Category Archives: Race Reports

A belated view from our resident German correspondent.

Winning a race is not to be sneezed at, winning a series is good fun, as is winning the passage race but there is little that stands quite up to the Gareloch Worlds. Hulls get scrubbed, gear gets checked, it is not rare to get mercenary crew for the event, indeed in the past whole boats have been lend out to able crew to participate in the prestigious event. Rumour has it that sails get ironed the night before.

While the Worlds usually start on a high with an often exquisite cocktail party there was little to rival this year’s Friday entertainment with Dione joining the fleet after a tremendously successful restoration by Tim Henderson and Bill McLaren supported by a host of volunteers. The evening saw Dione’s proud owner formally taking her over celebrated by a large crowd of guests in Rhu Marina.

Saturday it was back to business: The Gareloch is blessed with a glorious wind – that is on average. Sometimes there is none and on times it blows. Saturday greeted with one of the blustery settings. Crews would be tested and helms tired. Race Officer Jean McKay on Blue Iris sent the fleet racing across the Loch. The Gareloch Worlds started much according to expectations. Catriona seemed to reign supreme. A first in the first race followed by a first in the second race seemed to set the tone for the Worlds 2017. Teal cemented a solid second with a two and a two followed by Zoe who took third in the first race but had to settle for fourth behind Zephyrus in the second race. The class is blessed in that it is competitive all through the fleet. Hermes and Ceres ended the first two races on equal points, Thalia had started strong and lost out to turns inflicted through a protest in the second race. Athene and Thia closely battled for points. Dione ably sailed by her restorers proved to be a fine addition to the fleet and then withdrew. It would not have done to overtax her fine gear in front of her new owner’s eyes.

The Gareloch Worlds are about much more than sailing skills. Tensions showed and nerves frayed. The races after the lunch break saw Zoe in supreme form taking a first and a first out of two races. Teal kept consistent form adding another two and the three to her tally. Catriona added a third and a fourth with however a start-line incident looming over her, Zephyrus kept close contact to the leading trio with a fourth and a second place.  Thalia made ground good on her unfortunate second race and crept up through the ranks with a fifth and a fourth place. Hermes matched Teal’s performance in showing excellent consistency cementing her place in the middle. Athene improving from race to race kept pressure on Thia while Ceres crew struggled with unfamiliar gear.

Showing the competitiveness and skill present in the class the evening saw the three leading boats separated by the small print in the rules rather than points. On equal points Zoe was leading on her two firsts in the third and fourth race over Catriona having taken firsts in the first two races with Teal in third on equal points. Zephyrus kept close with a chance. The mid field was closely contested between Thalia and Hermes with Athene, Thia and Ceres sailing the rear guard.

The traditional Saturday evening barbeque this time at the Proctor’s provided a feast for tired sailors and excited onlooker alike.

The Gareloch is blessed with fine average winds. Having expended all the allowance already on Saturday there were glassy patches on Sunday. Crews rigged for light running taking out triple and double purchases and swapped to light lines. Race officer Jean McKay did her best to search for a sensible course and after a bit of waiting a Zephyr of wind allowed for a race to start off the mooring towards the G mark. The Gareloch in light winds can be as much exhilarating as it can be cruel. Hermes took an excellent line all along the Shandon shore with the rest of the fleet searching for wind more or less far out into the Loch. Boots seemed to prosper for minutes only to fall back when the wind failed them. Progress was slow. Supreme skills in light wind sailing allowed Catriona to creep through the fleet for a first. Hermes gained a well earned second with Teal taking third claiming that one important point from Zoe coming in fourth place. Closing an excellent campaign Zephyrus took fifth to take an overall fourth. Fighting the rear action Thia managed to claw back points on Athene.

The Gareloch Worlds are as much about sailing well as they are about sailing well under pressure. Bowing out to a misjudgement Catriona retired from the third race. That left Teal taking the crown on 12 points, closely chased by Zoe on 13 with Catriona taking third with 15. Zephyrus on fourth with 19 and Hermes having claimed fifth with her great final race for a total of 25. Thalia followed on 28, Ceres on 36, Thia on 38 and Athene on 39.

1 Teal (12 points), 2 Zoe (13), 3 Catriona (15), 4 Zephyrus (19), 5 Hermes (25), 6 Thalia (28), 7 Ceres (36), 8 Thia (38), 9 Athene (39)

(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.