Category Archives: Race Reports

Another windy evening. It was blowing straight down the loch so that the water had an unpleasant chop. Whilst boats were on the moorings, it broke over the foredeck every so often and unsettled anyone who ventured from the cockpit.

Crews for seven Garelochs went out. Two thought better of it and did not hoist sails. There was one of those unfortunate incidents where a boat which had just left the mooring failed to clear the boat on the next mooring. That left three.

Wind was strong enough to require sails to be eased but the boats felt happier than when moored. Teal realised too late that she was manoeuvring for the wrong starting line. Hermes was delayed by a wayward topping lift. Catriona made an acceptable start to take a lead which was never challenged. Down wind, there was no talk of spinnakers (although one of the Pipers set one). It was necessary to reach a little to avoid alarming rocking and rolling.

Race Officer Jim Findlay stopped us after one round and about half an hour’s sailing. No one demurred.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Hermes.

Again, gusts of over 30kts had been forecast. It was gusty, but not that bad. On the Water Race Officer Roger Kinns sent us on a beat across the Loch to D, north of Clynder. There was confusion on Hermes and Catriona over the course. Hermes, nevertheless, made a good start. Catriona didn’t. Stuck in disturbed air, she watched as the leaders got away into better wind in the loch. Hermes and Thalia were leading comfortably at the windward mark.

Downwind, Hermes and Zephyrus declined spinnakers. Hermes kept her lead, Zephyrus dropped a place.

It seems Hermes does not benefit from a course card, so that her afternoon was spoiled by visiting a wrong mark on the second round. Catriona got close to Thalia, but could not make the pass.

1 Thalia, 2 Catriona, 3 Zephyrus. Hermes DNF.

Wind Guru said gusting over 30 kts. It wasn’t kidding.

No Race.

The forecast said gusting over 30 kts. It certainly did not blow as strongly as that although it showed no resolve regarding direction or strength.

On the Water Race Officer Roger Kinns sent us on one of the longer courses, beginning with a beat to B, off Silvers. Catriona started well but Teal played the changeable wind to better effect and was comfortably first at B. She was slicker with the spinnaker and pulled away.

The next mark, F, was located much further south than normal, which caught out Catriona. She went in vain to look off Shandon Church, its usual position, which did for her. Teal, meanwhile, was caught out by a freak gust (few gusts were of predictable character) and gybed into the mark. Her penalty turn did her no damage. Hermes went home after the first round, before the (heavy) rain started.

1 Teal, 2 Thalia, Hermes DNF. Catriona RET.

A wet and windy day so that those lacking enthusiasm decided not to sail. It turned put to be a good evening. Dry with a good wind. Little sunshine, but you cannot have everything. There were three of us at the start.

Race Officer Neill Ross sent us on a good course up and down the loch. A true beat and a downwind leg requiring a gybe. Teal made the best start at the theoretically unfavored pin end. The wind was better there. Catriona battled against unfavourable shifts of wind and made no impression on Teal before the windward mark.

We were rusty on Sunday and showed no improvement. Catriona’s spinnaker hoist was slow. Teal’s drop convoluted. Teal kept her first place but lost a lot of ground with an error over the course. On the second downwind leg, Teal lost her spinnaker halyard and with it, the lead. Despite Catriona’s best efforts, she remained second. Thia was on the pace, but made no attempt to hoist a spinnaker, which consigned her to third.

All this bodes badly for the team racing at the end of the month.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Thia.

The weather on Sunday morning was especially discouraging. Rain and gusts exceeding 30kts. Most were put off but the forecast by WindGuru was for things to calm between noon and 3. Zephyrus, Catriona and Ufo and Miriam Sutter arrived at the car park.

Miriam took the helm of Catriona and indulged in some match racing tactics before the start of a run across the loch to Clynder. Zephyrus got the best of it but Catriona had an overlap to leeward, stayed with the green boat, and delayed her gybe onto Port to head for the mark. Eventually, Zephyrus took Catriona’s counter and that was that.

The crew of Catriona was extremely rusty after the winter lay off. It was suggested we finish after one round and have some practice. Zephyrus, felt the same. We tried some team racing moves. Trapping the opposition to windward, trapping them to leeward and preventing a gybe. It is clear that, against half decent opposition, we should be way off the pace.

1 Catriona, 2 Zephyrus.

The first race of the season and naturally, excitement and anticipation. Six Garelochs are on the moorings, four went to the start. The weather forecast had been poor so that the Sonars, with many youngsters as crew, stayed at home. As it was, wind was no more than brisk although it was cold.

The evening began badly. Shortly before the start, Catriona was recovering from a tangle of her mainsheet, lost concentration and incompetently ran into Zoe. There was no severe damage although both boats suffered broken rigging and retired. That left Thalia and Thia racing. They had been sent on a longish course, back and forth across the loch. During the second leg across to the Clynder shore, wind died away and left the fleet with no momentum. On this first evening, the light had begun to fade so that the two made for home. A Broadley finish at the G mark. Named after former Rear Commodore Sailing Ian Broadley, if no boat completes the course, the result may be determined by the positions at an intermediate mark.

1 Thalia, 2 Thia. Catriona, Zoe RET.

The last race of the year. A superb year it has been, the Garelochs a truly active class. Team racing agaist the Cultra Fairies and Howth 17s in May seems like yesterday. Our passage race to Rothesay was truly an adventure. Almost 100 people attended the Reunion Regatta which was a great success.

Anyway, wind was light as we drifted towards the start but filled in to give us a good race. There were guest helms, Justin Venton on Catriona and Ted Warren on Thalia. That did not change the natural order.

The Gareloch, as is its wont, had traps for the inexperienced or inattentive. It was important to watch the water so as to spot the light patches. That is what decided it, all the boats were on the pace.

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

The lack of light is beginning to defeat the Ancient Mariner Series, even with the start at 6pm.  It was a dull, damp evening, though.

Race Officer Peter Proctor sent us on a beat to B, off Silvers, broad reach up the Clynder shore to C and home.

Catriona squeezed out Teal at the pin end of the biassed starting line and set off in front.  She was careful to cover the rest who made life easier by mostly going the same way.  Hermes had a stuchie with Thalia and ended up taking penalty turns.  It seemed a painfully slow operation to those watching because wind had lessened just then.

Off wind from B to C, Thalia and Teal were battling and taking each other high, towards the shore.  Hermes gained.  She sailed further out where wind was better and passed the pair of them.  Zoe was out of sorts on account of underwater growth and, rather than prolong her agony, went home.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Thalia, 4 Teal.  Zoe DNF

Most people looked at the forecast, which was for no wind, and stayed away.  Only three boats turned out but we were lucky.  On a sunny afternoon, we ghosted to the starting area.  Sufficient breeze filled in for one round of a short course and then died again.

For the first leg, a beat to A, off the club, the shore end of the starting line was favoured geometrically.  However, ebb tide was stronger further out and wind was very light inshore.  Catriona had decided to start near the middle, which she did.  Having rudely squeezed out Halcyone at the pin.  For a while, it looked as though Catriona had made an error.  Hermes, further out, was strong.  An area of rippled water inshore redressed the balance and when the two tacked, it was clear Catriona had the lead.

Spinnakers were set for a broad reach to Clynder.  The direction of wind was remarkably steady although it was sometimes a little light.  Another beat back to the finish.  No places changed in what was a very pleasant afternoon sail.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Halcyone.