(Report from the Convenor on Circe)
The good weather continues,but this evening, down at the pier, there was a good 20 knot wind coming straight down the loch. The water was quite swelly (not smelly – as original draft – but swelly), and on the moorings the boats were plunging up and down, leading to a few crews deciding not to go out. RO Charles Darley set course H1, and 4 boats took the start.
Circe took the shore end with Dione a bit lower down the line, Thalia seemed to sail out into the loch just below the pin mark, with Ceres stuck below her. Ceres had to gybe round to get to the line and both boats had a slow start.
Upwind to F, Circe stuck to the Shandon shore which paid off, all boats heeling right over, but the wind was constant and true, which makes a change. Ceres did a superb job in catching up with Dione by the time they got to F and the two boats remained close for the remainder of the race.
A reach over to C, all boats surfing the waves, Dione and Ceres closed slightly on Circe, with the wind relaxing a bit as the Clynder shore was approached. Round C, Circe hoisted her spinnaker quite quickly which pulled her away again, Dione and Ceres were slow hoisting, with some problems getting them up.
Down to A, and back to Z, the RO sent the boats on a second round, ZGAZ. All boats held their position for the second round, and Thalia valiantly managed the course, where others had feared to go.
1. Circe, 2. Dione, 3. Ceres, 4. Thalia
