(Report from Arke)
There was good if gusty strong westerly-ish forecast after a morning of monsoon showers. Rigging on the moorings the sun even started to come out while we pumped out the deluge. Six boats out but two of them were aware that this was the last race of the series, that they were on equal points and that whoever finished in front would win the series. The Convenor on Circe took on on-the-water RO duties and sent us on the classic NW course, starting with a good long beat up to D.
Of the two key protagonists, Catriona led in to the marginally favoured shore end but was early and tacked back out. Our other key protagonist, Arke, hit the spot and tacked out followed by Dione. Dione tacked off out of Arke’s dirty air up the loch. Catriona and Arke ignored her and covered and followed each other. Catriona perhaps getting better wind closed to the Clynder shore. Meanwhile Dione and Circe had both made spectacular gains on the right and Dione especially crossed the others by miles. Arke tried to close the gap on Catriona but rounded in 5th from Dione, Athene (going brilliantly with Nikki on the helm and her father Mike Lapsley and her youngest son crewing!), Catriona then Circe. Across to G. Thia had to retire somewhere on this first round – sadly but wisely not pushing it given some damage to their backstay.
Dione had a lead but it was close across the rest of the field. At G there was a complicated pile-up for the rest which was largely handled very well by everyone all things considered! Catriona had the inside from Athene – both on port and needing to gybe at the mark. And then Circe overlapped outside or just behind Athene but already gybed early on to starboard, followed by Arke gybing just before the mark! After the mark Arke got the spinnaker pulling earliest and got above and over Circe. Who in turn got above and overtook Catriona. All passing Athene who – with young crew on board – was sensibly not flying her kite. At the Y mark Arke was a couple of boat-lengths clear. Following, Circe failed to go left of the mark with what at least appeared to be a lack of sufficient mark-room being given by Catriona**. Circe retired. Whatever the rights and wrongs, the incident left Catriona clear and in a substantially better position to try to catch Arke.
(**but NB it’s always very difficult to judge these things – doubly so when you are concentrating on your own boat)
That left four. Dione appeared to be well clear heading up the middle of the loch. Catriona immediately tacked up the Shandon shore. Arke, ahead, covered in strengthening conditions. Neither hugely gaining or losing. When they tacked across to D, Arke wondered whether Athene had retired too (which would have been entirely understandable with a wean on board)… but no, they had gone left and then up the Clynder shore and – not covered by anyone – must have been 20+ boat-lengths ahead of Arke and Catriona. And beat Dione to the D mark! They weren’t to be caught by Dione on the run back to the finish – despite still not flying a kite – for a cracking win. Followed by Dione continuing this year’s form.
Arke rounded and was banking on the wind staying westerly and protecting the right from Catriona. But she endured one of the D mark’s holes – and watched Catriona headed left and appearing to get wind – before getting out in to better wind herself. The wind had veered to come more directly down the run but was strong and so shifty that sometimes one was on a reach and sometimes almost by the lee! Rolling and Chinese gybes a constant threat. Arke’s final challenge – and Catriona’s last hope – was the finish line bias. Arke’s helm was always aware of it but her crew must have regretted pointing it out since that convinced her skipper that a gybe on to port to head left and protect against the line bias was necessary for the win. The gybe took her safely across Catriona but the wind was strong enough that her crew gave up trying to gybe the spinnaker pole and cannily merely guyed it out with an arm for the last minute across the line! And that was the series decided.
Later ashore, Circe noted a desire to lodge a protest against Catriona for the mark-room incident.
But it transpired she probably hadn’t made a valid protest (both hailing ‘protest’ and displaying a red flag “at the first reasonable opportunity for each”). Catriona’s skipper announced she was “content” to retire anyway.
A key conclusion to take away: if you want to defend your rights then you really need to protest properly.
Results: 1 Athene, 2 Dione, 3 Arke
RET Thia (damaged/fraying backstay cable), Circe (after mark-room incident with Catriona) & Catriona (later ashore after mark-room incident discussions)
