3rd and 4th August
Visit of Fairy Class from Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

A team of nine members of the Fairy Class travelled from Belfast for a Team Racing match with the Garelochs. The board used to attract their attention as they were collected from the airport drew enquiring glances.
The sailing instructions said there were to be five team races on Saturday and a fleet race, when crews from the team racing would helm, on Sunday. We were thwarted by Gareloch wind. Some of the time, there was rain. It dampened both wind and sailors. After the first race, won by the visitors, Race Officer Denis Jackson aboard John Blackie's Maid of Lorn sent us for lunch.
In the afternoon, the home team benefitted from experience of the big wind shifts on the Clynder shore. It wasn't that we knew what would happen next, we were used to the unpredictability. There was time for two races, both of which went to the Garelochs.
On Sunday morning there was more rain, a little wind and no enthusiasm from some of the Irish. Perhaps in Northern Ireland they are unused to rain. Maybe they were suffering from the night before. Sisters Morna Babington and Gilli McCleave were the worst.
The day quickly brightened and a light but steady wind gave us the best race of the weekend. Ronnie Barr took advantage of Iris's boat speed to take first place on the beat from Mary Knatchbull on Catriona. Iris was undone by a big header on the Clynder shore just after she tacked for the mark. Catriona took advantage and rounded first. Offwind, there was confusion over whether or not spinnakers were allowed. Catriona thought not. Iris set hers and the rest of the fleet followed. The extra sail took Iris back into the lead, Catriona kept the others at bay.
Maid of Lorn raced as a Gareloch. She had a new sail which had taken some time to rig. She was a little late at the start and never recovered. As the leaders finished, she was seen in very light air at the C mark with an inflatable crocodile off her stern. Race Officer was Mike Henry aboard the du Boulay's La Cavale. He awarded the race jointly to Iris and Catriona.

At lunch, The Fairloch Trophy was presented to Gareloch Convener Gordon Mucklow. It is safe for a year but we hope no longer than that.

Tuesday 29th July

There was no wind as we left the moorings. There was no wind when we reached the starting area and there was no wind at the delayed start.
The course, one of the shortest, was to A, off the club and back. The tide was flooding but a back eddy on the Shandon shore was carrying boats to the course side of the line. Iris got it just right. Catriona was too near the line and was carried over early. The rest were further out in the loch and similarly swept away.
After some time (when Iris had drifted almost to A), there was enough of a breath to carry Catriona and Teal to the pre-start side of the line. Hermes took a little longer, Thalia longer still. Ceres gave up.
Catriona led Teal to A. Both rounded the wrong way, realised and had to unwind. By now, Iris was almost at the finishing line. No wind there, though. Catriona, Teal and Hermes found themselves in good air and were moving quickly. The first two went for the shore end of the line and ended up closer to Iris (who finished at the pin) than ought to have been possible. Thalia started shortly after Iris finished.

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Teal, 4 Hermes, 5 Thalia, Ceres DNF.

Sunday 27th July

The club arranged a race around the sugar boat and the Garelochs agreed to take part. It did not count in the points series.
In the morning, there was mist and not a breath. A little before the 12.30 start, the trees were moving and there was enough enthusiasm for the committee to send us to the green isle buoy and back. Catriona was half asleep and let the others start to windward of her. She tacked out into better air. Iris was hoping for a beneficial back eddy towards the spit. She stood on and became engaged in a port/starboard with Hermes. It was Hermes who gyrated. Thalia cemented her third place.
The better wind paid. Catriona kept Iris at bay all the way to the green isle buoy. Here, the Committee met us. There was sufficient wind to revert to plan A and go round the sugar boat. Catriona kept her lead and made sure Iris was overlapped outside at the wreck (rather than clear astern) so as to keep her rights after tacking. It didn't work out like that, though. Iris tacked inside and Catriona could not get to her. Catriona tried going to leeward of Iris on the way back to avoid the blanketing from the Rosneath peninsular. It was no use.

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Thalia, 4 Hermes.

Tuesday 22nd July

Your correspondent was the race officer and had an interestingly different perspective.
The first leg was a beat across the loch to D, North of Clynder. Wind was about force 3 and steady. By Gareloch standards anyway. The place to start was the shore end of the line. An Iris speciality, usually. She was in cruising mode on this occasion. On the course side at the gun, she ducked and continued towards the shore for some time. She could have been doing that before the start.
Catriona was in the charge of Iain MacGillivray. She found herself overlapped to windward of Hermes and on a collision course. Her two penalty turns were not taken very sharply, either.
By now Iris, as we have come to expect, was leading comfortably. The rest were well separated with Hermes and Teal looking strong. Catriona took a long, long tack up the right of the loch. From the starting battery, it seemed she had overstood. Dave Perry, in his excellent 'Winning in One Designs' has a cartoon of a dinghy amongst some reeds next to a sign, Cornersville. Population 1. It turned out to be a good move, she was ahead of all but Iris on the tack in to D. She was, though, undone by one of those wind shifts of the Clynder shore which Teal read just right.
Wind had lightened for the run back to the line. Spinnakers could not be kept full. Teal was firmly in second place. Ceres was fast catching Catriona and Thalia, Hermes. Neither of them made it.

