Gareloch One Design

There was wind but in the way of the Gareloch of an evening, its consistency could not be relied upon.  Race Officer Craig MacDonald risked one of the longer courses, beginning with a true windward leg to E, the northernmost mark on the Clynder shore.

The shore end of the almost inevitably biassed fixed starting line was favoured.  Teal and Catriona fought it out.  Not for the first time, Teal won with Catriona forced over the line early.  By the time she had returned and started, the fleet was away across the loch, Teal, Circe and Dione well away.  A favourite tactic of Hermes when the course is a beat up the loch is to tack up the Shandon shore.  With no point trying to gain ground in the disturbed air from the fleet, Catriona joined Hermes to good effect.  The leaders covered and as boats crossed tacks it was clear the Shandon shore was better.

Approaching E, wind was variable and hard to predict.  Circe had reached the shore first but still short of the mark and at risk of less pressure.  Teal further out and further up the loch found a beneficial corridor.

A fine-ish reach across the loch to F, off Shandon Church.  Wind from the north still fickle.  Circe was in front, Teal went high.  Catriona had no hope of getting above them and went low, hoping for the best.  The constant changes in direction of wind gave her air not affected by Circe some of the time.  Circumstances determined the lead at F.  Teal found a good streak of wind which took her to the front, then died.  Halcyone had come up behind Circe and disturbed her air.  Catriona approached the mark sailing higher and so a little faster than Teal and was round first.  Teal’s last chance was to be quicker with the spinnaker for the run to the finish but it went up in an hourglass.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Dione, 4 Thalia, 5 Circe, 6 Halcyone, 7 Thia, 8 Hermes

(Race reports by the inimitable Class Secretary unless otherwise stated)

Another race with good wind, not as frantic Sunday.  There were no breakdowns.

Race Officer Iain MacGillivray selected a course beginning with a windward leg to D on the Clynder shore and benefitting from legs downwind where spinnakers could be set comfortably.  The shore end of the line favoured.  Catriona got the prime spot this time from Circe and Dione.

The beat was unnerving.  Some stayed towards the Shandon shore, some thought to cross the loch and beat up near the Clynder shore.  It appeared the combination of wind and (flood) tide was most favourable in the middle but the further you went, the more you were headed.  Those coming out from the Shandon shore must have had their spirits lifted.

Catriona led at the windward mark, from Dione and Circe who were close enough to engage with each other.   There was initial, illogical reluctance to set spinnakers.  The leaders managed the spinnaker gybe at the G mark (having taken a little while to locate it) and crossed the line for the start of the second round without changing order.  The rest well spread, Halcyone and Thalia were within half a minute of each other and, at the back, Ceres and Athene close.

The second round took us to A, off the club, before the beat back to D.  Catriona was distracted by untidied equipment of the spinnaker, failing to concentrate she let Circe by and was obliged to concentrate on Dione.  Dione went for the Clynder shore with Catriona covering whilst Circe ventured up the loch.  Clynder was better than might have been expected, when the leaders crossed again Catriona was in front.  Briefly.  Circe had the inside slot at the mark.  Of the three, Dione was quickest with the spinnaker and used it to good effect to get on top of Catriona and Circe.  A battle Catriona could not win, she gybed away in sufficient pressure for sailing directly downwind to work.  It nearly did.  Circe had the favoured shore end of the line to take the win.  Dione, inshore of Catriona, was beaten by a dog’s length.  Meanwhile, Halcyone had allowed Thalia to get inside at D, which irritated her.  No matter, she kept the fourth place in the end.  Ceres did not set a spinnaker which allowed Athene, who did, to take a place.

1 Circe, 2 Catriona, 3 Dione, 4 Halcyone, 5 Thalia, 6 Thia, 7 Hermes, 8 Athene, 9 Ceres. (Teal RO duty)

(Race reports by the inimitable Class Secretary unless otherwise stated.)

