Category Archives: Race Reports

Race Officer Reay Mackay was faced with the problem of wind blowing from the Shandon Shore. Square starting lines and starts to windward are not possible. Also, it is difficult to judge the direction of wind further out in the loch. He sent us down, then up the Shandon shore. There was time and sufficient wind for two rounds.

The inner end of the line was certainly to windward for the fetch to A, off the club. Catriona started at the shore end, Thalia (to good effect) at the pin. As the two converged, Thalia fell into Catriona’s disturbed air. As far as first place was concerned, that was that.

The leg up the loch to G was suitable for spinnakers but a little fine. The risk of broaching increased with the strength of wind. Late running Pipers added to the interest. They do not carry their spinnakers so well as Garelochs when the wind is forward of the beam.

Back to the starting area may or may not have required a tack, depending on the capriciousness of the wind. Mistakes or luck here meant changes of place. Teal in particular was not favoured. Zephyrus is learning more about the riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that is wind in the Gareloch.

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

Another wet day. Normal service has been resumed after the especially good weather arranged for the Commonwealth Games. Race Officer Shane Rankin sent us on a beat across the loch to Clynder. When we started, the C mark appeared directly to windward. As it turned out, most time was spent on port tack. Catriona got away well and avoided light air at the shore end of the line. Zephyrus was on the pace. Teal found the light (and changeable) air.

From C was a reach back across the loch followed by a curious leg to B, off Silvers. Some set spinnakers from C, which paid. Even allowing for the generally poor gybes at the beginning of the leg to B. Catriona extended her lead and made her spinnaker work until wind died in heavy rain. Zephyrus found different air. Her spinnaker hindered her and allowed Hermes to pass. The leg to B became increasingly miserable for back markers. Halcyone was passed by Teal for no reason other than variable air. Catriona delayed her finish to more than an hour from the start so as to avoid the need for a second round. There is a sailing instruction to this effect for when there is no Race Officer on shore. No one complained.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Zephyrus, 4 Teal, 5 Halcyone. Thia RET.

Wind appeared steady and we were sent on a beat to D, north of Clynder. The shore end of the starting line was favoured. The technique being to reach in on port and tack to start at the last moment just before going aground. Unusually, Catriona got it right and Iris was well back. Catriona seemed to be sailing lower but she was going faster. The rest, pointing higher, were led by Teal.

Catriona got the best of the changeable wind going up the Gareloch and was comfortably first. There was time for a second round. A great hole in the wind had formed at the D mark. Pressure during the approach a matter of chance. Thalia found a line of air and overtook Teal to round second. Iris was out of luck.

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

A remarkably wet Sunday. Decent wind though. Catriona was unkind to Hermes at the start, squeezing her out at the favoured pin end of the line. Karma, though. Catriona was early over the line and, after returning, started last. She was back in front at the windward mark. Putting Thalia into her disturbed air on the way into the mark promoted Hermes.

Downwind, a very bad spinnaker gybe by Catriona allowed Thalia into the lead. She kept it for the remaining two legs of the round and the first of the second round. A shift in direction of wind had made the beat a fetch. The next leg, up the Clynder shore, was dead downwind. Careful blanketing by Catriona and a slow gybe by Thalia restored the usual order.

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

The usual superb lift off party, this time at Peter and Francoise Proctor’s. Canapes were especially good.

On Saturday, Race Officer Gordon Mucklow, aboard Tim Henderson’s Blue Iris, set a starting line at Clynder. 15 Garelochs were there. Only Dione, being rebuilt, was absent.

The Gareloch gave us plenty of wind, but it was at its most fluky. Large and sudden changes in direction (downwind, the racing flag could be seen to flick through 30 degrees or more) and deep holes caught out the unwary and the wary alike. Luna won the first race but then her rudder stock broke in the second so she was, thereafter, unable to take part. Boats which like to be near to the front (Iris and Catriona) were 6th and 3rd, Thalia was second, which gives an indication of the conditions.

Normal service was resumed in the second race, Catriona first with Iris second. Hermes a strong third, her arch rival Thalia seventh. Zephyrus strong in fourth. With a minute and a half to the start, Teal found the allure of the Clynder shore stronger than the water was deep. She finished last.

