An evening of vigorous wind. We all knew afterwards that we had been sailing. Athene, in her first race of the year, was on the pace.
Race Officer Craig Macdonald, faced with wind from the east, was obliged to set a course beginning with an off-wind leg. The pin end of the line was the place to start with lighter wind inshore. The Gareloch fleet watched the Sonars start. After reaching to the pin on starboard, a couple of them gybed to set off across the loch, the rest stayed on starboard and seemed to get in each others way. Catriona thought to try the gybe. Arke was best of those on starboard with an early hoist of the spinnaker.
As it turned out, Arke, Dione and Catriona were close together approaching D mark, north of Clynder. The port gybe had neither paid nor cost but it put Catriona on the outside of the others approaching the mark. Dione rounded second but soon found first as we hardened up across the loch to G. Almost a fetch, there was a tack near to the mark. It was here that Catriona got inside Arke.
Ceres and Athene were in the fray. Ceres just ahead until a spinnaker sheet clipped to the forestay. The jib had to be dropped to retrieve it so that Ceres retired. The wind was strong enough for problems with the spinnaker to be troublesome. Circe, light handed, was off the pace and had had enough.
There was time for a second round. To B off Silvers, C off Clynder and back. There was a spinnaker gybe at B. The reach to C called for concentration and strength from spinnaker hands. Catriona was now closer to Dione. The beat back to the finish had the Gareloch’s usual variability in strength and direction of wind. Arke had to try something different and went down the loch. To no avail. Sometimes, Catriona appeared to be in front but every time they crossed, Dione had it. Until the approach to the line. Catriona on starboard forced Dione to tack and that was that.
1 Catriona, by 5 seconds from 2, Dione. 3, Arke. 4 Athene. Circe and Ceres RET.