1 Iris, 2 Teal, 3 Catriona, 4 Ceres, 5 Hermes, 6 Thalia.

Pipers (who suffered a second round in the dying air), 1 Suilven, 2 Mealista, Pompous DNF.
Sonars, 1 Charlotte, 2 Grouse, 3 Carpe Diem.

18th to 20th July - Gareloch Worlds - Racing Report Sunday

The second instalment. Superb barbeque at Peter and Francoise's house on Saturday evening. Catriona had done well that morning but was acutely aware that Iris was capable of snatching the victory.
There was as much wind as we wanted on Sunday morning. Big waves, too, with wind from the north over a flood tide.
Sausage courses. The first race with a beat from the line off Silvers to C, at the north end of Clynder. Catriona was keen to cover Iris. She did so and was first round C. Iris was more adventurous with the spinnaker (not for the feint hearted in the strength of wind) to be first at the leeward mark. Catriona had dropped her spinnaker earlier after some photogenic rocking and rolling. She was able to round up to windward of Iris and keep her at bay. Perhaps Iris's usual technique of tight sheets and pointing high cost her in the waves. Whilst these two had been preoccupied, Zoe had prospered out in the Loch and was leading comfortably for the start of the second run back. Iris set her spinnaker again. In the strongest of the wind it looked a handful and generated little competitive spirit in Catriona's crew. As the wind lightened towards the end of the leg (and the finish) Iris was catching quickly so Catriona was forced to launch her kite. It worked and she kept her second place.
Thalia, meanwhile, had trouble with her main sheet and was unable to finish. Teal was solidly fourth. Hermes and Circe had a close race, swapping places on the second round to give Hermes fifth.
The wind and waves had not moderated for the fourth race. Captain Henry set a shorter beat to H, off the middle of Clynder. Catriona found herself starting towards the Committee boat and shore end with Zoe on her windward quarter. Iris tacked at the pin end and went out. She did not look especially good on account of the stronger wind and bigger seas so Catriona was only a little nervous about being pinned by Zoe. Catriona called for room to tack away from the reef off the south end of Clynder and was then able to climb away. Iris fell in behind Zoe. Teal, Hermes and Circe were battling for fourth and swapping places. Thalia was trailing, having been late for the start on account of having to repair her main sheet.
At the start of the final run, Iris was still third and tried all she knew to get past Zoe. Wind was absolutely on the limit for spinnakers. Iris was alone in setting one. Zoe was never likely to give up second place easily. As Iris approached, she luffed. Iris ducked her, crash gybed and broached spectacularly. She caught up to Zoe again. Near the line, she might have had second but was informed there had been contact during the previous encounter. These were not ideal conditions for penalty turns. Teal took advantage.
Iris's lot was not cast with a white bean. She touched Hermes as she finished her turns and ended up fifth.

The results for the series, in reverse order, were 8 Thia, 7 Circe. She won the tourist trophy (a handsome silver rowlock) for the highest score of a boat competing in all the races. 6 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 4 Teal, 3 Iris, 2 Zoe, 1 Catriona. Catriona's crew Jennifer Darley collected the 50th Anniversary Cup from assistant race officer Mrs. Elma Henry. Fellow crew member Iain MacGillivray and she took the first celebratory swigs from this impressive trophy.

