Category Archives: Race Reports

An evening of light wind.  The course was one of the shortest possible, to A off the club and back.

Tide was flooding so that a compromise was needed on the windward leg to A.  Closer to shore, less adverse tide but even lighter air.

Thalia made the best start but Catriona, with guest helm Thad Burr, maintained boat speed and soon took the lead.

We managed two rounds as wind lightened even more.  The final leg to the finish was spent teasing the spinnaker to fill.  If the tide had been against us here, we should still be out there.

1 Catriona, 2 Thalia, 3 Ceres, 4 Hermes.

Saturday 25th July – Day 1

The first day of racing of the Gareloch Championship Weekend. Ten boats competed in the four races of the day.

Race Officer Dick Taylor, aboard The Dicken Family’s Tegwynt, set courses with first legs beating to windward up the Shandon Shore. In the morning, tide was ebbing so that a fine balance was to be had between better wind in the loch and less adverse tide on the shore. Variability in strength and direction of wind complicated the issue. Galatea, Zoe and Catriona were on the pace and finished the first race in that order.

The second race included a reach to C, off Clynder. Catriona rounded the windward mark first with Galatea and Zoe following. Not for the first time, Catriona sailed for the wrong mark, a mooring a little up the loch from C. Galatea followed but Zoe got it right. Lighter wind in shore allowed Zoe to overtake to leeward and take the lead.

In the afternoon, American Pilot Thad Burr joined Catriona. The third race began with a beat to D, north of Clynder. As Catriona sailed towards the Clynder shore, Thad warned her helm of the rest of the fleet being lifted further out in the loch. To no avail. She rounded D at the back of the fleet. Teal in the lead. There was no overtaking on the reach across the loch but boats did close on each other. Downwind back to the starting area some benefited from their spinnakers more than others. The first leg of the second round was a little fine for spinnakers. Teal made hers pay but all the rest who tried to keep their third sail lost by it. Particularly Galatea and Athene, who compromised her second place. Catriona somehow got back into the fray and finished second behind Teal.
Before the last race of the day, Zoe was leading with Catriona one point adrift and Galatea a further point back. All knew the importance of the fourth race. The tide had turned now but tacking up the Shandon shore was still not simple. There was still advantage to be had by going inshore. Catriona rounded first for the run to the finish. This turned out to be key. Further back there was blanketing and judgement needed over the timing of gybes. Thalia found speed near the finish to take second. Teal third. Galatea and Zoe, who were strong for most of the race slipped to fourth and fifth.

Sunday 26th July – Day 2

It was much better weather than was forecast. Good wind and the rain stayed off until we had gone in for lunch.

For the two races this morning, Dick Taylor took Tegwynt to C, at Clynder, for a windward-leeward course to the club and back. In the first, Catriona was taken past the windward mark by Galatea. She should have been conservative and have gybed out, but leopards do not change their spots. Anyway, she luffed to try and force the issue and was protested by Galatea for tacking. The penalty turns were taken in light air with the rest of the fleet approaching. She finished that race sixth.

In the final race, some played the changeable air better than others. Notable was Teal who gained places on the final windward leg (to a finish of the club) and took another first place.

Athene had been battling with Thalia. She was in contention on Saturday evening but two poor results on Sunday put paid to that.

Overall, the results were:

1 Zoe, 2 Galatea, 3 Teal, 4 Catriona, 5 Thalia, 6 Athene, 7 Ceres, 8 Hermes, 9 Thia, 10 Zephyrus

More pictures will be available in the Gallery

Race Officer Neil Isaacs selected a little used course which took us back and forth across the loch. The first leg, a beat to C, at Clynder.

Teal and Catriona were trying for the favoured shore end of the starting line. Teal got a slightly better start and was then lifted on the tack across the loch. These two, in their private battle, lost sight of the others who took advantage of good wind on the Shandon shore to make progress up the loch. Not the first time that has happened. Hermes, Thalia and Zoe leading at the first windward mark. Thia was in the fray. Catriona had suffered from her duel with Teal, who had ventured into the fickle air (and it seemed strong adverse tide) of the Clynder shore and was nowhere.

There was no scope for overtaking on the reach across the loch to G although the leaders closed on each other. On the next beat, Hermes and Thalia fell back, Zoe cemented her lead with Thia second. So it remained on the downwind leg to the end of the round.

Upwind again, Catriona was consistent with her mistakes and ventured to the unfavoured Clynder shore again. This time trying to escape from under Thia.

