75th Anniversary Loch Long Week on the Clyde - Day 1

75th Anniversary Loch Long Week day 1 © Shona Shields

It is an historic week for classic Scottish one-design yacht, the Loch Long, and the bar has already been set high by three-time previous winner Pamina with Mark Bradshaw at the helm.

Celebrating 75 years since the first Loch Long was launched on the Clyde in 1937, the 25-strong fleet - the largest assembled for almost two decades - took to the race park at Cove Sailing Club this morning in the gloom of what we have come to know as summer.

This challenging fleet includes seven yachts which have made a 500-mile trek north from Aldeburgh Yacht Club in Suffolk, as well as another - Flimm owned by John Addy - which threw a ferry journey in for good measure when she headed south from Tobermory on Mull.

With a pedigree of victories in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 class championships, Pamina was always going to be a tough customer and immediately threw the gauntlet down in race one for a comfortable win in a steady, moderate easterly breeze.

Race two, however, proved to be a more slippery customer, with Duncan Farquhar and Sula leading in shifty conditions, while the wind flicked about through 45 degrees. Sula, which has won the championships six times in the last 25 years, was closely followed by Murray Caldwell at the helm of Sonara, with Pamina snapping at their heels in third.

But, it was all change at the leeward mark, when a windless hole opened up for both Sula and Sonara, giving Bradshaw and Pamina enough time to take avoiding action, the lead and, ultimately, a second bullet for his efforts.

The regatta continues until Friday.

Day One Results:

Race 1
1st Pamina (M Bradshaw)
2nd Sula (D Farquhar)
3rd Capricorn (A Harper)
4th Bora (E Robertson)
5th Moonshine (A Burden)

Race 2
1st Pamina
2nd Sula
3rd Sonara (M Caldwell)
4th Capricorn
5th Tarka (J McMurtrie)

Results after 2 Races:
1st Pamina, 2pts
2nd Sula, 4pts
3rd Capricorn, 7pts
4th Sonara, 10pts
5th Pied Piper (A Maconochie), 10pts