18th to 20th July - Gareloch Worlds - Racing Report Saturday

The competition began at the lift off cocktail party on Friday evening. The main contenders were taking great care with their cocktails, so as not to lose before the first gun. There was pessimism over the weather forecast, which was for wind too strong for racing.
Race officer Mike Henry, aboard the Dicken family's Tegwynt, set a sausage course up the loch to D and back. The wind was lively but the gusts were not stong. Lee decks were rarely under.
On a comfortably long and true line, there was no argy bargy and it was easy to get a good start. Iris stayed on starboard towards the Clynder shore and Catriona covered. It soon became apparent that the right side of the loch was better. Zoe had a commanding lead, having gone that way. Circe, Thalia and Teal also looked good.
Catriona tacked and stayed on port for a long time so as to get the benefit of the favoured side. The leaders did not realise why they had done so well and stood on to the Clynder shore. At D, Catriona had a good lead from Zoe. The wind veered to make the downwind leg a reach. Iris, try as she might, could not break out of the peloton.
The course was changed to give a short beat to Z and back. Catriona hardened up towards the Shandon shore but soon realised she needed to tack out for more wind. Zoe, second at the downwind mark, followed Catriona. As did Teal and Thalia. Iris rounded in fifth place, tacked at once and was comfortably second at Z.
After the wind shift, the Committee moved Tegwynt for the second start. A sausage course to Z. With another true line, shorter this time, most got a good start. Catriona did her best not to. She was idly reaching in to the Committee boat end and let Iris tack below her and shut the door. Nevertheless, she was only a little late and was lucky with wind. Iris was never able to cross her. Zoe was on form again and was on top of Iris for the tack in to the mark. This happened on the subsequent rounds too. On the last occasion, they were both below the layline so Iris could tack away. Not for the first time, she was not covered and got back to second.
The wind in the afternoon lived up to the forecast. We stood at the end of the pier and decided to abandon. Going out to the boats to secure them for the night, it was clear the decision was right.
That leaves two races scheduled for tomorrow morning. All is to play for with Catriona on two points, Iris on four and Zoe leading the rest.

Tuesday 15th July

The forecast was for lots of wind. It was certainly a bit draughty but nothing excessive.
Iris's and Catriona's skippers stood at the end of the jetty and pondered. There was more than the usual number of Sonars this evening, so a wait for the launch to take us out to our moorings. Teal, who had arrived early, looked perfectly happy sailing to the start. Unaccountably, Iris decided that it was too windy and did not race. The series winner was already decided, which might have influenced her. She missed a good race.
The line was about square for the beat across the Loch to C, at Clynder. Catriona started as if the shore end was favoured (so often the case). She reached in on port, which was silly, tacked poorly and let Teal trample over her. As these two crossed tacks, it was the boat on starboard which crossed ahead. Thalia found some good air on the Shandon shore and stayed in touch. Hermes had a reef, which was sensible in the gusts but slow otherwise.
The heavy air tacking was good practice. Getting every tack spot on would certainly have made a difference at the front.
Wind on the Clynder shore was lighter and fluky. Catriona looked good but on the tack in to the mark Teal went to leeward with boatspeed and claimed the inside slot. Catriona could not break the overlap although dirty wind forced Teal down and she had to tack again.
Catriona had a few boat lengths lead for the reach across to G on the Shandon shore. She kept it for the next beat and run back to the line.
Having raced for less than an hour, with a short second round, none of us spotted the shortened course. The horn could not be heard in the breeze. The superfluous second round was good training for spinnaker hands. A run down the loch from C to B on the Clynder shore was characterised by changeable wind. Boats going dead downwind with forty degree shifts are liable to gybe quite a lot. Strength was variable too, so keeping the kites filled to their optimum required finesse. No places changed, so no one was disappointed.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Thalia, 4 Hermes.

Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.
Sonars, 1 Charlotte, 2 451, 3 Jamie, 4 Carpe Diem, 5 Nona, 6 Halfingalaugh

Sunday 13th July

We benefited from a dedicated Race Officer today. Capt. Mike Henry set a course beginning with a beat to B, off Silvers. Catriona had the best start at the pin end. Iris, just below, went in for some fierce luffing before the gun, which cost Catriona boat speed. Iris was going the better of the two. She pulled out a lead to leeward. When it seemed that she would be able to tack onto port and cross, Catriona tacked away and that was that.
Later in the race, when the two were separated, Catriona tried going a different way. Team racing guru Steve Tylecote calls that 'leverage'. A small shift can cause the order to change when boats are widely separated. Not today, though.
Circe used her spinnaker to good effect to finish third. Ceres showed improving form in fourth.

1.Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Circe, 4 Ceres, 5 Hermes.

Next weekend, the Gareloch World Championship.

