Category Archives: Race Reports

(Guest report from Teal since Charles Darley (of Catriona), joined by our favourite airline pilot Thad Burr of United Airlines who sometimes drops in while on a stop-over in Glasgow, was practising on a Sonar ahead of a visit to the US)

Wind was from the North and Race Office and Class Convenor Peter Proctor set an excellent course from Z up the Shandon shore to G and then back to A off the club moorings before a finish back at Z. The line was biased, with the pin/port end favoured, and could just be laid on starboard. Teal led in early ahead of Halcyone and Thalia. She judged it just right to close out Diona and Hermes who had elected to try and hit the pin on port (perhaps thinking that others would be late and struggle to hit it on time?).

Established after the start, Teal was leading Halcyone, with Dione behind but to windward having had to duck the leading boats on the line. The wind was lifting and lightening however and Teal was looking back nervously at Dione’s angle and speed. Messrs Henderson and McLaren appeared to have done a very good job of restoration indeed! Teal decided to tack and cross Dione to cover her. To no avail as, perhaps helped by the light air penalising the tacks, Dione just glided underneath and clear in front! Dione rounded the G mark a good few boat-lengths in front of Teal with the others a reasonable distance back led by Halcyone.

Spinnakers up and Teal started to hunt down Dione and some luffing ensued. It didn’t achieve that much and Teal was perhaps fortunate that Dione’s new crew struggled with the drop and did not press their inside overlap at the A mark, allowing Teal around first. Teal covered Dione and in better wind she was held at bay. Dione is going to be a contender.

Further back Halcyone continued on the pace despite not having flown a spinnaker and was not far behind. And Thalia, despite having rounded ahead, did not cover Ceres and headed too far inshore. Ceres made the most of the better wind and took fourth.

1 Teal, 2 Dione, 3 Halycone, 4 Ceres, 5 Thalia, 6 Thia

It rained.  That might have put some people off but there was good wind and so a good race.

On the water Race Officer Roger Kinns was unable to set a course beginning with a leg to windward.  We set off for A, off the club.   It looked like a fetch to begin with but wind veering led to tacking near the mark.  Teal suffered blanketing at the start so that Catriona got away first.  These two were well clear of the rest, where there was argy bargy regarding opposite tacks and room at the mark.

Downwind, to D, north of Clynder, Dione was on the pace.  Owner Barrie Choules had Julian Forrester as crew.  The last time he was on a Gareloch was Zephyrus in the 1970s.  They damaged their chances by rounding the wrong mark before noticing where the others were going.

It was a wet night.  Wind was vague both in strength and direction.  In the absence of a race officer on shore, the Sonars selected a course to Silvers and back.  Of necessity, it was a downwind start and, in theory, a windward leg back. Some of the time that was true, sometimes it wasn’t.

Dione had her first outing with her new owner, Barrie Choules.  It could have been a better evening for him.

Catriona got away at the start and was never challenged.  Everyone deployed spinnakers and, for a while, it was hard to choose between Thalia, Halcyone, Ceres and Dione.  Thalia established herself at the head of the pack by getting the best of the wind at the end of the first round.

When there is no Race Officer on shore, sailing instructions do not give discretion to the leader regarding shortening.  Thus it was that Catriona was obliged to embark on a third round.  Wind was lightening even more by this time and the heavy rain showers sapped what little strength it had.  Halcyone pipped Thalia to the finish.  The rest either went home or did not finish in the time limit.

1 Catriona, 2 Halcyone, 3 Thalia.  Athene, Ceres,  Dione, Hermes, Thia DNF.

The Gare Loch was attractive in the sunshine with glassy water and moving patterns of ripples. That is all very well but does not encourage sailing. The Sonars stayed ashore, the Pipers came to the starting area and went back. The Garelochs stayed a while and told themselves there was wind, but not enough to start a race.

