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| Unkind winds at Forfar Loch |
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| Written by Graeme Knox | |
| Monday, 14 July 2008 | |
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Although the outcome was decided by previous results there were still four participants in the final race of the second Tuesday series on 8th July. The wind was unkind and in short supply puffing fitfully from the west.
However from the start it was clear that Brian Finnie (Europe) as the most experienced was to be leader and rounded the mark ahead of the two Lasers of Craig and Graeme Knox and Tony Walker in his recently acquired Solo practicing hard for the fast approaching class traveller event at the loch. Brian and Graeme remained close as they tried to eke out boat speed. Craig, getting hints from Graham Topping in the rescue boat nearly upset the status quo as he briefly overtook the other Laser on a downwind leg only to make a tactical error (under advice!!!) and lose out, while Tony, in a totally unfamiliar boat found himself in the unusual situation of looking at the sterns of the entire fleet. Brian took line honours ahead of Graeme, whom he hammered on handicap. For the leaders it was just in time as millpond conditions took over and with an excruciating finish for the other pair as Tony, by hook or by crook drifted past Craig at the end ages later. The series was won by Alison Geddes (Solo), with Malcolm Heron (Laser) second and Brian Finnie third. There was no racing on Thursday as this was the final Thursday Training evening of the year. Brian Finnie was on hand once more to put those who turned up through a hard regime in a more than usually fickle breeze. The open morning on Sunday 13th had two Wayfarers and a GP14 out with several new members sailing solo for the first time, while boat numbers were in double figures for the afternoon's racing. Whilst the weather was nice the wind was not and for the first race blew a light and shifty east southeasterly. The start, despite boat numbers on a short line, was amazingly incident free, the only casualty being Peter Tait who was over at the gun, but seven Lasers mixing with a Wayfarer, Mirror Miracle, Heron and GP14 in the confines of the loch meant basic port/starboard rules ruined many an initial game plan. It is said that you make your own luck. However, if this is the case, the club's most experienced Laser sailors made it by the bucket as Tony Cook, Malcolm Heron and Peter Tait (despite his poor start) battled long and hard ahead of their following brethren. Tony's water bottle was his undoing. This innocuous piece of plastic became the water-borne equivalent of a banana skin. It had come loose in the cockpit and he skidded on it and capsized metres from the finish line, righting to finish exactly beside Malcolm but both seconds behind Peter. However, the red hulled Heron, little seen and little noticed, came home in good time for Graham Topping to take first place on handicap ,ahead of the Laser trio. For race two Graham swapped his Heron for a Wayfarer and Tony Walker floated his Solo which, for some reason, quickly sank and he had to rush ashore for rapid sorting. Again the start was incident free but many had initial plans scuppered by sheer numbers. The wind strength increased, which could only assist the Laser fleet and this time they were all involved in close racing. Despite the same course as the first race and on about the seventh lap Malcolm Heron and Alan Cairns had a brainstorm and went off course to round a superfluous mark, while Tony Cook was in the unusual situation of being mid fleet for most of the race. Graham Topping was unable to make the Wayfarer fly and his final position slipped to mid fleet, Tony Cook made his luck and sneaked past Peter Tait by 14 seconds at the finish to take first while Graeme Knox, emulating Peter in the first race came from the back to third place 30 seconds later still. It was interesting to note that the Lasers all finished within a 3 minute window and on corrected time there was not a lot between the whole fleet. |
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