Tuesday 8th July

A magnificent evening. At five o'clock, there was next to no wind. That changed. The sun was shining and we always kept moving. It would be churlish to grumble about the flukiness which occasionally penalised the leaders.
The fist leg was a beat to D, north of Clynder. As so often happens with this course, the shore end of the start line was the place to be. Usually Iris's speciality, but this time, Teal was on pole. She was a bit early, however, and had to bear away down the line after tacking. Iris out of the traps first again. Catriona was behind Hermes on the reach in to the shore. If she had tried to pass to windward, she would have been luffed over. If she had gone to leeward, she would have been trapped. She stayed behind and was thus well to leeward of Iris and Teal for the start of the beat. Realising the hoplessness of her position, she tacked back to the Shandon shore and found that it paid. She soon crossed Teal and Iris had to duck when they met on the Clynder side. Catriona tacked to cover and the two were neck and neck (both in clear air) for some time. Eventually, Iris drew ahead and Catriona tacked away. Iris thought she was in better wind so did not tack to cover. Wrongly.
Catriona was comfortably ahead for the start of the broad reach across the loch to G, on the Shandon shore. Puffs from the Clynder shore brought up Iris, Teal, then Thalia. On the approach to G, Iris had the inside slot with Thalia overlapped outside, then Catriona, then Teal. Catriona elected to go behind the leading pair but was undone by a puff which brought her up when it was far too late. Her illegal presence set Thalia back, her 720 put her on terms with Thia and Hermes.
Teal and Iris indulged in some determined luffing on the leg back to the line. To the benefit of Thalia, who was first at the start of the second round. This began with a reach to A, as fine as you would like it with the spinnaker. Thalia tried to prevent Iris passing to windward but had trouble with her kite and failed.
After the leading four had hardened up at A for the beat to D, Teal then Catriona tacked away from Thalia who was pinching up. Iris was to leeward, ahead and moving well.
Catriona was happy enough, recalling that the Shandon shore was good the first time round. After a while, Teal tacked and crossed ahead of Catriona. Some time later, she was on terms with Iris. There were moments when it appeared to the leading three that Catriona's position on the Shandon shore was hopeless. After she tacked, though, she was well in front of all of them.
It was not Iris's night. Again she backed her judgement of the variable wind against covering Teal. She was third at D and could do nothing about it on the run to the finish.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Iris, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 6 Thia.
Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.
Sonars, 1 Jamie, 2 Nona, 3 Halfingalaugh, 4 Carpe Diem.

Sat/Sun 5/6th July

The RNCYC mid summer regatta was held over the weekend. The first race on Saturday was to have counted in our Sunday points series. Four Garelochs ventured to the east patch but the wind was too much for racing. It did not moderate during the day, so we felt we had made the right decision.
Sunday was only slightly less windy and by then, enthusiasm had evaporated.

Tuesday 1st July

Iris's skipper was Race Officer so that our numbers were depleted. Thalia was otherwise engaged as well. Catriona, Teal, Hermes and Ceres came to the line.
With the wind off the Shandon shore, a course was set to give a beat from D, north of Clynder, back to the line. Catriona, in the charge of Iain MacGillivray, made a good start for the first leg to A. It ought to have been a fetch but, in the way of the Gareloch, became a beat. Catriona was comfortably in front of Teal for the run to D. Ceres was late at the start and so unable to put pressure on Hermes.
Catriona fell into lighter air as she approached D and Teal came up. It was not quite enough though. Catriona extended her lead on the beat by maintaining good cover.
The gaps were too large for the order to change on the second round.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Hermes, 4 Ceres.

Sunday 29th June

The annual Yvonne Armstrong Regatta for under 21s was held on Sunday. The trophy, a model of a Gareloch by David Spy, was donated by the Armstrong family in memory of Yvonne, who was a keen Gareloch sailor. She died of meningitis when she was 20.
Six teams entered, two from Cove Sailing club, two from Lomond School, and one each from Helensburgh Sailing Club and The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club. The event was well supported by parents and friends who came to watch.
Race Officer Mike Henry was aboard John Blackie's very pretty Mylne Ketch Maid of Lorn, she is 100 years old. He set a course across the loch and back. For the first race, Gareloch wind was at its worst. Big holes, huge and unpredictable wind shifts. That, naturally, increased the element of chance although concentration paid. The RNCYC team in Zoe were first. Cove B were a very creditable second. The commentators of Formula 1 tell us that first, you have to beat your team mate. Cove A were second to last.
After lunch, the wind was truer. Strong enough in the gusts to wet the lee decks. The course was from Blairvadach to mark H at Clynder for the second race and to C, just to the north, for the third. It was still changeable on the Clynder shore but the boats always kept moving.
Lomond B were sailing Teal and had the feel of her. They won both of the afternoon races by a margin to take overall victory. RNCYC in Catriona were second both times. They had recovered well from being over early and having to return at the start of the second race. Cove A just pipped Cove B at the finish of the third to reduce their embarrassment.