The third race did for Catriona’s chances. She was chasing Iris and ventured into a part of the Loch which seemed to have paid in the previous race. There was no wind of any significance and what there was was so variable in direction as to preclude meaningful progress. She finished 8th with Iris winning. Teal made herself feel better with a second place.

The last race of the day was closely fought between Iris and Catriona. Wind at the finish favoured Iris. Thalia, showing some form, was third.

A barbecue at Jimmy and Carol Rowe’s on Saturday evening. The Gareloch Hon Barbecuer, Don Maclean, was in his element. His home made relish unique. His wife Elspeth there to prevent disaster. There was a protest arising from one of the races which a very conscientious
committee of Shane Rankin, Ian Nicolson and John Blackie resolved on the night. To the detriment of their dinner.

When crews arrived on Sunday morning, most were bright eyed and bushy tailed with cold wet nose. The glassy surface of the loch depressed us at first but a good breeze got up. Gordon sent us on a true beat across the loch in steady air. Catriona took the win from Iris, with Galatea second and Thalia fourth. There was a large shift of direction of wind for the sixth and final race. This time, the beat was up the Shandon shore. Catriona struggled after a poor start, Iris led. Zephyrus, in a strong position, thought she could luff to squeeze round the windward mark. It might have worked but much of the fleet, sailing a little more free, took her wind. She lost all momentum in a most inopportune place. To cap it all, she drifted into the mark.

The results after six races:

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Thalia, 4 Galatea, 5 Teal, 6 Zephyrus, 7 Juno, 8 Hermes, 9 Circe, 10 Halcyone, 11 Athene, 12 Zoe, 13 Thia, 14 Luna, 15 Ceres.

There was a sail past Blue Iris of high standard. Alan Reid MP took the salute. He later presented the fine 50th Anniversary trophy to John Mucklow and Simon Jackson, crew of Iris.

The last chance for a practice under ‘race conditions’ before The Worlds. Zephyrus, in particular, was trying hard.

Race Officer Michael Knox set a course beginning with a beat to B, off Silvers. The outer end of the fixed starting line was favoured, which led to the usual argy bargy on the approach. Thalia was aggressive to begin with, luffing Iris, but she was early and her challenge faded as she was obliged to bear away. Catriona took up the gauntlet and squeezed out Iris at the pin. She too was a few seconds early and had to return. Hermes, Zephyrus and Thalia had the benefit of boat speed. Their start was at the right time, if not quite the right place. They were looking strong. Athene was also premature, but she did not notice and so did not return.

As is their wont, the fleet made down the Shandon shore and into the club moorings before tacking across the loch to B. Catriona, who needed all the help she could get, had noticed the Sonar, Grouse, do well down the middle. The ebb tide a help. She followed and crossed all but Zephyrus. On the tack into the mark, Iris again suffered disturbed air from Catriona and fell back.

Downwind to G, on the Shandon shore, Catriona was clear of the rest and prospered. Zephyrus, Thalia and Iris were close enough to be concerned about taking each other’s air. The consequent manoeuvring slowed them. Zephyrus was the first of that group to harden up at G for the beat across the loch to C at Clynder.

There was time for a second round, shorter than the first. Zephyrus took a long time to emerge from the Club moorings on the second beat to B and lost places. Hermes and Thalia strong too.

On the final leg, there was a deep, deep hole in the wind around the finishing area. Catriona highlighted it for the others. First Iris, then Zephyrus, Thalia, Hermes, Athene sailed past. Ceres had only just begun the last leg when all this unfolded. She came roaring up with her spinnaker full.

1 Thalia, 2 Zephyrus, 3 Iris, 4 Catriona, 5 Ceres, 6 Hermes, 7 Luna. Athene OCS.

A superb afternoon. Sunny and as much wind as anyone could want. Why only four Garelochs turned out is unfathomable. Race officer Luke Dicken sent us on a course taking in the northern most marks. Beginning with a long beat to E, near Rahane.

Only Catriona spotted that the shore end of the starting line was favoured and she was late. It was enough to cross in front of Luna, though. Catriona set off across the loch, thinking there might be a good lift up the Clynder shore on the opposite tack. Luna and Hermes followed whilst Thalia stuck to the Shandon shore. Shandon paid, at E Thalia was comfortably second. Next was a broad reach across the loch to Shandon Church where a gybe took us onto another broad reach back to the starting area. In lighter air, there would have been no hesitation about spinnakers. As it was, only Hermes and Catriona felt brave. Both were assisted by it, Hermes coming into contention with Luna.