Teal, meanwhile, lifted herself from last by passing Ceres, who was helmed by her crew whilst Neil was Race Officer. His feelings as she passed the finishing mark on the wrong side are not recorded on the score sheet.

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

Garelochs were to have raced to Tighnabruaich on the Saturday, returning on Sunday. All but Zephyrus were dissuaded on account of strong wind. So as not to waste the whole weekend, we had a race in the Gareloch on Sunday.

On the Water Race Officer sent us on one of the longer courses, beginning with a beat to E, the northern most mark on the Clynder shore.

Teal, Thalia and Catriona all made a pitch for the favoured shore end of the line with an approach on Port. Catriona misjudged it badly and was forced to tack by Teal, who was running out of water. Sailing down the line on starboard tack, she spoiled Thalia’s start also.

Teal was away and in a streak of wind taking her to the mark. The rest seemed badly headed. It was one of those days to curse bad luck when all but you are lifted by the wind and take it as a personal right when you have a lift all to yourself. The good guys in the Flying Fifteen class, racing recently in their National Championship at the club, spoke of tacking in phase with the changes in wind. Too many of us, especially Catriona, were out of phase. She rounded the windward mark in 5th place although got one back quickly under spinnaker.

At the start of the second round, Teal and Thalia were comfortably first and second. Catriona attacking Athene for third place. She managed to gain advantage early in the second beat but was too greedy. She looked for the best of the wind in a vain attempt to get at Thalia and failed. Athene, who had not been covered, retook third. No justice, though. Approaching the windward mark, in line astern of Athene, Catriona was lifted outrageously in a line of wind which illuded the yellow boat.

Athene and Hermes battled each other downwind to the finish. Only a race officer on the shore could have called it.

1 Teal, 2 Thalia, 3 Catriona (subject to protest), 4th equal Athene and Hermes, 6 Thia.

An evening of good, if changeable wind. A large audience from the Flying Fifteen Nationals watched the start. The shore end of the line was favoured. Teal led in but was early and hence going slowly. Catriona approached with more speed and luffed Teal over. Thalia was also heading for the shore end but was too far below the line to be dangerous.

The first leg was a beat to D, north of Clynder. Wind backed and lightened on the approach to the shore. There was an element of chance in selecting the best tactic. Athene was leading at times, but slipped back a little. Catriona rounded first with Teal close behind. The next leg offwind to G off Shandon, the wind a little too fine on the bow for spinnakers. The Pipers showed us the mark. The leg back to the finish was downwind. Teal took the lead with superior handling of the spinnaker. Athene was battling with Thalia and benefitted from better handling of the third sail by crew Miriam Sutter. On a similar second round, Thalia was able to blanket Athene on the final leg and took the place. Ceres, also in the fray, delayed herself with a luff on Thalia.

After a good, competitive race, it was pointed out that we had rounded a wrong mark. The Pipers had taken us to the more northerly mark F, instead of G. They realised their error and left G on the correct hand. We did not, except for Hermes. The only Gareloch to get it right.

1 Hermes. Teal, Catriona, Thalia, Athene, Ceres and Thia RAF.

On the water Race Officer Peter Proctor set one of the longer courses, beginning with a beat to E, the northernmost mark on the Clynder shore. Wind was changeable in strength and direction, but never died completely. At its strongest, boats were well heeled, but the side decks stayed dry. There was time for two rounds.

Catriona got the best start at the favoured shore end of the line. Zephyrus had a mix up over timing which compromised her. Athene became stuck between the riser and pick up of a mooring at just the wrong moment and had to take a turn to free herself. Seeking to do something different and get to windward of the fleet, she sailed for the Clynder shore when the rest were on a tack up the loch. It paid and she crossed in front of everyone. Wind approaching E was trying. Catriona, who had been behind and to windward, ducked Athene and somehow got around the mark first. Athene, Hermes and Thalia were all in contention. It was Hermes who made the best of her spinnaker and cemented second place. Athene battled Thalia for third. Places changed and there were critical inside overlaps at marks. In the end, Athene benefitted from superior spinnaker handling.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Athene, 4 Thalia, 5 Zephyrus.

It was another evening of light air. Race Officer Reay Mackay chose a course intended for lower strength of wind but incorporating 3 rounding marks and 4 trips across the Gareloch. Some competitors thought we should be lucky to finish but it turned out well.

