VARIABLE winds and a relentless ebb tide combined to produce another challenging evening of racing at Holy Loch Sailing Club for Series One Race Four on Wednesday, May 20.
As in the previous race, crews faced everything from fresh gusts to complete calms, with the battle against the clock becoming just as important as the racing itself as competitors fought to finish before the time limit expired.
In the Piper fleet, Staypuff suffered the cruellest luck of the night after having to tack back across the finish line, only to be caught by the ebbing tide as time ran out.
At the front of the fleet, Andy Love’s Tamarind and the Brown/Gordon syndicate boat Tom Piper enjoyed strong starts and shared the lead throughout much of the opening lap. However, Tom Piper helmsman Duncan Munro made the most of the stronger gusts to pull clear before the wind began to fade, leaving the crew in an unassailable position by the close of the race.
The short-handed Talisker, sailed by Jamie Rodgers and Neil McLaren, recovered well after a difficult start and thrived as conditions became lighter, earning a deserved second place.
The battle for third place produced one of the evening’s most dramatic moments. Iain Hurrel’s Billie Piper appeared set to secure the podium spot with a comfortable advantage over Tamarind, but the boat lost all wind only yards from the finish line. Tamarind then found the faintest breeze and edged past in the closing seconds to snatch third place.
In the White Sail class, light and inconsistent winds allowed Nigel Scriven’s Moonlight to make an excellent start and build an early lead on the water. Moonlight rounded the opening mark narrowly ahead of Jim Hoey’s Judicious and Duncan Chalmers’ Atia.
As the race progressed, the conditions increasingly favoured the quicker Judicious, which managed to finish before the wind completely disappeared. Once handicaps were applied, Judicious secured victory by more than 14 minutes. Atia claimed second, while Moonlight held on for third by just a matter of seconds. Both Ken Grant’s Tigh Solius V and Neil Stewart’s Panache were unable to finish within the allotted time.
Only two Flying Fifteens took to the water, with Iain Sinclair and Kirsty Brown aboard Nae Ffear taking the honours ahead of Tommy and Susan McGeachie in Efficacious.
The dinghy fleet also saw just two competitors. Neil and Claire Towart’s ISO, Stubborn Tart, completed the course successfully, while Ivan Warren’s Laser Radial failed to finish before the time limit.
Results
Pipers: 1, – Tom Piper (Duncan Munroe, Ali Gordon, Stuart Brown); 2, – Talisker (Jamie Rogers, Neil McLaren); 3, – Tamarind (Andy Love, David Bonnar, James Heggarty); 4, – Billie Piper (Iain Hurrel, Finn Hurrel, James Russell).
White Sail: 1, – Judicious, J30 (Jim Hoey, Ralph Houston, Andrew Leech); 2, – Atia, UFO 27 (Duncan Chalmer, Ali Marshall); 3, – Moonlight, Sonata (Nigel Scriven, Derek Webber, Chris Wilson).
Flying Fifteen: 1, – Nae Ffear (Iain Sinclair, Kirsty Brown); 2, – Efficacious (Tommy McGeachie, Susan McGeachie).
Dinghies 1, – Stubborn Tart, ISO (Neil Towart, Claire Towart).
