Category Archives: Race Reports

The second race of the Ancient Mariner series.  Named after Douglas Young, who owned Galatea when he passed on.

Thad Burr is a pilot with United and pays us a visit when a visit to Glasgow coincides with a race.  He rearranged United’s schedule to make that happen this evening.

The forecast was not encouraging, little wind like the first race of the series.  As it turned out, this night was much better (unless you are Circe, that is).  Race Officer Peter Proctor sent us to Clynder and back.  Thad took the helm of Catriona.  Reaching up to the favouired shore end of the line on port tack, he was obliged to duck the starboard tack Circe, which gave the advantage to Thalia.  As these two set off to Clynder, Thalia had the advantage but Catriona was slowly making to windward.  When the time came to tack up the Clynder shore, Thalia was obliged to duck and her challenge over.  Hermes, meanwhile, had made hay on the Shandon shore.  A favourite trick of hers.  Catriona could not cross, tacked below her and was then unable to make enough to windward to be able to tack around the mark in the lead.  Ashore, Thad listened politely to the detailed explanation, from Hermes’ crew, of where he had gone wrong.  Anyway, Hermes’ joy was short-lived.  Catriona went better under spinnaker and started the next round ahead.  Ceres, meanwhile, was winning the battle with Circe.

Hermes again went up the loch on the Shandon shore.  She closed on Catriona a little, but with Thalia out of view, she was always covered.

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

A superb afternoon of good wind and sunshine.  Race officer Carol Rowe sent us on an ideal course beginning with a windward leg to the northernmost mark on the Clynder shore.

The place to start was at the shore end of the starting line.  Catriona and Teal fought for it with Teal the winner.  Catriona, well below Teal, was first into better air out in the Loch and was eventually able to tack and cross.  She stretched her lead from there.  Zephyrus, Teal and Hermes fought it out and changed places.  Whilst the wind was strong, it was variable.  It was important to be in the right part of the loch.  Often, covering another boat meant someone else taking advantage.

The second leg, a reach, was a little too fine for spinnakers in the strong air.  The third, down the Shandon shore was ideal.  There was a little shelter from the strongest gusts and wind was on the quarter.  Never so far forward as to make broaching a possibility but far enough to prevent that alarming rocking and rolling which characterises a dead run in strong air.  Nevertheless, not everyone set a spinnaker.  Thalia, of course, had had to turn back to recover hers from the water after a mix up between helm and crew.

Time for a second round.  Catriona ventured into dead air on the Clynder shore and very nearly lost her lead to Teal.  Hermes stayed right on the beat up the loch and prospered.  She was in the lead for the broad reach back to the finish but did not set a spinnaker and was being chased down by Teal, who did.  Hermes sailed high to prevent Teal taking her air.  In time, the Shandon shore prevented Teal rolling over the top of Hermes.  If there had been a few more yards to the race, the result might have been different.

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

All the boats which competed had their dog.  Caillie cutting her teeth on Catriona.  It was her first dog race.  She was up against Canna on Iris.  A dog both long and experienced.  Brodie on Zephyrus, his second dog race.  Sammy again racing on Athene, his experience perhaps more valuable than his length.  You will remember that boats receive a time advantage of five seconds per inch of dog.

Chief measurer Gordon Mucklow still has all his fingers, despite a general dislike, amongst the crews, of being measured.  He went on to assist Race Officer Ufo Sutter aboard John Blackie’s Maid of Lorn.

We were sent on a beat up the Shandon shore to G, then two reaches to C, off Clynder and back to the start, off the club.  It was a good wind and no one set their spinnaker.  Perhaps if wind had been lighter, or the boats closer, someone might have.  As it was, there were times when wind was forward of the mast on both the reaches and we were cautious.

Iris was clearly out of sorts on account of being scruffy below the water line.  She could not stay with Catriona and was passed by Zephyrus.  Sammy’s lack of inches did not matter to Athene.  She was so far back (underwater growth again?) that a Great Dane would not have helped.

