The first Sunday race of the season. We knew we would have to run the launch ourselves as the new Boatman was away training, but what we didn’t anticipate was the launch being half full of water, and the battery being dead. After spending 20 minutes emptying it, we brought the rib from the marina and got on with the most important thing, going out sailing!
A dry day, with a reasonable breeze from the annoying east, so on the water RO in Circe set course S6, a running start down to D and back.
On the start line it was good to welcome Athene and Zephyrus for their first race, whilst Halcyone remained on the mooring, knitting halyards!
All cleanly off the line, spinnakers set down to D, only to be greeted by a loud horn from a warship coming through the narrows. All but Thia and Zephyrus managed to the Clynder shore before the ship, plus two tugs came through. At D Dione, Circe and Arke had a 3 way rounding, with Dione on the inside and first round, Circe second followed by Arke. Rounding up, Circe came to a bit of a slowing, not helped by some massive wash from the big ships, allowing Arke to gently kiss her transom, leading to a penalty turn that dropped Arke back.
Upwind, it was the usual fickle easterly, with the centre of the loch providing most benefit from an ebb tide, but probably there was more ground to be made from crossing closer to the Shandon shore. It was all about who could avoid the serious headers, without tacking only to find yourself being headed on the new tack, and Dione managed to fall foul of that allowing Circe past her and into the lead after round 1. Down to D again, and on the upwind leg Catriona made some good ground by heading over to Shandon causing the leading two boats a bit of concern.
1 Circe, 2 Dione, 3 Catriona, 4 Arke, 5 Athene, 6 Thia, 7 Zephyrus
