Category Archives: Race Reports ‘26

(Report from the Secretary on Arke)

Ashore it was warm. On the water it was blowy and, with a NW-erly blowing down the loch and a good fetch, choppy on the moorings. A good turnout given midsummer and with both the usual holidays and West Highland Week taking some away.

On the water RO Charles Darley (assisted by James on the whistle) selected H8 to take advantage of the wind and less hurried Sunday afternoon. A long beat to the E mark (the furthest NW mark), then a reach across to F (the furthest NE mark), then another reachy leg back down to the start. Time permitting a simple sausage leg back up to D and back.

At the start Catriona and Dione (being helmed by the Convenor while its usual skipper is away at WHW) were on it. Catriona a little behind but much higher. Arke was a little slow and behind Catriona. All headed across the loch – perhaps all thinking to get out of the strong running ebb tide. Dione dropped a little and when she tacked she had to duck Arke. And that cemented the positions for the rest of the race: Catriona, Arke, Dione. Catriona covered Arke like a hawk. No-one made any errors. Just solid racing in good fun conditions. Sometimes strong, sometimes sidedecks under, but dry and warm. After over an hour of hard racing Arke finished perhaps 10 seconds after Catriona (which was probably how long after she started!), and Dione 10 seconds after her.

Of the rest, Hermes took Iris in some close racing, and Athene spotted boats ahead take a huge header at one point and tacked on it which she reported gave her a huge overtaking gain over Thalia.

1 Catriona, 2 Arke, 3 Dione, 4 Hermes, 5 Iris, 6 Athene, 7 Thalia

(Report from the Convenor on Circe)

The good weather continues,but this evening, down at the pier, there was a good 20 knot wind coming straight down the loch. The water was quite swelly (not smelly – as original draft – but swelly), and on the moorings the boats were plunging up and down, leading to a few crews deciding not to go out. RO Charles Darley set course H1, and 4 boats took the start.

Circe took the shore end with Dione a bit lower down the line, Thalia seemed to sail out into the loch just below the pin mark, with Ceres stuck below her. Ceres had to gybe round to get to the line and both boats had a slow start.

Upwind to F, Circe stuck to the Shandon shore which paid off, all boats heeling right over, but the wind was constant and true, which makes a change. Ceres did a superb job in catching up with Dione by the time they got to F and the two boats remained close for the remainder of the race.

A reach over to C, all boats surfing the waves, Dione and Ceres closed slightly on Circe, with the wind relaxing a bit as the Clynder shore was approached. Round C, Circe hoisted her spinnaker quite quickly which pulled her away again, Dione and Ceres were slow hoisting, with some problems getting them up.

Down to A, and back to Z, the RO sent the boats on a second round, ZGAZ. All boats held their position for the second round, and Thalia valiantly managed the course, where others had feared to go.

1. Circe, 2. Dione, 3. Ceres, 4. Thalia

(Report from Barrie Choules on Dione)

For those of us arriving for the race, we were met by the rare sight of Sonars on the water doing some team race training – but barely moving in the centre of the loch.  Most of us persevered and after a bit of scrubbing made it out to the start area in a gentle W/NW breeze.  Dione was co-opted race officer and opted for one of the light wind courses across to Clynder and back.

There were mixed opinions as to which end of the rather long line was best.  Dione started at the southerly end and did OK at the start.  The beat across to Clynder demonstrated that there was more wind in some areas than others (as is so often the case in the Gareloch) and its direction was not constant.  There was some close quarters action as Athene came through the fleet after which the fleet was spread across the loch with no clear favoured side.  Dione led from Circe & Catriona at the C mark for the run back to the start area with few changes on the second upwind leg.  Dione again rounded first but the wind went light allowing Catriona to close the gap and come out on top as the wind filled in from a more northerly direction.  Dione had to defend all the way to the finish to prevent Catriona from rolling over the top of her.  Places were also tight further back with Athene & Thalia unable to be separated at the finish.

1 Dione, 2 Catriona, 3 Circe, 4 Hermes, 5= Athene & Thalia

An afternoon of sun and good wind.  Direction was variable but you cannot have everything.  Blowing (mostly) from the east, an offwind start was required.  On the water Race Officer John Blackie set a course to D, north of Clynder, with a Boinard start.  It should have been a run on starboard to start but wind changing direction caused some to gybe, with the spinnaker pole now on the wrong side.  Anyway, it settled down to a starboard leg with Circe and Catriona leading.  Everyone changing places in the variable air.  

Back across the loch to G, off Gully bridge, Catriona lost her lead and was fifth from Dione, Arke, Circe and Ceres on the fetch to the starting area for another round. Arke got to windward of Dione on the reach and pulled clear to lead at the end of the round. Which meant that Dione had no mark room and her subsequent bail out and rounding cost her places.

However the fleet had not read their sailing instructions, and set off back towards D, returning the lead to Catriona for the downwind leg to B.  Which used to be off Silvers but is now alarmingly close to the port hand channel buoy.  Catriona and Circe, back in second, gybed their spinnakers for the reach to C, off Clynder.  It became a little fine with strengthening wind.  All but Catriona dropped their spinnakers.  She would have been no slower if she had done the same.  

Meanwhile Athene suffered failure of the turning block on the spinnaker guy.  A strong gust with wind already fine.  She lost her competitive position in the sorting out.

For the beat back to the finish, with wind shifts to frustrate or delight depending on your tack, Catriona covered Circe and kept her at bay.  Dione, meanwhile, went further out into the loch earlier and found better wind.  On the approach to the finish she was just ahead of starboard tack Catriona but could not cross.  Having tacked, she was rolled.

Thalia took a place from Ceres, benefitting from a gust which gave boatspeed right at the end.