1 Catriona, Caillie.  2 Iris, Canna.   Her length advantage over Brodie made the difference.  3 Zephyrus, Brodie.  4 Athene, Sammy.

And so to one of the premier social events of the year.  The Dog Race fancy dress barbecue.  Kindly hosted by Shane and Fenella Rankin, Hon Barbecuers Don and Elspeth MacLean made the smoke.  Barbara McManus had chosen the theme, 1924 with particular reference to achievements in sport and aviation.  Barbara herself was dressed as Zephyrus but her hat of an upturned boat and green shirt combined to create a strong suggestion of Maid Marion.  Eric Boinard was a pilot with an an authentic flying helmet.  The pilot theme was also taken up by Charles Darley and Neil Isaacs, who had a moustache so convincing we hardly recognised him.  Ufo and Miriam Sutter evoked political upheaval in the east with Cossack outfits.  Miriam, with whom one would not have wanted to tangle, took the fancy dress prize.

An evening of little wind, although 5 Garelochs turned out for the early start.  The best we could manage was the shortest course to A, off the club and back.  Circe got the best start and took the win.  Catriona, after a poor start,  got past Thalia but was repassed in dead air near to the finish.  Zoe, understandably, got fed up and retired.

1 Circe, 2 Thalia, 3 Catriona, 4 Halcyone.  Zoe DNF.

Perhaps some had been satisfied by the Reunion Regatta the day before. Anyway, six Garelochs turned out. Race Officer Peter Proctor sent us on a beat to B, off Silvers, thence back and forth across the loch.

Teal got the best start at the favoured pin end. She hit the starting line going fast immediately after the gun. Catriona tried to squeeze her out but hadn’t the speed and fell astern.

Out in the loch, there was good wind but adverse tide. Catriona was obliged to go there so as to clear her air from Teal. Zoe followed Catriona, the rest went down the Shandon shore. Further out paid. Both Catriona and Zoe were in front of the rest when they next crossed. Teal got back to second, Catriona was away. Even a problem downwind with the spinnaker halyard tangled round the jib halyard did not cost the lead.

There was time for a second round. On the last leg, a reach from Clynder, Thalia gained under her spinnaker. Most did not set the third sail, thinking wind was too far forward and too gusty to be comfortable that far forward. Thalia chanced it and overtook Zoe and closed the gap to Teal.

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

The last official Tuesday evening points series race.  Although the Garelochs intend to continue into September with an earlier start.

Race Officer Iain MacGillivray was faced with wind blowing from the Shandon shore.  Inevitably a running start with a biassed line.  It could not be helped.  A beat back to the starting area from the leeward mark.

Catriona was in competition with Thalia.  She got her start timing badly wrong, was early at the line and obliged to sail away from the favouired pin end.  Thalia made the most of it and got away well under spinnaker.

Iris, Hermes and Catriona took each other’s wind, luffed and generally delayed themselves so that Thalia established a handsome lead.  Ceres a little way back, Zoe not going well at all.

On the beat back to the starting area, Catriona caught Thalia a little.  A slow spinnaker hoist at the start of the next round put paid to any overtaking.  The two were close for the start of the final, windward leg but Catriona was making little headway.  Hermes was on the pace. That Iris was not unquestionably due to growth below the water line.  Catriona tacked to windward to escape the disturbed air of Thalia and began to make ground.  Thalia slowed in variable wind near the finish and Catriona edged alongside.  Defensive luffing was not effective.  Hermes, meanwhile, took a different route in better air.  She delighted in the other two slowing each other and took the win.

1 Hermes, 2 Catriona, 3 Thalia, 4 Iris, 5 Ceres.  Zoe DNF.

A superb day, sunshine and sufficient wind.  We were rewarded with nine Garelochs at the starting line.  On the water race officer Peter Proctor set us on a course down, then up the Shandon shore.

Those who tried to make a textbook start, beating to the slightly favoured pin end of the line, were undone by those who reached in from the loch.  Those boats had momentum and blanketed the ones who thought to avoid being squeezed out by being close on the wind.  Thus it was that Teal, Thalia and Hermes started well.  Ceres and Catriona did not.