1 Lomond B, 2 RNCYC, 3 Cove B, 4 Cove A, 5 Lomond A, 6 Helensburgh Sailing Club.

Tuesday 24th June

A damp evening. It is better, though, to sail in the rain than to be dry watching TV. There was good wind, too.
The beat was from the D mark, north of Clynder, back to the line. The first leg, therefore, was a fine reach to A. Hermes, under the command of Mike Lidwell, was busy with spinnaker drill for her crew. Mike wrongly opted for the windward end of the line, not realising the nature of the leg. Iris started at the pin, just behind Catriona. Teal in the middle. She was level with Catriona for most of the leg, but unable to set her back.
Down wind to D, there was naturally a tendency for Teal, then Iris to take Catriona high. Iris was the more determined, so that the two were sometimes by the lee on the final run to the mark. Teal had stayed low here and kept her second place. Catriona, obliged to keep her spinnaker late to avoid inside overlaps, made a poor rounding and Teal sneaked inside. Catriona luffed sharply, Teal thought too high, to avoid being blanketed. That, of course, killed her boat speed and she watched Iris sail through to leeward with pace. There began a battle of wits between these two. Iris put in a false tack, Catriona let her jib back for a little too long as she responded and Iris got into clear air to leeward. Teal had the lead at this point.
The long tack on port along the Shandon shore required full concentration. There were substantial shifts. The headers making Iris look better and better. Tell tales were stuck down with rain. In the end, Catriona came out on top. Iris tacked to leeward of Teal, could not break through and was set back for the start of the second round.
Catriona now had enough of a lead to keep her air clear. The fight was between Teal and Iris. Down wind to D, the air was heavy enough for maximum boat speed and thoughts of Ride of the Valkiries. Not so much, though, as to be uncontrollable. Iris tried to break through to windward just as a puff hit. She did not keep flat enough. Teal scooted forwards as Iris displayed some of the symptoms of a minor broach. Loose cover upwind to the finish prevented any further changes of place.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Iris, 4 Hermes, 5 Thia, 6 Ceres DNF.
Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.
Sonars, 1 Grouse, 2 Jamie, Charlotte DNF.

Sunday 22nd June

It had been decided to start earlier and race to Gourock so as to see the Fifes. At the start (a line from the A mark to a mooring) there was debate about whether or not we should make it through the narrows, such was the lack of wind.
Iris started well and set a spinnaker. There was not really enough air to fill it. When the wind went ahead she lost momentum taking it down. Catriona passed to windward and Circe to leeward. Thalia was further out into the loch, caught a line of wind first and had a good lead in Rhu bay.
The wind was now off the Rosneath shore. Each boat tried to find the correct balance between keeping to windward and avoiding the wind shadow from the shore. Iris got past Circe and those two caught the leaders by going further in shore. As we hardened onto a beat at the green isle buoy, Thalia was comfortably in front. Catriona tacked to cover Iris, who was pointing high as usual. Towards the Greenock/Gourock shore, Catriona sensed a lull and tacked out again to make sure of Iris. Better air in the middle promoted her to first by the time Thalia tacked.
Circe, meanwhile, had tacked down the Kilcreggan side of the river. Not a good strategy.

1 Catriona, 2 Thalia, 3 Iris, 4 Thia, 5 Circe.

Tuesday 17th June

Race Officer Simon Jackson looks young, but he has been at the fair for a long time. We all benefited from his experience as he set a course starting with a beat to B when the direction of the wind on shore indicated that would be a fetch.
A drop in the strength of wind just before the start caused most to be a little late. Iris was closest to the line at the gun and set off along the Shandon shore to keep out of the tide. Catriona would have covered but was in dirty wind and needed to tack out. That turned out to be fortunate for the light blue boat because there was good wind in the middle. Teal went that way, too.
Hermes got the wind first and was delighted to cross ahead of Catriona. She was headed back to the Shandon shore and was pleased to cross Iris, too. That was less impressive because Iris had had a dreadful time inshore.
Catriona, feeling awfully pleased with herself, rounded B with a good lead. She failed to allow for tide and touched. The penalty turn let Teal past and gave hope to Iris.
Downwind to F, off Shandon Church, wind was more than a little curious. Catriona was trying to pass to windward of Teal but saw Iris going well nearer the shore. She bore away onto a dead run, sometimes by the lee, and unaccountably passed Teal to leeward.
A beat to C next. Iris, with two boats ahead, was obliged to take to the Shandon shore again. It hurt less this time.
Catriona was not to be caught but Iris managed to get an inside overlap at the pin end of the line and was second at the start of the second round.
Hermes mistakenly thought she had seen a signal for shortened course and lost a place to Thalia by going for the shore end of the line.
Thia and Ceres had a determined battle at the back. They were so close at the finish that they needed to consult the sheet of results.

1 Catriona, 2 Iris, 3 Teal, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 6 Ceres, 7 Thia.

Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.
Sonars, 1 Grouse, 2 Nona, 3 Charlotte.

Tuesday 10th June

The wind during the day had been perhaps too strong. It moderated in the evening to give a good race.
The first leg, a beat to D, north of Clynder, required a start at the shore end of the line. Usually Iris's speciality, but she was not there and Catriona took the spot. Teal second. Catriona maintained good cover on Teal up the beat and maintained her place. Hermes and Thalia swapped third place between them.
There were no attacking moves off the wind so that Catriona was leading comfortably for the start of the beat to D on the second round. She stood on to the Clynder shore for too long and was headed. Teal was unable to take advantage of a wind shift because she was slow to take in her spinnaker equipment and could not tack. That let Catriona away with it. Loose cover was restored and maintained to the finish. Thalia, meanwhile, had dropped her spinnaker (in its bucket) into the water. Returning to collect it was not the fastest way around the course.

