2025 – 21st May – Series 1 Race 4

Another evening of Champagne Sailing in the beautiful Holy Loch with 30 competitors in 13 boats.

Pipers

Due to a combination of necessary repairs and summer holidays, the Piper turnout was diminished by two boats- but enhanced by the arrival of Jim Campbell’s Leander which made a sparkling debut for the season with a start which put her in the lead of the tightly bunched group of four boats at the outset of the race. However, it was the ever-present Billie which had established pole position by the first mark before a slack spinnaker hoist, including using the flimsy sail for use as a trawling net to catch some supper which allowed Andy Love’s Tamarind to take over on the long run to Strone. At that mark, a slow rounding allowed the experienced Tom Piper, with her resident team of Fergus Campbell, Stuart Brown and Ali Gordon to take over the reigns, thus ensuring that each competitor had enjoyed some success within only twenty minutes of the start.

Thereafter, Tom Piper was able to maintain her dominance despite very close attention by Billie, and latterly Tamarind, and victory went to the syndicate boat which now holds a dominant lead in the first Series with only two races still to sail.

White Sail

Four boats arrived on the start line to contest the white sail class. Duncan Chalmers Atia started on port to cross on port ahead of the others starting at the starboard end and rounded the first mark just ahead of Jim Hoey's Judicious, closely followed by Nigel Scriven's Moonlight and Neil Stewart in Panache. On the long run down to Strone Atia kept to the right while the others went left, and looked to be overtaking Atia, but in closing on the mark there was no margin, and Atia rounded just ahead of Judicious. Up the beat Atia was pointing high and going well up the middle of the course, while Judicious opted for the Kilmun shore and lost ground to Moonlight going up the middle, with Panache trailing. In a lapse of concentration Atia missed out mark X, leaving Judicious and Moonlight to complete the first lap and gain the advantage. Once the error was discovered, and Atia had sailed back to round X, Judicious and Moonlight were well ahead and remained so for the remaining two laps, despite Atia's eating into the deficit as the breeze began to ease. While line honours went to Judicious, it was Moonlight that won on handicap, with Atia a creditable second ahead of Judicious. Panache was unjustly denied a finish by a complete disappearance of the wind just 100m from the finish line, only for it to return from another direction once everyone was back in the clubhouse.

1. Moonlight Nigel Scriven 60.22 mins,

2.Atia Duncan Chalmers 62.33 mins,

3. Judicious Jim Hoey 63.79 mins.

Dinghies and Flying Fifteen

Four dinghies and one Flying Fifteen made it to the start line. The Flying Fifteen made a good start and led the Contender sailed by Neil Wilson for the first two legs rounding the mark at Strone ahead of the contender. The two Laser Radials sailed by Harris Munns and Fin Hurrel, and the Albacore of Peter McWhinney and Archie Munns were not far behind. On the following long beat from Strone back to the club the Contender made the best of a strengthening breeze and manged to power past the Flying Fifteen. The breeze got the better of the Albacore and after a tricky gybe they decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retired. The Contender continued to extend it’s lead over the Lasers, but after the handicaps were applied the results were a lot closer than they appeared to be on the water.

Dinghies

1st Contender – Neil Wilson

2nd Laser Radial – Harris Munns

3rd Laser Radial – Fin Hurrel

1st Flying Fifteen – Chris and Marion Bowen