Tide was ebbing so that a course to the windward mark further out into the loch was favoured.  Catriona took this and was leading comfortably at A mark, off the club.  Thalia a determined second.

Downwind to G had become a reach.  A little fine for spinnakers at times.  Again it paid to go further out.  Despite now adverse tide, the wind was better.

Upwind, back to the starting area, the challenge from Thalia had faded.  Hermes had made the best mark rounding in the confusion of boats.  There were now three separate groups with close competition in each.  Hermes, with the bit between her teeth, and Catriona at the front.  Thalia, Teal and Zephyrus then Halcyone, Athene and Ceres.  Thia was out of sorts.

There was ample time for a second round.  Downwind, Hermes chose the correct course and passed Catriona to windward.  A lead she was not to give up.  In the second group, places kept changing, eventually Thalia came out on top.  As did Hlacyone in the third.

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

A superb evening with sunshine and good breeze.  Only four Garelochs raced, its hard to think what might have been a greater draw.

Catriona had guest helm Thad Burr.  He is a pilot with United, flying out of Newark.  When an overnight in Glasgow coincides with a race, he comes to sail with us.  There is a certain reservoir of ability and experience.

Catriona benefitted from some scrubbing before she left her mooring.  As the boats were sailing about, pre start, it was noted that Thia had the occasional barnacle.  A tickle with a brush would have done no harm.

Race officer Gordon Mucklow sent us on a beat to D, north of Clynder.  Thad went for the favoured shore end of the starting line.  He was slightly late and could have been closer.  Thalia, who was ahead in the points series, was far too early and had had to sail down the line towards the pin.  Catriona was two or three boat lengths ahead when they first crossed.  She made sure of covering and the lead did not diminish.

Hermes, meanwhile, was on terms with Thalia but was obliged to tack from port to starboard as the two converged.  She might just have avoided being blanketed and climbed out from under but her main halyard tensioner let go at just the wrong moment.  From then on, the order was set.  None of the spinnaker gybes at G, on the Shandon shore, were text book but it made no difference.

The race finished at the end of the first round and left us wanting more.  The second round of that course is a long one, however, and the nights are drawing in.

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

Perhaps the biggest influence on the evenings racing was the extent of flora and fauna below the waterline. Iris was scrubbing right up to the start. That can only mean she left much more than she removed. Ceres was slow, no doubt for the same reason. Thalia was swanking about her anti fouling paint and did, indeed, seem to be going well.

We were sent on a course with two windward legs across the loch, first to C. Thalia made the best start, Catriona was compromised by being a little early, Iris too far from the favoured pin end of the line. Catriona concentrated on covering Thalia, who is ahead in the points. Iris found the best of the changeable air on the Clynder shore and was first onto the downwind leg to the Shandon shore. All those tiny shrimps which turn into barnacles must have been swimming the wrong way. First Catriona, then Thalia passed her.

Upwind again to D, north of Clynder, wind on that shore had not improved. Rounding D was trying for Catriona and worse for the rest, as the few breaths that there had been died away. Iris watched from the peacefullness of still air as Zephyrus sailed past.

1 Catriona, 2 Thalia, 3 Zephyrus, 4 Iris, 5 Ceres. Hermes DNF.

A soft afternoon, as they say in Ireland. Race Officer Roger Kinns sent us on a beat up the Shandon shore. Catriona started well but went inshore for less adverse tide and found less wind. Thalia did nor make the mistake and moved into first. She dropped back again as Catriona got the inside overlap at the next mark. Hermes just missed an advantageous overlap on both of them. Downwind with the spinnaker, Catriona allowed herself to be blanketed and gave back the lead. On the next beat, Catriona avoided earlier errors. After a brief period behind Hermes, she cemented her first place. The battle was now between Hermes and Thalia. Hermes had the advantage but did not cover sufficiently closely. On the approach to the finish, Thalia found wind which eluded Hermes.

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