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Loch Earn 2008 |
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Loch Earn 26-27 April
2008 Race 1 On Saturday the winds were as forecast, from the south at first, which created sharp gusts on the water. The first course was set with a short upwind leg of a triangle which extended to leeward into the flatter water to the East of the club promontory. Gordon and Brian made the start but the other two had left their arrival too late and waited it out for the second race (and hoped for better conditions!). Starting in the handicap class there was some initial confusion while the Enterprises headed for the wrong mark, but this error had the beneficial effect of keeping them out of the Europes way for a while. Gordon made the mark ahead and kept a clear lead over Brian, who eventually failed the downwind gybe test and retired, leaving Gordon to battle up the long beat to the finish of the shortened race. Race 2 All the Europes made the start for the second race of the day, but the wind had veered and was blowing strongly straight up the loch, creating a significant chop amid the white horses. The course had been reset to provide a long windward leg before the reach. Fiona and Brian had a look to windward from the start line and decided to return to shore while still close to base. Gordon went off to challenge the hard men of the Enterprise class while Craig in his first serious outing at a Europe traveller, lost track of the starting sequence and was left behind at the gun. Gordon remained in the lead but Craig did well to stay with it to finish after three gruelling laps. Race 3 Fiona and Brian having packed up for the day, the sun came out, the wind dropped and race three was started in near ideal conditions into the same course. However this pleasant state was not to stay for long and the wind came up again ever more fiercely, with Gordon the only Europe to complete the course, Craig having succumbed to the increasing wind strength. Race 4 Sunday arrived to the total contrast of a mirror like Loch Earn and no breeze at all. After some postponement the Race Officer set a long trapezoid course in a breath of air and the fleet reluctantly ventured out. While the course was trapezoidal it was offset to the wind direction so beats and reaches merged somewhat. Gordon started at the committee end and the others at the pin of a port biased line. However it was still Gordon who arrived at the windward mark ahead and stayed there to the finish. Fiona and Brian crossed one another regularly on the three remaining legs but it was Brian's turn to be ahead at the line. Craig was finding the light conditions tricky and followed the others in. Race 5 For the final race, again much postponed to wait for the return of the breeze, a windward leeward course was set in the gentle westerly now coming up the loch. Gordon uncharacteristically mistimed the start this time and with the windward mark very close he was trapped by the returning handicap fleet as they turned to head back towards the start and the distant leeward mark. Brian was going fast in the light and fading breeze and kept his cool to reach the leeward mark still ahead. However Gordon, by now not far behind, out-sailed Brian to get past on the final beat to the line. Brian just managed to stay ahead of Fiona to take second. Craig was getting to grips with the conditions and was starting to make up ground, but the shortened course limited his opportunity for recovery. Gordon dominated the event and also won the regatta handicap class. He had been sailing Brian's old boat, which he was testing after having taken on the challenge of the repair job over the winter. Obviously this had been a success! Results
Brian Finnie GBR367 |
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