1 Catriona, 2 Teal, 3 Hermes, 4 Thalia.

Sonars 1 Nona, 2 Jamie, 3 Grouse, Lobi-Wan Kanobi DNF.
Pipers 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.

Sunday 8th June

Five Garelochs were off their moorings. Teal, though, had weans aboard and decided to avoid the cut and thrust of racing so as not to frighten them.
The wind was changeable, both in direction and strength. The race officer chose a course, chose another, went back to the first option and decided to go anyway when the first leg (to B, off Silvers) became a broad reach. It went back to being a beat.
Catriona got a good start in light air and looked comfortable half way to B. The wind then seemed to favour Circe and Zoe, who were on opposite sides of Catriona. She kept her place though, just crossing Zoe and in a strong position to windward for the last tack in to the mark. Good wind now for the run to G, on the Shandon shore. Catriona established a lead until the wind again ran out. It was a stop-start race. This time, Zoe and Circe passed to port and Hermes (who had found a good streak of air on the shore) passed to starboard.
Hermes was first around G for the fetch to C. She had achieved that without setting a spinnaker but that is no excuse for not setting one in future. The other three were overlapped with Circe inside, then Catriona, then Zoe. Circe was right of way boat with room but made a poor rounding and let Catriona get to windward. Zoe was not so lucky. Thereafter, the wind to the finish was steady.

1 Catriona, 2 Circe, 3 Zoe, 4 Hermes.

Tuesday 3rd June

There was sufficient wind for Race Officer Tim Henderson to set a long course, starting with a beat to E, off Rahane.
The shore end of the line was favoured. Iris makes a speciality of reaching in on port and tacking close to the shore. No one challenged her for the premium slot and she got the best start. Catriona was not far behind, though. On the beat up the loch she crossed ahead. In the curiosities of the wind, these two became widely separated although they had never been on opposite tacks for long. Catriona and the rest of the fleet tended to the Clynder shore. Iris had been headed towards the Shandon shore. She was lifted back across in a good breeze and was first at E by a margin. Catriona second. The wind at E lightened for the rest and they fell back.
Catriona caught up slowly on the remaining two spinnaker legs. She went for the shore end of the line and nearly, but not quite, caught Iris napping.
Zoe took third. Hermes went for the shore end against Teal and made it pay. Ceres, in her first race of the year, caught Thalia at the line. Despite her helm being unable to persuade his wife to set a spinnaker.

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Zoe, 4 Hermes, 5 Teal, 6 Ceres, 7 Thalia.

Sonars, 1 Grouse, 2 Jamie, 3 Nona.
Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous, 3 Mealista.

Sunday 1st June

A delayed start because of the Club open day. Ceres was brought round to her mooring. Now we are nine. She did not race, though.
There was rain in the air, but a good wind, for a beat to A, run up the loch to D and back. Iris started well, on the line with boatspeed. Catriona was to windward, though. She avoided the lee bow, broke through, and kept good cover on Iris and Zoe along the shore.
Thalia and Circe had gone out into the loch and found good air. Catriona, coming into the A mark on port, was just in front of Thalia on Starboard. Iris and Zoe rounded behind them.
There was clearly a wind shift because the run to D became as fine a reach as the spinnaker would tolerate. Catriona benefited from clear air and got away.
Two thirds of the way down this leg, the wind was turned off. Thalia and Circe went for the shore where there seemed to be a band of ripples. Iris, Zoe and Hermes stayed out. With no wind, Catriona pointed for the mark on what became a beat. She found enough pressure to keep her position.
Then began the trying business of keeping spinnakers full in light air and enough rain to make them heavy. In the end, the matter was resolved by the wind going so far forward they had to be dropped.
Zoe, not well placed at D, had stuck to the Clynder shore. It looked disastrous for a long time but she was the first to get some new pressure. She finished a few boat lengths ahead of Catriona. Iris, on the other hand, had chased an illusive band of ripples further up the loch. She did not prosper.

