We're Off - the season starts

The Holy Loch Sailing Club held their first Wednesday evening race on 30th April with 12 boats and 31 sailor taking part.

On Saturday 3rd May we held our Opening Regatta and Spring Tea – a day that brought together the best of sailing, socialising, and sunshine.

Under clear blue skies, 25 sailors in 9 boats took to the waters of the Holy Loch for the season’s first official race. A light to moderate northerly breeze, with some cheeky gusts, made for exciting and tactical sailing as the fleet navigated the course. It was a joyful sight to see the boats dancing across the loch, with crew members clearly enjoying being back on the water after the winter break.

Back on shore, the clubhouse was buzzing with activity. Around 40 members, family, and friends gathered to enjoy a fantastic Spring Tea, watching the race unfold from the comfort of the terrace and lounge. The tables were groaning with home baking, sandwiches, and the much-anticipated cream scones. The bar was open, and many took the opportunity to toast the start of the new season with a glass of something refreshing.

Once the final boat crossed the finish line, the sailors came ashore, packed up their gear, and joined the party. With the race behind them, they tucked into the spread, swapped stories, and shared a well-earned cream tea alongside the rest of the club.

It was a wonderful day full of energy, warmth, and connection – a true celebration of everything that makes Holy Loch Sailing Club such a special place to be.

Pipers

Five Pipers appeared on the start line for the first evening race on Wednesday, and, more significantly, they were all well prepared and in tip top racing condition which kept the whole fleet in contention for much of the race. The fickle breeze tested the tactical skills of all the crews but resulted in much place changing as first one boat and then the others benefited from the variable puffs which boxed the compass.

It was heartening to see Andy Love take the lead in his new boat, Tamarind, from early leader Tom Piper to boost his confidence, but it was Billie Piper, sailed by Iain Hurrel, Graeme Murray and Lorn Campbell, which kept her best till last with a final “sprint” to take line honours and the first winning gun of the season.

There were contrasting conditions for the official Opening Regatta on Saturday when a steady westerly breeze and bright sunshine created ideal racing conditions for the competitors. In the Piper Class, Fergus Campbell, Stuart Brown and Ali Gordon made their mark from the start to redeem themselves from their disappointment on Wednesday and opened up a lead which they extended as the race proceeded, relishing the fresh breeze which facilitated a three round course, expertly chosen by race officer Bill Aitchison, and Tom Piper won comfortably from Wednesday’s victor, Billie.

Talisker took a deserved third place in what was the final race in his Piper for owner Duncan Chalmers who, although nostalgic about his fifteen-year custodianship of his yacht, can now look forward perhaps to a more relaxed form of sailing in his cruising yacht. Meanwhile, Neil and Jamie, of Great Gonzo fame with their dinghy are taking over the reins of Talisker and their youth and enthusiasm will be much welcomed in the Piper family.

White Sail

The 3 usual suspects appeared on the start line on Wednesday evening (J30 Judicious, Sigma33 Panache, and the Sonata Moonlight). The first two crossed the line at the port end, while Moonlight started at he starboard end, gaining an upwind advantage, with the trio converging at Lazaretto and Judicious just ahead of Moonlight. As the steady breeze began to fade Judicious managed to squeeze round the Hafton mark with a 70 m advantage. The following two boats then struggled to make the mark, by which time Judicious was away, making the best of the available puff to stretch their advantage all the way home. While not ever stopping, Moonlight persevered at snail pace, finishing over half an hour later, and Panache motored home.

In the Opening Regatta just Judicious and Moonlight contested the event. Unaware of the mass start Moonlight saw the fleet set off from a distance, immediately giving Judicious an advantage of several minutes. Once again Moonlight watched the transom of their rival disappear into the distance, so only had the straggling boats from the other classes to measure themselves against. Judicious however had a tangle with a bunch of the Pipers at one mark, then at the last mark a shifty wind and unfortunate tacks left them struggling to get round for the home leg. Meanwhile Moonlight just sailed her own race, making up ground on other boats with a fast last lap. Crossing the line with a time deficit that gave an element of hope, once the time correction for the handicapping was applied, the win went to Moonlight by a couple of minutes.

Flying Fifteens

For both Wednesday’s and Saturday’s race only two boat competed.

On Wednesday Chris and Marion Bowen in More Mischieff led from start to finish, beating Tommy McGeachie who was sailing single handed in Efficacious.

On Saturday Tommy had Aladair Clements crewing for him. This was the first time that Alasdair had raced, and was given a baptism of fire flying the spinnaker. Chris and Marion took line honours.

Dinghies

Three dinghies competed on Wednesday night. It was great to see two new dinghies joining in the fleet. Welcome back to Neil Wilson in his contender, and new racing member Andrew Hooten in his Musto Skiff. Neil took the win from Andy, with Harris Munns and Fin Hurrel chasing close behind in their B14.

On Saturday there were only dinghies competing. Neil in his Contender, and Fin helming with Harris crewing, this time in an Albacore. Neil managed to secure a narrow victory by a few seconds.