Category Archives: Race Reports ‘25

(Report from Arke. Photos from Clare Somerville on Hermes!)

The spring-pretending-to-be-summer had finally ended but we found a sunny evening with good wind (and therefore a surprising lack of a Sonar fleet – off team racing or something?). Experienced race officers Reay & Jean Mackay were on duty and set the classic NW wind course with a good initial beat to D.

Arke lead in for a well-timed beat up the inevitably biased fixed start line. Catriona – her helm a match and team racing aficionado – turned and positioned herself ahead to attempt to snatch pole position. But without great speed. Compounded by her skipper dancing around on the stern deck to free his mainsheet. With boats – especially Circe and Dione – on her tail Arke had no other option than to ‘hook’ Catriona (go to leeward, overlap, and force her up over the line). It was rather obvious that Catriona’s skipper – hugely experienced and with a honed ability to weave and duck and dive – thought he could just slow a bit and dive back in at the end or that Arke would drop sufficiently. Largely because he said so out loud to his crew. Arke did not. Catriona belatedly realised she would have to turn away and get herself back behind the line when she was indeed over early. From then on she was playing catch up.

Arke tacked at the (very close!) shore and was highest. But Circe and then Dione while having started back were charging out lower but fast. (See the excellent pic above – taken just after the start – by Clare on Hermes.) Circe especially used clear air and good sailing to pull ahead. Dione, in Circe’s dirty air, felt the need to tack. But possibly hadn’t spotted Arke and had to make a large duck. When Circe eventually tacked to go up the loch she was a few boat-lengths clear of Arke. Arke stood on to head closer to the Clynder shore.

Now at this point it became clear from events that the wind was streaky and fickle. Arke tacked and when she met Circe again she easily crossed her. And crossed Dione again. But then when she tacked back and head to Clynder again, Dione was perhaps 10 boat-lengths ahead. But the same route didn’t pay for Circe! As has been noted more than once, the Gareloch is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma.

Meanwhile Athene had taken a route up the Clynder shore and it paid. And Catriona had done her normal excellent skillful and determined job of damage limitation to at least get back close.

Dione rounded D first, followed by Arke, then Circe and Athene, followed by Catriona, then Hermes. At this point Dione and Arke were fairly well clear. Of each other and of the fleet. But behind there was interest! Athene – with fast good spinnaker handling – was taking on Circe and took her high trying to get on her wind. It paid. But also left Catriona – never one to miss an opportunity – a route through underneath (and at worst angling for inside at the next G mark). Circe spotted the danger and went down on top of Catriona but perhaps too late. They all rounded close. Athene first but perhaps a slightly slow gybe; opening the door to Catriona and Circe.

Round the Y mark to finish the first lap and there was time for another lap – a simple ‘sausage’ up to D again and straight back to finish at Y. No hardship on a beautiful evening. Dione – clear ahead, and sailing beautifully this season – made no mistakes with enough loose cover on Arke.

Again the interest was in the middle. Athene repeated her course up the Clynder shore. This time it did not pay. A riddle wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in an enigma. Catriona continued the damage limitation and rounded 3rd – and made no mistake back to the finish. Circe however had spinnaker trouble – her halyard lost up the mast. And now Hermes persistence paid off; her distinctive black and gold spinnaker pulled her home in 4th. Circe held on to 5th. Athene 6th which must have been disappointing after rounding 4th at the end of the first lap. Halcyone bringing up the rear and enjoying herself nonetheless.

A fine evening of Gareloch racing indeed.

1 Dione, 2 Arke, 3 Catriona, 4 Hermes, 5 Circe, 6 Athene, 7 Halcyone

(Report from the Secretary on Catriona)

An evening of steady wind, Race Officer Iain MacGillivray sent us on a true beat to windward, across the loch to D north of Clynder.  The shore end of the line was the favoured place to start, leading to the usual queue.  Dione and Catriona were at the back of it.  Dione set off across the loch to good effect.  Some went up the Shandon shore and prospered.  Catriona, with helm Lucy Forrester, seemed to find lulls and headers with every tack.  She led Ceres astray for a while.

At the windward mark, Dione, Circe, Ceres, Hermes and Thia were all well placed.  Athene and Catriona had work to do on the downhill legs across the loch to G and back to the start.  Catriona made a couple of places here.  A difficulty with the spinnaker gybe at G put paid to progress for the time being.

There was time for a second round, to D again and back.  Dione, heading across the loch, stretched her lead from Circe and Ceres and was not to be caught. Catriona thought to try the Shandon shore.  It was better, but not as good as in the first round.  The tactic got her past Ceres.

Wind was on the quarter for a textbook course under spinnaker to the finish

1 Dione, 2 Circe, 3 Catriona, 4 Thia, 5 Ceres, 6 Athene, 7 Hermes.

An evening of vigorous wind.  We all knew afterwards that we had been sailing.  Athene, in her first race of the year, was on the pace.

