Sun 23rd Aug

As we stood in the car park, there was no breath of air. The keener ones rigged and ghosted towards the starting area. Sometimes ghosting backwards. By the time the leader got there, a light but steady breeze had filled in.

A course was set up and down the Shandon shore which gave a start to windward. Catriona misjudged it badly, she failed to respond quickly enough to Teal, to leeward. By the time her penalty turns were finished, the fleet was well on its way. Led by Halcyone from Teal and Circe.

The tide turned during the race. Balancing wind and tide going up and down the loch was always key and associated with some luck. On the approach to the downwind mark, Catriona managed an inside overlap on Circe and climbed to third. The first two positions were not close. There was time for a second round but it seemed the podium places had been determined.

Catriona, going downwind, narrowed the gap to the leaders a little. On the beat to the finish they went inshore, into less adverse tide, so that Catriona went out. Out paid. Halcyone found light air. Teal came out and crossed ahead of Catriona but lost momentum in the tack to cover and could not make it stick. Halcyone, nearer the shore, held her first place by a whisker.

1 Halcyone, 2 Catriona, 3 Teal, 4 Circe, 5 Luna. Hermes DNF.