Very light winds (F2 and dropping) from the SW meant that much of the south side of the Loch was in shadow. The course was C(port), D(port), K (starboard). The Feva set off first with a good few minutes start on the faster boats. This week the wind stayed steady during this time and they made good progress towards the gap before the chase was on. The Feva was first to mark D but, as the wind almost died, touched the mark as they floated slowly past. The Solution and Solo caught the Feva on the way to the channel but the Laser with no wind got stuck at D and had 3 attempts before finally rounding the mark.
The Solution kept the lead down to K, whilst the Feva bravely tried to find some wind to fill the gennaker. The Laser got going again but even with a 360 penalty, the Feva stayed well ahead. The Solution maintained the lead back up to C, with the Solo gradually dropping back. As the final time approached the wind dropped to barely a breath, leaving the Laser no opportunity to catch the Feva.
As the final whistle blew the finishing order was Dennis (Solution), Erwin (Solo), Jamie & Helen (Feva), Becci (Laser Radial). However, the slower boats were ashore and de-rigged before the other two managed to drift their way back from a second trip to mark D!!
On Sunday 6th September we arrived to find a flat calm loch and no sign of any wind so in lieu of sailing a work party set to rediscovering the university boats amongst the weeds and reeds! Tony W, Bill, Erwin, Mark K and Conor got stuck in with the big mower (our strimmer refused to keep going for more than a few seconds) and a set of shears. Boats were moved, water emptied and lost buoys found. The end result was worth all the effort and hopefully, the university will be able to start sailing again soon. Meanwhile Drew and Lyle Webster were showing us all how to use a SUP and Eoghan took a kayak for a spin around the loch. Thank you to everyone for their efforts getting everything done.
Tuesday evening saw a bit more wind – enough for a few of us to launch and have a spirited pursuit race. The course was a tricky upwind to E then over to D followed by a good downwind to C before heading through the gap and down to K. Helen and Jamie started first in the Feva followed by Becci and Conor in Laser radials then Tony W and Erwin in theri Solo’s. Bill was the last to start in his Streaker. The first leg had some very fickle wind but Jamie and Helen kept their lead flying downwind from D with the spinnaker up. Unfortunately Jamie was enjoying the turn of speed a bit too much and forgot that C was part of the course. His return to that mark allowed the rest of us to catch up with them. Conor did look to be overtaking Jamie but got stuck on the island and they battled it out for the rest of the race. Over the 40 minutes we managed 2 full laps of the course and Becci and Tony were fighting it out for first place on the way back up to E for the third time when the race finished. Tony held the lead and Becci having a last minute capsize ensured his victory. The final results were Tony, Becci, Erwin, Bill, Jamie & Helen then Conor.
This Sunday (13th) couldn’t have been any more different than the previous week with winds of 20+ mph and gusts heading towards 40! A few (well Bill and Becci) decided it was just too much for us but the cadets were keen to try their luck. Drew, Eoghan and Jamie rigged Toppers and, after changing his sail, Lyle headed out in his Oppi. Helen and Erwin decided the kids couldn’t have all the fun so they also rigged Toppers and joined in. We thought about having a race but decided this would be pushing our luck and settled on just enjoying the blast. They all had a brilliant afternoon despite several capsizes and rigging failures. It was lovely to see how confident and capable the cadets all are. Helen and Erwin definitely held their own though! Thank you to Mark W for manning the rescue boat making sailing in these conditions possible. This was Eoghan’s last session at Forfar before heading off to start University in Strathclyde so it was good for him to get such a good sail to remember us by.