Race Officer Craig Macdonald, faced with wind from the east, was obliged to set a course beginning with an off-wind leg.  The pin end of the line was the place to start with lighter wind inshore.  The Gareloch fleet watched the Sonars start.  After reaching to the pin on starboard, a couple of them gybed to set off across the loch, the rest stayed on starboard and seemed to get in each others way.  Catriona thought to try the gybe.  Arke was best of those on starboard with an early hoist of the spinnaker.

As it turned out, Arke, Dione and Catriona were close together approaching D mark, north of Clynder.  The port gybe had neither paid nor cost but it put Catriona on the outside of the others approaching the mark.  Dione rounded second but soon found first as we hardened up across the loch to G.  Almost a fetch, there was a tack near to the mark.  It was here that Catriona got inside Arke.  

Ceres and Athene were in the fray.  Ceres just ahead until a spinnaker sheet clipped to the forestay.  The jib had to be dropped to retrieve it so that Ceres retired.  The wind was strong enough for problems with the spinnaker to be troublesome.  Circe, light handed, was off the pace and had had enough.

There was time for a second round.  To B off Silvers, C off Clynder and back.  There was a spinnaker gybe at B.  The reach to C called for concentration and strength from spinnaker hands.  Catriona was now closer to Dione.  The beat back to the finish had the Gareloch’s usual variability in strength and direction of wind.  Arke had to try something different and went down the loch.  To no avail.  Sometimes, Catriona appeared to be in front but every time they crossed, Dione had it.  Until the approach to the line.  Catriona on starboard forced Dione to tack and that was that.

1 Catriona, by 5 seconds from 2, Dione.  3, Arke.  4 Athene.  Circe and Ceres RET.

(Report from Arke)

The season usually starts on the last Tue in April but there was a low tide forecast which prevented use of the jetty. Photos from Miriam Sutter showed just how low it was; with bits of shore visible that even more mature Gareloch sailors professed never to have seen.

So a leisurely Sunday to start. And the weather felt very leisurely with – on the plus side – a warm, bright day but with little wind and glassy patches across the loch. As it was the wind filled in just a little as we left the moorings. Although, given it was from the west and the forecast was for E or ENE, it wasn’t exactly instilling confidence. In the absence of other volunteers Arke took on the task of trying to find a vaguely sensible course; a short special course to H seemed to find favour. Very biased but the Y mark could be laid on starboard which most boats attempted.

Catriona led Arke in but was slightly early but managed to fall off and then squeeze back in which allowed Arke to get ever so slightly on top heading across the loch on starboard towards Silvers. Circe the best of the rest going very well just behind and pointing high.

The pressure eventually felt like it was weakening and boats further back looked a bit stronger. Catriona tacked off but had to duck Circe. Arke tacked too but a duck would have been painful so successfully lee-bowed Circe. When she tacked back again to Catriona, Catriona had her and lee-bowed her! And then Circe joined in above. Arke had no choice but to tack off out of the squeeze. It paid a little and she was followed Catriona in. (Once we had worked out where the heck the H mark actually was!) But Circe had continued strongly and had the inside at the H mark. So Catriona from Circe from Arke. Ceres going well and Thia and Hermes on the pace following round.

Back across to the start/finish, Catriona and Circe followed the lay-line. Arke – little choice – went higher. Also eyeing perhaps a little more pressure right. Thia did so too and got it first. With Hermes attempting to emulate. Arke spotted the right approach and managed to climb before Hermes rolled over her too. Meanwhile Catriona and Circe were not going fast. Dione too climbed up to the right. The wind went back and Arke launched her kite and rolled over Thia. Other launched too in response.

Arke now looked ahead. But on starboard not quite laying what was perhaps going to the finish at the Y mark. Arke gybed to port to lay the finish but good pressure now brought through a charging Circe on starboard and Arke had no choice but to try and get across her (or risk a collision, or get luffed, or just get rolled!). A mere minute from the line but Circe had the momentum and cruised through to take a well deserved win. Dione too also managed to squeeze through! Arke managed across. And then positioned herself down the line to watch what an incredibly close photo finish between Thia and Catriona (but given we were dealing with our spinnaker and conscious of a lee shore, without an actual photo!). Catriona also charging with better pressure from the left side of the course (in a perhaps deserved luck swing given the hole they had found themselves in while leading). It wasn’t definitively enough however and there was some uncertainty on Arke as to who had taken it. Glancing at bows and spinnakers.

On the rib heading back in, Charles himself graciously noted that in the event of any uncertainty the boat that was initially in front should be awarded it rather than the overtaking boat (FYI – somewhat similar to a mark-room overlap uncertainty approach).

1 Circe, 2 Dione, 3 Arke, 4 Thia, 5 Catriona, 6 Ceres, 7 Hermes