Eventually, there was sufficient sustained pressure for On the Water Race Officer Carol Rowe to send us on a short windward/leeward course down and back up the loch. Teal and Catriona led into the starting line. Teal a little early, Catriona taking care not to get to windward and be pushed over the line.

The two set off down the loch in the best of the air. Catriona edged ahead in slightly more favourable tide. Others, who went for better tide further out in the loch, suffered from lack of pressure. Thia also beneffited from sailing closer to the shore.

Downwind to the finish spinnakers were set but gravity was their dominant influence.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Thia, 4 Hermes, 5 Ceres, 6 Thalia.

It seems we have had wind blowing from the Shandon shore frequently this year. So it was again. Race Officer Alan Yendell was constrained to setting a course beginning with a reach to A, off the club. The upshot, the perfect start was at the pin end of the line with speed. Only Hermes achieved that. Zoe had speed but a little further along the line. The rest of us were either blanketing each other or had slowed to avoid premature starting.

Zoe was the first to A with Hermes very well placed for the run downwind to C, off Clynder. She did not set a spinnaker so that was that. A charge from Thia on the first leg faded. Halcyone was in front of Teal, who is always a contender.

Slick spinnaker work from Zoe’s crew, Simon Jackson, ensured she kept her lead to the downwind mark. Skill from crew on Catriona, Laura Cammidge, kept the gap small.

The windward leg to the finish was the best Alan could have selected. Zoe and Catriona separated on different tacks. When they came together again, starboard advantage and a lift in the wind at the key moment put Catriona in front. Halcyone had kept Teal at bay. There was time for a second, similar, round. On the downwind leg, Halcyone had trouble with her spinnaker, which allowed Teal to pass.

1 Catriona, 2 Zoe, 3 Teal, 4 Halcyone, 5 Thalia, 6 Hermes, 7 Athene, 8 Thia.

Guest report from Teal

A difficult evening for the Race Office (RO) with wind from the east (and shifty and variable!). The RO eventually selected course L3 with a downwind start from Y to D that should have allowed some beating on legs back. Most boats seemed wary of beating in to Y given the shifts and the risk of headers, and opted to run in from closer to the shore. With the exception of Hermes who came in on the beat and hit Y bang on time. The others approach higher and more downwind, Teal and Halcyone leading. Teal was the best of the bunch as she approach the line with Halcyone just below and behind. Hermes sailed on before bearing away above Teal.

So Hermes and Teal leading – depending on the wind shifts – with Hermes higher but behind and Halcyone challenging. Thalia following and finding good wind and going strongly, climbed up on Halcyone and Hermes to attempt to pass. Catriona a long way back after a poor start – but now with good wind – attempted to go low and attempt to undercut the fleet and looked dangerous for a while but the wind eased and started to benefit the higher boats and her challenge faded again somewhat.

At this point the Gareloch and its wind had a change of plan and, perhaps influenced by a large black cloud behind the peninsula, dropped and then swung through 180 degrees to head the fleet and turn the leg in to a beat to D! Kites had to be dropped. Catriona closer to the Clynder shore – and theoretically higher – again looked good but in practice the boats further out in the loch had better wind. Teal leading. As they headed back on starboard towards the Clynder shore Catriona had to duck Hermes. Hermes tacked to cover but had to then tack for Teal. At this point Teal decided to loosely cover Catriona rather than Hermes and Hermes managed to find some better wind to get in to the lead. Catriona tacked and headed back to the Clynder shore where she found a large hole and never really figured in contention again. The approach to D was characterised by light variable wind, occasional streaks and strong ebb tide taking boats approaching D sideways down the loch. Hermes round first with a good lead, then Teal, then Thalia. Now to G across the loch.