Catriona, uncharacteristically, got the best start at the heavily biassed pin end of the line. Teal, second, suffered badly from air disturbed by the boat in front. Teal took a tack across the loch to clear her air and do something different. It brought her back into contention and she rounded the windward mark in third place just behind Thalia. Thalia and Teal took each other high on the downwind leg to G, off Shandon. For a time that looked faster than the direct route which Catriona had taken. They faded after a while.

Ancient charts used to say ‘here be dragons’ beyond the edge of the known world. It was the same at the C mark, a fetch from G. Ebb tide was fierce at C and the mark had very little wind around it. Catriona saw Pipers in front struggling and headed up to avoid the trap. Not enough. She was obliged to tack against the tide in light air and spent some time creeping up tide of the mark. Thalia, approaching in better air, did not absorb the evidence. She had a torrid time rounding C and dropped two places. Teal was now firmly in second for the spinnaker reach to the finish.

Thalia’s trouble was not over. Approaching the line, she was blanketed by a late running Sonar and was demoted to last by Ceres.

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

Seven Garelochs drifted to the starting area. Wind was light and continually veering. Race Officer Peter Proctor changed the course twice in an effort to achieve a beat to windward. We ended up going to C, off Clynder. It kept raining, which stopped whatever bit of movement in the air there might have been.

Dying wind at the start caught out many. Athene started well but appeared to stop as she tacked up the Shandon shore. The rest set off across the loch. Thalia, blanketed, opted to follow Athene, her crew amused themselves by examining closely a moored boat.

Travelling across the loch, there were periods of pressure on the sails. Some good lifts, too, but no getting away from the adverse effect of the ebb tide. Eventually, Athene and Thalia prospered and crossed the rest of the fleet. Judging the tack for the approach to C was crucial. It paid to stay a little further out, in better air, for as long as possible. Catriona closed the gap to the leaders here.

On the offwind leg to the finish, Athene suffered from a failure of equipment and did not set a spinnaker. Thalia allowed herself to get to leeward of Athene and was unable to get the best of her spinnaker. Catriona took the lead.

Meanwhile, Teal was looking for advantage over Hermes at the mark. She lost concentration and was carried onto it by the tide. The penalty turn ended her challenge. Hermes caught Athene at the finishing line.

In the end, a much better race than we might have expected.

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

Race Officer Peter Proctor faced a problem. There was no wind on the Clynder shore. It was light elsewhere. With wind blowing from the Shandon shore, it was not possible to set a course which included a windward leg and gave a reasonable chance of finishing. As it was, he selected the shortest course, to A, off the club, and back. We got three rounds.

Fickle wind did for most of us at the start. In the final minute, there was both a large header and a reduction in strength. Thia, Zoe and Ceres got away. On such an evening, there were holes. Those who went further out on the way to A sailed in stronger adverse tide and got mixed up with the Sonars and Pipers (who started earlier) as they were sailing downwind. It was enough to let some of the late starters back into the fray.

Thia kept her lead for two rounds but was not setting a spinnaker on the return legs, which led to her dropping back in the end. Zoe faced a challenge from Catriona. She took advantage from a starboard tack approach for the final rounding of A to keep the lead. Soon after the mark, a luff prevented a pass. Then Catriona crept to windward sufficiently to be safe. Variable wind brought the two level. At the line, only the Race Officer knew the result.

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

There was sufficient wind for one of the longer courses. We were sent on a long windward leg to E, the northernmost mark on the Clynder shore. The fleet (eight Garelochs came to the start) was well spread for the start of the downwind legs, first across the loch and then back to the starting area. Catriona first then Teal. Thia did not suffer too badly from having found the famous rocks off Gully Bridge. They are always further out than might be imagined. Thia’s crew bumped uncomfortably against the edge of the coach roof as the boat suddenly decelerated.

The second round involved another long beat up the loch to a mark on the Clynder shore. Wind had become more variable now and the order was disturbed. Halcyone, sailed single handed, and Athene crossed ahead of Thalia who, along with Ceres, had looked strong.

Catriona got away from the shore before large and random holes appeared in the wind. Teal was swallowed in a flat patch which developed around her. Ceres, too, suffered. There was confusion at the mark between Thalia and Athene. Thalia gave mark room to Athene but thought she took far too much. Athene judged that she was obliged to give mark room to Thalia and so made a wide rounding. As wind filled in, determined work with the spinnaker brought Teal back into the fray. It was a closely fought finish between her and Athene.

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