IT WAS a busy weekend for Toward Seasports Club, with the final keelboat special race of the season followed by the opening round of the annual Frostbite dinghy series.
Saturday saw the final keelboat special race of the season, the Burnt Island race.
The morning dawned sunny, but there was barely a breath of wind.
With little prospect of the boats making their way up the Kyles within the time available, the decision was taken to set a new course around the navigation buoys.
Two boats from TSC took part, while three club members made the trip across from Rothesay.
It was a slow start and, for much of the race, the boats were little more than drifting down to the mark, rounding it and making their way back towards the finish.
On the return leg, however, all the faster handicap boats managed to fly their spinnakers, providing an impressive sight on an otherwise windless day.
Sunday was another busy day at the club, with the skiff out and several crews taking the opportunity to practise.
Sauna Mara was also open for business, while the eagerly awaited annual Frostbite dinghy series got underway.
The series takes place every Sunday afternoon for the next eight weeks. It is aptly named Frostbite, as the days become shorter and the weather turns colder.
Three toppers, a pico and an oppie took to the water in a pleasant breeze.
The start was incredibly close, with all the boats crossing the line within seconds of each other.
On the first leg, all but one of the toppers took the inshore route. One boat headed further out into the bay, where there proved to be more wind, allowing it to round the first mark well ahead of the fleet.
The lead was maintained until the leg towards the fourth mark.
As the boats moved closer to shore, the wind began to die and the boats at the front of the fleet struggled.
Seeing what was happening ahead, another topper tacked further out and then returned at a better angle for the mark, rounding it well ahead of the others.
Full results
Keelboats: 1, – Kracken (Mr Johnston); 2, – Salena (C Lees); 3, – Parallel Motion (A Marshall); 4, – Wild Goose (G Judd).
Frostbite: 1, – Topper (T. Mcrossan); 2, -Topper (E. Judd); 3, – Pico (S. Gaze).