Hermes did not manage to get her spinnaker up quickly, whereas Teal did, and used it to make the most of the wind and catch up. Thalia also following strongly. At this point – with the leading 3 boats in the middle of the loch and the pack back around the D mark – the Gareloch and wind again had other ideas! Which was for the wind to AGAIN swing 180 degrees, now directly from the G mark. Just as Hermes raised her spinnaker. Teal struggling in the now very light air to keep clear of Hermes ahead and to leeward, decided to foot off for speed and then – spotting wind up the loch and figuring that the tide meant the need to head up the loch – tacked and crossed behind Hermes. Hermes eventually tacked but when Teal tacked back she easily crossed Hermes. Teal tacked well in front of Thalia on the starboard lay-line to G and still well ahead of Hermes who was now going well approaching on the port lay line.

The boats behind were however not having such fun back at D which was the epicentre of a large calm windless hole. The RO had spotted this and, using a mobile assistant RO on a RIB, decided to shorten the course at the G mark so that boats back at D could potentially be rescued. So Teal crossed first followed by Hermes and then Thalia. A Gareloch classic?

1 Teal 2 Hermes 3 Thalia 4 Zoe 5 Halcyone 6 Catriona 7 Athene 8 Thia 9 Ceres

It was one of those days when, had it not been a race, we might all have stayed in and read the Sunday papers.  The rain was as forecast but there was much better wind than expected.

On the water Race Officer Roger Kinns selected a course zig zagging across the loch, beginning with a windward leg to Clynder.  Just after the start, the wind backed so that we were able to make the first mark without tacking.  That was to the benefit of boats unable to get to the windward end of the starting line.  Of those, Catriona did best and stretched her lead in clear air.  Teal, unable to capitalise on her optimum start, found she had to defend against against the fleet on the downwind legs.

Hermes sailed in unfavourable air on the first leg and struggled until the end of the round when she got back a couple of places.  She gave them back by not setting a spinnaker when going downwind on the second round.

Ceres complained of growth below the water line, despite skilled crew Wells Grogan, she was never in contention.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Thalia. 4 Zephyrus, 5 Thia, 6 Hermes, 7 Ceres.

Race Officer Eric Boinard was able to choose one of the longer courses. Wind was blowing towards mark D, north of Clynder. From there back to the starting area was the last leg of the round. The first a fine reach to A, off the club. Starting well was thus essential. Many were over cautious which let Catriona away with Athene showing strongly.

The leading boat finished the first round in a little over half an hour so that Eric sent us round again. By now, Catriona had a large lead over Teal with Athene nor far behind.

It would be uncharacteristic of the Gareloch not to throw a spanner in the works. The wind around D was reducing. On the approach, Catriona kept tripping over her spinnaker. Then she carelessly allowed the tide to sweep her on to the mark. The penalty turn in light air alerted Teal to the danger and allowed her to take the lead. By the time the two were sufficiently far out into the loch for sails to fill again, Teal’s lead was substantial. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet was suffering at D. Hermes was was pushed sideways onto the mark by the tide.

Wind to the finish was now more variable than usual. Which is very variable. It was unkind to Teal, who was crossed just before the finish line. Hermes recovered from her penalty turn to take third. Athene lost out.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Hermes, 4 Thalia, 5 Athene, 6 Thia, 7 Ceres.

Good wind, but blowing from the west.  Those hills on the west shore cause variability of strength and direction.

On the water Race Officer Roger Kinns selected a course zig zagging across the loch.  Beginning with a windward leg to Clynder.  The shore end of the starting line was the place to be  and, predictably, Teal and Catriona fought over it.  Catriona got to the inner end but when she tacked, she had Teal on her lee bow and fell back in disturbed air.

Teal had a good lead by the first mark.  Thalia had been well placed for most of the leg but fell foul of huge headers approaching the mark.

Under spinnaker, back across the loch, the leading boats came close.  There was a stooshie at the leeward mark which ended with a protest.

Wind on the Clynder shore was becoming light.  Catriona managed to ghost round and get away.  The rest of the fleet got the worst of it.  Teal kept her place, Athene could not quite make her challenge on Thalia stick.

1 Catriona (subject to protest), 2 Teal, 3 Thalia, 4 Athene, 5 Hermes, 6 Ceres, 7 Thia.