking to arrive first at the mark. Teal had suffered in a hole at the start but eventually started and tacked and tacked as winds shifted. Thia and Ceres had appeared at the start to be making good progress but on tacking across the loch found themselves behind the others. Hermes had found a hole on the start line but recovered sooner than Teal.

Spinnakers were flown on the return with Thalia and Hermes reaching the down wind course together. Thalia having had an overlap Hermes had warning to give her mark room  but was rounding the mark to find Thalia tacking across her bows. It did not pay and on striking the mark Thalia then had to pay the penalty which not only let Hermes pass but also Teal.

Thereafter the next round saw the combatants stretched out across the loch and while Teal attempted to make inroads on Hermes’ lead the order did not change (although Ceres, having had enough of the changeable winds, retired at B).

1 Hermes, 2 Teal, 3 Thalia, 4 Thia, DNF Ceres.

Race Officer Roger Kinns selected a course beginning with a fetch to A, off the club, then downwind to Clynder and a true windward leg back.

The forecast looked ominously light but at least with racing held on the East Patch if there was any wind we would get the best of it. If we could get there. The tide was also against and in light air getting through the Rhu narrows would be a challenge. As it was the organisers had plenty of capacity for towing between the committee boats and ribs on hand and so out we all headed. And a good turn out it was, with many Sonars – competing for the Scottish Sonar Champs as well as the club cup – and the Pipers also represented. The Gareloch class was a little depleted since three helms (Athene, Catriona and Dione) were all on a Sonar practicing ahead of a trip to Seawanhaka in the US. That left Hermes, Teal, Thalia and Zoe competing.

The race committee, led by Race Office (RO) Simon Pender, set up the course between west Helensburgh and the peninsula with the windward mark somewhere approaching the outer bounds of Culwatty Bay (i.e. between Rosneath and Castle Points). The wind – despite the forecast and the morning’s windless clag – perked up just on time and, while there were the odd changes of direction (W to SW and back) and patchy gustiness, it largely held without ever completely dying and gave us a grand afternoon racing.

In the first race the line was shortish with perhaps a slight pin bias (an RO’s favourite). Teal led Zoe in, and also shut the door on Thalia who was forced to tack away from the committee boat and round behind from which she never quite recovered. Teal and Zoe both hit the line well with Hermes near the committee boat. Teal managed to climb enough on Zoe to be able to tack and head back right to cover Hermes who always likes to try and escape to a corner. Thalia also managed to head right and got past Zoe. The race continued with out much change of places and was shortened after two rounds – albeit with some confusion over the use of the Leeward mark (separate and to windward of the starting line) and a rib – correctly flying the class and S flags – as the finish line. Hermes didn’t spot the shorten course and dropped her spinnaker early to round but still just finished ahead of Thalia.

Race 1 – 1 Teal, 2 Hermes, 3 Thalia, 4 Zoe**

On the second race. The wind had swung SW and start line was very pin biased. Teal and Thalia led in and started well but Thalia had Teal pinned until they hit the port layline and she could not cover Hermes and Zoe who got away to the right. A worry in patchy wind. When the boats met again, Teal was still leading but Hermes and Zoe got in front of Thalia. Back upwind on the second leg Teal was covering Hermes and Zoe. They went left and Teal covered in a good position (despite thinking the wind looked better right). When they went back right, however, Teal relaxed too much and also, thinking to avoid the blanket cover of a fleet of running Sonars, did not immediately cover. A school-boy error. Thalia had managed to sail all the way up the right and was now laughing as she went from last to first – with Zoe and Hermes following up – while Teal dropped from a good lead in to last place. Her crew did a good job keeping her skipper concentrating rather than thinking about his lapse.

Downwind Teal kept left and immediately attacked Hermes to try and get on her wind. Up front however Thalia, perhaps revelling too much in schadenfreude, inexplicably failed to keep the Leeward mark to port and, since the course was shortened and it was the finish line, failed to finish. From first back to last again. Zoe therefore took the win. Further back Teal did manage to overtake Hermes. Thalia eventually came back and rectified her mistake to record a finish.

Race 2 – 1 Zoe, 2 Teal, 3 Hermes, 4 Thalia

For the final race the wind had veered back to a more westerly direction and the line was square. Teal had done the maths (cumulative points: Teal 3, Zoe 5 (with a 1st), Hermes 5, Thalia 7) and knew that Zoe was the boat to cover. From left to right, Hermes, Thalia then Teal. Teal followed in last and controlled the others as windward boat. This done, the others could only tack and then duck her, and she promptly tacked to cover Zoe. Thalia too tacked right to make the shepherding job easier for Teal. Hermes – on real form and with fighting spirit – again found some good wind on the left side and came in on the port layline ahead of the rest. Offwind Teal managed to play the wind and gybes to get left and inside and was then ahead. After the Leeward mark Zoe seemed to have a fankle and Thalia got past. Teal was covering and she didn’t repeat her covering errors and with Hermes following, then Thalia and then Zoe the places did not change further on the 3rd and final leg.

Race 3 – 1 Teal, 2 Hermes, 3 Thalia, 4 Zoe

OVERALL RESULTS  1 Teal (4 pts), 2 Hermes (7), 3 Zoe (9), 4 Thalia (10)

Finally, many thanks to all those who organised and helped, but especially Carolyn Normand as the lead organiser from the Sailing Committee and RO Simon Pender.

**(1st race counting towards Sunday series: 1 Teal, 2 Hermes, 3 Thalia, 4 Zoe)

Sun and wind as we left the moorings.  Wind reduced as the evening went on.

The course began with a long windward leg to D, north of Clynder.  With the starting line only slightly biassed to the shore end, several boats got good starts.  Most of the fleet ventured out into the loch (and into stronger adverse tide) in search of better air.  Catriona was obliged to tack back along the Shandon shore to avoid a moored boat.  She opted to try her chances there, Halcyone and Thia kept her company

It became clear the Shandon shore was not a winner.  Thalia was leading the fleet up the middle of the loch.  When those who had tried the shore ventured out, they were crossed by most of the others.  Wind towards the D mark became very variable and places changed. Catriona got the best of it and was round first.  Downwind back across the loch Dione established herself in second with Teal, Thalia and Zephyrus in contention.  Dione allowed her main sheet to brush the gybe mark.  Her penalty turn dropped her three places.  With the spinnaker back up, she recovered two of them.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Dione, 4 Thalia, 5 Zephyrus, 6 Thia, 7 Halcyone, 8 Athene, 9 Ceres.