(Report from Charles Darley – Catriona)
There was sunshine and good wind. Those who are never satisfied might have liked it to be a few degrees warmer.
Race Officer Craig MacDonald sent us on a beat across the loch to D, north of Cylinder. The shore end of the long starting line was favoured. Circe, Dione, Arke and Catriona were near that end at the start. Catriona, last of the bunch, carried on towards the shore after the others had tacked out. It paid, by the time she tacked out on starboard, those who felt attracted to the Shandon shore and tacked back took her counter.
Some went for the Clynder shore and were nowhere. Circe stuck to the Shandon shore, which was better than Clynder but not as good as Dione and Catriona a little further out.
Dione goes well to windward, Catriona could not stop her pulling away. In the changeable air of the Gareloch, Dione thought she was at a lay line and tacked towards the D mark. David Du Boulay, who crewed on Catriona 20 years ago, advised sailing to Garelochhead before tacking for marks north of Clynder. Catriona stood on. When she tacked, she saw Dione below her, struggling in changeable air. Dione tacked out again and crossed behind. Catriona was easing sails and pointing above the mark. She was led astray. Afflicted by large headers and light air near the mark, Dione reached in with elan and nearly caught her on starboard.
Circe rounded in clear air with no challengers. Athene beat Arke round D but dropped a place in the argy bargy of the run to G, on the Shandon shore. Halcyone and luna were similarly swapping places.
Craig considered a second round. Those who had gone early to the Clynder shore were so far back from the front that he finished us.
1 Catriona, 2 Dione, 3 Circe, 4 Arke, 5 Athene, 6 Halcyone, 7 Iris.
