(Report from Ollie Thompson on Iris)
The Z mark has decided to go travelling, whilst some thought they saw it against the Shandon shore, subsequent race reports may say that it managed out through the narrows and was heading towards Ardmore point.
Improvisation was called for by the on the water RO in Circe, using the mooring buoy on which a blue cruiser was sitting.
Memory doesn’t serve too well, as this race report slipped away with no volunteer to write it, but the wind was a SW, with the first mark being a beat to B. Most boats stuck on the Shandon shore for the first beat, except Circe who went out. The fleet crossed and Circe gained ground whilst the remainder seemed to slow, with Catriona making the best course. The last time I saw B was that it, also, had been wondering, and it was last seen hard against the port navigation mark off Silvers, and that is where Circe headed. However, Mr Darley had been out that week and re-located the mark, some distance up the loch on the Clynder shore. Surprise therefore on Circe to find that Catriona was going round a mark well downwind of the red Nav mark and after confirming, had to reach for an extra leg to get back downwind to (new location) B. Surprisingly, and thanks to a decent wind, she rounded B 2nd, with Dione following on behind.
A reach down to C and then across the loch for a second round. Not much changed on the second round and on the final leg, it was a run dead downwind back to the finish line. Dione made good progress, and Circe was too pre-occupied with the sound of the water passing Dione’s bow (rather than concentrating on boat speed) with the result that Dione took 2nd place just on the line.
Further down the field, two separate duels were taking place. Hermes and Iris on the first beat chose opposite routes, with Iris heading out into the channel and Hermes tacking onto port. Each time the boats crossed paths, they had alternated the position, with Hermes ultimately coming out ahead round B and consolidating the position into lap 2.
Ceres and Thalia, meanwhile, were engaged in their own close race. After getting the slight advantage from the start, Ceres rounded the windward mark ahead of Thalia and kept the order intact into the second round. Thalia, however, was able to stay close enough to cause Ceres trouble with dirty air on the final run, completing the overtake with approximately half a leg to go.
An honourable mention must also go to Zephyrus: her first race under new owners Bill and Wendy
Results – 1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Circe, 4 Hermes, 5 Iris, 6 Thalia, 7 Ceres, 8 Zephyrus