There was next to no wind as we ghosted towards the starting area.  Race Officer Carol Rowe postponed the start, partly so that competitors could get there and partly to allow the wind to make up its mind.  In the end, she selected a short course to H and back.

The H mark is a relatively recent innovation, inspired by Reay Mackay.  It is located off the Clynder shore between B (Silvers) and C (former McGruer yard).  When the wind is directly across the loch it provides for a short course incorporating a true beat.  There was some initial concern over flat patches in the loch but Carol had called it right.

The course is rarely used so there was confusion over the best way to start.  The pin end, of course, favoured.  The way to go was to (fine) reach along the line on starboard from the shore and harden up or tack at the gun.  There were those who tried to approach from the course side and were shut out by the traffic near the pin.  Others trying to beat up to the pin found the air so bad that oxygen masks dropped automatically from the boom.  (Apologies to Dave Perry, Winning in One Designs)

Circe hardened to go down the loch, Teal tacked up it.  Thalia had not dipped the line from the course side and was an obstacle until she went back.  Catriona sought to follow Teal but was not clearing the fishing boat which has replaced the late Captain Michalis (with a deeper wind shadow).  She tacked and saw that Circe was prospering so stuck with it.  Wind was unkind to Circe, she found lighter air and faded after her tack to cross the loch.  Catriona, seeing that she would pass behind Circe, tacked at the same time and after a while was close to Teal.  Both were some way off laying the mark.  Catriona was on top after they both tacked and pulled away to clear air and water for the mark rounding.  There was congestion and shouting as the peloton rounded.  Spinnakers to the finish with some sportiness regarding luffing/mark room near to the line.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Thalia, 4 Circe, 5 Halcyone, 6 Ceres, by one second from 7 Dione, 8 Thia.

Report from John Campbell on Circe

A good turnout with a gentle breeze from the south, or thereabouts, and lovely post coronation sunshine (which was unexpected).

RO Fergus** set the course which was from Z, A, G, Z and at the start both Catriona and Ceres settled for a position down the line and got cleanly away. At the pin end, Circe had managed to get to the outer buoy on close hauled forcing a few others to be squeezed out, but no shouting or drama, so that was good! Up to A the boats generally stayed close to the Rhu shore and round the mark it was Catriona and Ceres up ahead, followed very closely by Circe, Dione and Halcyone.

On the run, there was good racing in the middle of the fleet, with boats jockeying for windward position, with spinnakers dangling a bit. For a moment, Catriona seemed stuck in a hole and the fleet bunched up but she moved on in good time. Hermes was well placed but then seemed to drop back (she was pointing well upwind).

Round the bottom mark and then the wind seemed to drop just that little bit more allowing Catriona to make good her lead (even though she overstood the Z mark), Circe arrived 2nd, followed by Halcyone, Dione, Ceres, Thalia, then Thia and Hermes. Just as well we didn’t do a 2^nd round….otherwise we might have been out there for the next coronation!!

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

**The RO’s assistant Charles Darley on Catriona points out: “It should be pointed out, Fergus is a dog sailing with the On the Water Race Officer.  He is more competent than most but timing is unreliable.”

Report from the Secretary.

The last of the points series races this year. It was combined with a dog race for which a separate report is being prepared. The finishing order, uncomplicated by any time allowance for length of dog, constitutes the result of the points series race.

Race officer, John Campbell, set a course, beginning with a good beat to D, north of Clynder. The Gareloch was up to its usual tricks regarding strength and direction of wind. Sometimes there was very little, and sometimes there was enough for water to come into the cockpit. Some tried beating up the Shandon shore. Others ventured further out into the adverse ebb tide. Either way it was tricky. Catriona was at the mark first from Halcyone and Teal. Those two covered each other, allowing Catriona to get away and establish a lead, which she lost only briefly in the variable air of the second round.

No one fancied setting a spinnaker for the final downwind leg to the finish.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Zephyrus, 4 Halcyone, 5 Circe, 6 Athene.