1 Zoe, 2 Catriona, 3 Circe, 4 Iris, 5 Thalia, 6 Hermes.

Tuesday 27th May

The final race of the spring points series with Iris, Teal and Catriona all in the running.
There was plenty of wind in the Gareloch but its direction was unpredictable. One of those evenings of tacks with no change of direction or, for the unlucky, tacks through 180 degrees. One skipper was bumped on the head by the boom when, in an instant, a fine reach became head to wind.
Teal and Catriona were on the line at the running start across the loch. The curiosities of the wind and blanketing from behind brought up Iris, Zoe and the rest. Thalia went for the middle of the loch early. She looked strong for a while but faded.
At the leeward mark, Iris had a lead from Teal. Both were well in front of Catriona who had managed, by luck not judgement, to break Zoe's inside overlap. Thalia gained a place on the leg back across the loch but lost it in a hole at G as Catriona came in on an unpredictable streak of wind.
The air around the line at the end of the round was especially trying. Teal was briefly ahead of Iris. Zoe crossed in third place but was headed away from the pin.
The next opportunity for substantial changes of place was the final beat. In fact, it had most points of sailing but the boats were never on a run for long enough to set a spinnaker. Catriona found better air in the middle and her spirits were lifted for a brief moment.

1 Iris, 2 Teal, 3 Catriona, 4 Hermes, 5 Thalia, 6 Zoe, 7 Thia.

Sonars, 1 Nona, 2 Jamie. Pipers, 1 Pompous, 2 Suilven.

Tuesday 20th May

We are consistent in this life in only one thing, our faults.
With a steady breeze blowing off the Shandon shore, the course had a running start across the loch to D, north of Clynder. Hermes, Teal and Thalia started well.
Iris stuck to the left in clear wind, but on the wrong side of the fleet for the mark rounding. Catriona found herself to leeward of Thalia with no hope of breaking through. She was able to luff and break through to windward. Hermes did not respond soon enough to the boats approaching from behind and was blanketed. Catriona got a fortunate inside overlap on Teal and was first away from the mark. She cemented her lead.
The fighting was between Teal and Iris. On the second round spinnaker leg up the Clynder shore, which was about as fine as the Garelochs could manage, Iris got the better of Teal. Teal returned the compliment on the same leg of the third round. Slick work by Catriona's crew, Daka, kept her well in front. As Catriona hardened up at the last mark for the beat to the finish, she had a commanding lead over Teal, then Iris. Iris tacked early, a move which had not paid in previous rounds. Catriona tacked at once, well to windward. The two were a long way apart. In the variable air of the Gareloch Iris had leverage. She was able to climb in front of Catriona and was leading as she approached the pin end of the line. A puff of air at the shore end of the line gave Catriona and Teal brief hope, but it died. Not for the first time, Catriona and Teal learned to cover the opposition.

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Teal, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes. Thia (who did not set a spinnaker) DNF.

Sonars 1 Grouse., 2 Micky Finn V.
Pipers, 1 Suilven, 2 Pompous.

Sunday 18th May

On the water Race Officer Roger Kinns set course with a beat to A, off the club, run across to C at Clynder and beat/fine reach back. For those used to the Gareloch, it was a good wind on a beautiful afternoon. Sailors used to true, steady winds might have thought it a little fluky.
The start favoured the inshore end, which is where Hermes was. She capitalised. Iris, a little further out, did well. The rest were left behind.
After two rounding marks, Hermes was leading with Iris looking angry just behind. Changeable Gareloch wind let Iris into first for the start of the second round, Catriona third but now in the race. Iris tended to the Shandon shore, which had paid before. Hermes, then Catriona failed to fetch a moored boat and tacked out. The right side turned out better. Catriona came in to the A mark on starboard and caught out Iris, who could not tack quickly in the light air and was obliged to perform penalty turns. That let Hermes and Circe through for the start of a trying run to C.
Iris benefited from a zephyr on the Clynder shore which came in from the narrows. By C, Catriona was having to work hard to avoid her getting an inside overlap. Iris was tempted into a space on the inside at the mark which was insufficient for her. Catriona was not in a generous frame of mind and once again, Iris gyrated.
The wind from the narrows had brought up the rest of the fleet, which got past. The last leg was now a fine reach, so there was little scope for changes of place. The only determined effort was from Circe on Catriona.

1 Catriona, 2 Circe, 3 Hermes, 4 Thalia, 5 Iris.

Tuesday 13th May

It was Shakespeare's Mark Anthony, speaking of the dead Caesar, who said 'The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.' So Catriona felt about her luck tonight.
The wind was similar to last Tuesday, off the Shandon shore. It was a running start with a first leg across the loch to D. Catriona got it right for a change and was to windward of Iris and Teal, on the correct side of the fleet for the mark rounding. She had to go a little too high to avoid wind shadow from Thalia and Reay Mackay's Zoe (just afloat). Iris and Teal rounded in first and second and hardened up for the beat back across the loch. Unaccountably, Catriona climbed high, with good speed, and passed both. That was put down to skill, rather than good luck, and soon forgotten.
On the second round, a spinnaker leg up the Clynder shore did not favour the leader. Iris and Teal were brought right up. On the beat back to the finish, Catriona lost the tacking dual with Iris. She foolishly held on to the less favourable tack for too long and became blanketed by Teal. That was the bad luck to be remembered. Iris, meanwhile, made the best of the fluky wind into the finish to take the win.