1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Circe, 4 Arke, 5 Thalia, 6 Ceres, 7 Hermes, 8 Halcyone, 9 Athene

(Report from the Secretary on board Arke)

The wind was deceptive. The forecast was for a westerly breeze but, at least in central Helensburgh, it was almost calm. However in the Gareloch it became clear that the wind was coming from much further N and being channelled down the Gareloch from the NW. Reasonably consistent and the fetch was creating some waves too. The Race Officer opted – perhaps at first sight boldly for a Tuesday evening – for an H course. But the logic was obvious and it set up a good long true beat to E.

The start line was heavily biased as usual. Shore end favoured. Thalia – being helmed by experienced campaigner Reay MacKay – approached just below and tacked to cross the line with almost perfect timing. Arke ducked and tacked closer to the shore. Behind but higher. Circe made a good start too. Other boats seemed late.

Thalia tacked back to the Shandon shore and crossed Arke. Arke saw the sense in heading up the R shore out of the tide and tacked to follow. Most others – with the exception of Athene who decided to get across – followed more or less. Arke climbed above Thalia and then, spotting dark cloud to the west, tacked to cross the loch. Catriona and Dione – both always fast – doing likewise. Arke crossed Catriona and tacked to head up the loch to E. Rounding first followed by Catriona and then Dione. Athene had made good ground too and in fourth.

Across to F off Shandon church. Reaching in patchy lightening wind. No changes. Round F to the – given the long H course – probable shortened course finish. Reaching again with wind (at least apparent wind) roughly from the W (from starboard on this leg). Now if the race was going to continue to a second round the lead boat would defend against attackers trying to get to windward in order to keep inside rights at the next mark. But with an almost certainly shortened course, Arke was immediately conscious of the biased line – hugely favouring a boat keeping left in to the shore. At this juncture the key word is the German chess term: ‘zugzwang’ – any move you make will worsen your position. Stay high to protect wind: the attacker behind simply heads left to leeward and wins due to the biased line. Stay low to protect the left for the biased line and the attacker behind will get on your wind and either roll you completely (before still being able to head left!) or use the advantage to catch up and dive left. Additionally luffing too far in a fight with Catriona would simply let Dione through!

Arke attempted to protect her wind enough without getting dragged high but it still didn’t work and Catriona got to leeward. To add insult to injury the westerly wind seemed to swing back to come more directly down the loch so Catriona wasn’t even in her wind shadow! Some you win, some you lose! Luck? Maybe but I think it is worth highlighting that Catriona made her ‘luck’ by being in contention and with the experience and skills to execute perfectly to take advantage. The better you are the more luck you might seem to get…

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

(Report from Charles Darley – aboard Catriona)

Race officer Iain MacGillivray, aboard Arke, set a short course to H, off Clynder and back.  With the race officer being on the water, he took the opportunity to specify a Boinard start,  Named after Eric, skipper of Zephyrus, the start line was between Y and Z, the two pin ends of conventional starting lines.  

The left end of the line was favoured.  Several of the hot shots thought to reach along on starboard and start at that end.  They were undone by wind dying and were not half way along at the gun.  A group of three, Hermes, Zephyrus and Thalia made their way on the left of the course and were first to the windward mark by a margin.  Catriona was best of the rest and some were well back in very changeable air.  The windex was seen to flick through ninety degrees or more, the sails were in different wind to the top of the mast.

It should have been a spinnaker leg back to the starting area but rapid gybes with no change of course put paid to that.  The leading group of four opened a gap on the rest which was not to be closed. Catriona passed to windward of Thalia, who established an inside overlap at the mark for the start of the second round.  Zephyrus outside both, Hermes long gone.  Thalia rounded wide allowing Catriona to windward for the start of the second round.  Curious air at H slowed Hermes.  She rounded first but Catriona was able to sneak to windward.  

In the following group, Arke pulled clear.  Despite having stayed high, Dione lost a place to Circe who undertook and charged through literally in the last boat length (editor – with the RO on board Arke positioned to look along the line!).  Athene, who suffered badly in the changeable and unpredictable air, got the better of Halcyone.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Zephyrus, 4 Thalia, 5 Arke, 6 Circe, 7 Dione, 8 Athene, 9 Halcyone.

(Report from Charles Darley – Catriona but acting as RO for reasons which the report will explain!)

Catriona’s crew was late arriving at the club, due to incompetence. With self service Launch operation he was unable to get out to his boat and so volunteered to be onshore race officer.

There were four Garelochs with people aboard, but Iris was having trouble with rigging and thought she might not be able to race. The others had a discussion about whether or not it was too windy.  Iris got things sorted and the race officer set a long course beginning with a beat to B off Silvers and then today northern most mark on the Shandon shore.  Dione was the only boat to make a good start, Circe and Arke were both early and obliged to round the mark. Shortly afterwards everyone stopped and the race officer began to think that he would need to change the course to a shorter one. As it happened, some stronger gusts came in and there was sufficient wind. Circe tacked out early and benefited from stronger air which alluded Dione. There may have been moments on the run to F where Dione was in front but approaching the mark it was clear Circe had the lead.  She tacked at the mark and found good air whereas Dione hardened up across the loch and was much more upright. With variable wind in different parts of the loch they were only five seconds apart at the C   mark ready for the reach back to the starting area. Dione tried her best and there was luffing but to no avail. A second round was set to B and back again in an effort to have a dead downwind leg. Circe benefited from her sophisticated spinnaker arrangement with a sock on the deck and increased her lead over Dione.

1 Circe, 2 Diane 3 Arke, 4 Iris.

1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Arke, 4 Athene, 5 Thia, 6 Hermes (RO Circe)