There was time for a second round. Hardening up a little to A, off the club, was just too fine for the third sail in the strength of wind. There was no advantage to be gained on this leg. Thence a beat to D, north of Clynder. Here, Catriona committed a tactical error. She hardened up and sailed for the Clynder shore. The correct move was to tack and start up the Shandon shore. Then, if the others stood on at A she could tack to cover. If they tacked, she had them covered. As it was, if the others tacked and Catriona went to cover, she would find herself beating up the middle of the loch against the worst of the ebb tide in a place where wind is often less good too. Catriona got away with it, but her error led Luna distressingly astray. Luna followed Catriona, then saw that both Thalia and Hermes had tacked to travel up the loch nearer the Shandon side. She went to cover them and found herself in the worst of the tide and not the best of the air. Not only did she not catch Thalia, she was overtaken by Hermes.

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

Race Officer Eric Boinard was favoured with a steady breeze over all of the racecourse. He sent us on a beat up the Shandon shore to G, reach to Clynder, downwind to A off the club and beat back to the finish. There was time for two rounds.

The starting line was heavily biased towards the outer end. Uncharacteristically, Iris lost pole position to Catriona with Zoe away in third. The leading two held station, close together, as they sailed into the loch. When Iris tacked for the mark, Catriona tacked to cover and had her opponent in wind shadow all the way in. That disadvantage allowed Zoe into second place. Both Hermes (who has increased the rake of her mast) and Athene have found form lately. They were firmly in fourth and fifth places.

The reach to Clynder was not conducive to changes of place. Downwind to A, Iris was able to blanket Zoe sufficiently to get close. Determined luffing from Zoe prevented a pass to windward. Iris ducked but was never able to get clear ahead for the prime, inside position at the leeward mark. On the beat up to the starting area, Iris went inshore so as to do something different. Tide was less favourable there and it set her back more. On the second round, boats were never close enough to threaten each other.

1 Catriona, 2 Zoe, 3 Iris, 4 Hermes, 5 Athene, 6 Thia, 7 Ceres.

Fifteen Garelochs are now afloat. Only Dione, being rebuilt, will not join in this year. Luna, one of the recent additions, came out to play this afternoon.

A fine afternoon with sufficient wind for a long course, taking in one of the northern most marks, off Shandon Church. A beat to B, off Silvers, to begin with. Catriona was preoccupied on the approach with keeping at bay Luna, to windward of her. Thalia ducked them both with elan. Hermes was squeezed out by Luna. Athene arrived at the starting line at the right moment but was too cautious of the melee at the favoured end. She feared Hermes’ fate and was rather farther to the shore than she might have been even so.

Luna, unable to pass to windward, tacked for the Clynder shore early. It paid handsomely and she was well in front at B. Choice of tactic and rustiness with the spinnaker let Catriona past on the long run to Shandon Church. Luna fought it out with Hermes but rounded the downwind mark in a favourable position for the next beat to C at Clynder. Athene beat Thalia to B and caught up more downwind. The second windward leg did for her, though. Thalia chose to go down the Shandon shore on the way to Clynder. The rest went across straight away. A good streak of wind on the approach to C favoured Luna, Thalia was round third.

There was time for a second round, but no more changes in the order.

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

Better wind than was forecast. At least to start with. Race Officer Peter Proctor sent us on a beat to B, off Silvers, then back and forth across the Loch. Catriona made sure she was in pole position by approaching the line early, going slowly. The risk is always that Iris will break through to leeward with better boat speed. She tried but could not get through the wind shadow. Close cover kept her in second. Hermes has adjusted the rake of her mast to advantage. She was not prompt at the start but held third place, not far behind Iris.

Spinnakers downwind to the Shandon Shore. Catriona had sufficient lead not to be blanketed by Iris. On the wind again to Clynder and thence to the finish. Iris alone set her spinnaker on the final leg. It helped, but not enough for a place to change. There seemed to be time for a second round but Peter finished us. The correct decision, wind was light on the Clynder shore by the time we were back at the moorings.

1 Catriona, 2 Iris, 3 hermes, 4 Athene, 5 Ceres. Thia suffered a failure of a strop for a running backstay and DNF