1 Iris, 2 Teal, 3 Catriona, 4 (and nearly 3) Zoe, 5 Thalia, 6 Hermes.

Pipers. 1 Pompous, 2 Suilven.
Sonars. 1 Grouse, 2 Micky Finn V.

Sunday 11th May

A superb day, bright sun and a good breeze, if a little shifty.
Graeme Walker, new owner of Circe, had her afloat for the fist time in several years. She was looking very smart and on the pace, too.
On the water Race office Gordon Mucklow set a course with a beat to A, off the club, run to D, north of Clynder and beat back.
Catriona badly misjudged her start, tangled with Iris, and made the penalty turns. That put her in last place at A with Iris well down the run. She soon began to make ground, perhaps because of better wind coming in from behind. Of the rest, Circe handled her spinnaker best and cemented third place. Thalia and Hermes argued about who would be last.
Catriona was in touch at D. The leg back to the line was to be mostly on starboard, so there was no point tacking away. Unusually, she was able to make up to windward of Iris and there were moments when the two seemed equally placed. Towards Gully Bridge the Gareloch excelled itself with regard to fluky and shifting wind. Iris made far the better job of getting through it and had a substantially increased lead for the start of the second round. Perhaps the two came a little closer on the run, but not significantly so. This time, there were no holes around the finish to catch the unwary.

1 Iris, 2 Catriona, 3 Circe, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes.

Tuesday 6th May

Six Garelochs at the start. There was a lone Sonar, no Pipers.
On account of (a good) wind blowing off the Shandon shore, it was a running start to D. Iris got it right, Catriona just behind but on the wrong side for the mark rounding. The two were overlapped for most of the leg. Teal and Hermes were also satisfied with their starts.
After hardening up at D for the beat to G, Catriona found herself pinching in back wind from Iris and tacked away. That did not pay. She caught Teal on starboard but was well behind Iris. Hermes lost a couple of places at D by getting into irons. Teal, meanwhile, lost out to Thalia by heading for the wrong mark.
At the end of the first round, Iris had a good lead. She always goes well on a beat in strong air and this was her kind of night. Her skipper had obtained an unfair advantage by helping to lay the racing marks. He knew just where they were. He had a strong two man crew including Zoe's Reay Mackay. Zoe will be afloat shortly. It was inexplicable, therefore, that when Iris finished the first round she headed for the wrong mark.
Catriona did not need asking twice. She made a misjudgement at B, the gybe mark, and mistakenly tried to carry her spinnaker. It didn't matter. Iris's spinnaker woes are best left undescribed.
Towards the back, Hermes retrieved a place from Thia. Neither set a spinnaker. Both will have to if they are to move up the fleet.

1 Catriona, 2 Iris, 3 Teal, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes, 6 Thia.

Sunday 4th May

Only 3 boats came to the start. Presumably the others were put off by the rain and lack of wind. They will be taking up golf next.
On the water Race Officer Charles Darley set a short course with a beat to A, off the club, and a run back.
Graeme Walker, new owner of Circe (to be launched shortly) took the helm of Catriona. He made the best of ghosting in light air and finding fair tide to be first at the windward mark. Hermes second, Thalia third.
The vagaries of the wind meant that the course became a reach both ways after that. We got two rounds and a bit wet. The order did not change.

1 Catriona, 2 Hermes, 3 Thalia.

Tuesday 29th April

Six Garelochs were on their moorings, but only five came to the start. Thia was lacking crew so that her helm Michael Knox assisted Race Officer Andrew Nicholson.

The wind was testing for the race officials. A large shift led to a postponement during the sequence and a change of course. The postponement was Iris's undoing. The gun as the AP came down confused her helm so that she started a minute early. Teal made a strong start a little way down the line. Catriona lost momentum. Iris found some pressure and was quickly on terms, despite having had to return.
Teal took advantage of her lead on the beat to D, north of Clynder, and was comfortably first at the mark. Thalia and Hermes prospered up the middle of the loch. Thalia did not learn and went too close to the Clynder shore, Hermes rounded in second place.
Iris had had to make a wide rounding so as to keep clear of Hermes approaching on Starboard, which let in Catriona. She increased the advantage with smart spinnaker work on the reach to G, off Gully Bridge. Hermes lost her spinny halyard so that both Iris and Thalia got by.

1 Teal, 2 Catriona, 3 Iris, 4 Thalia, 5 Hermes.

No Sonars or Pipers.

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Notes on Racing Rules

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