Gill & JFMarine Loch Long Championships at Cove Sailing Club

With five, 21 foot day racing Loch Long keel boats, travelling north from Aldeburgh, to join a further 16 from their home waters on the Clyde, everything looked set for a good week’s racing.

Sunday dawned to a gentle 15 knots of breeze from the south west, overcast, but not raining. The heavyweight visiting combination of Robinsons dreamed that all was well as they reeled in last year’s champions, the Campbell brothers, on the first of three, three mile beats. On the run back Alan Devenny, the Association Commodore, took second place and that was how the first race finished. Iceni and Sula were in fourth and fifth. Sadly for Rod Fletcher in Vela the 500 mile journey was frustrating, as their main halyard broke before the first race. It was however fixed for the second day.

The second race ended up much the same way, this time Robinson gave two places away on the finishing line, Mark Bradshaw just squeezing into third place. The McMurtrie family taking the final gun.

A lack of breeze delayed the start of the second day and was to be a recurring theme throughout the day. The race officer eventually got the race going with a short windward leeward course towards the Dunoon shore. Second placed Alan Devenny made a great start at the pin end of the line while championship leaders, the Campbell brothers, ended up buried deep in the pack. Previous Cove Commodore, Andy Maconochie, wasn't impressed with the barging antics of Slioch, but all boats managed to cross the line cleanly. The left hand side of the course seemed to pay best during the short beat to the weather mark and it wasn't long before previous Loch Long Champion, Duncan Farquhar in Sula, had opened up an impressive lead. With the wind dropping the course was shortened to two rounds. Cove boats took all three guns, with Sula first, Mark Bradshaw in Sonara second and Murdo MacDonald taking Igitur across for third, Electra in fourth and Iceni in fifth. With the wind continuing to drop the tail-enders in the fleet struggled to make the finish. Visiting boat Rebel received a rapturous cheer when she crossed the line over 15 minutes behind the previous finisher. After waiting an hour to see if more breeze would fill in, the race officer eventually decided enough was enough and at 3pm postponed any further racing.

Day three and they towed us out... then they towed us back again and in between we spent the day sunbathing, swimming and drinking warm lager. We did almost get a race but with 5 hours of pent up emotion we were all a bit eager and succeeded in achieving a general recall. By the time the race committee could restart the race the wind had died again and all that could be done was to give us three guns, thus putting off any further Championship racing until Thursday.

Wednesday and team racing was on the cards, Royal Gourrock YC did not enter a team this year so it was down to Cove Sailing Club and Aldeburgh Yacht Club. A rest day for most of the sailors today except the six luck crews picked to compete in the Lawson trophy. With no wind at the programmed start time the teams were all hoping that today wasn't going to be a repeat of yesterday. Fortunately, Murdo MacDonald had been up early and noted that unlike yesterday there was no East wind, signifying that the classic West of Scotland on-shore-breeze would be in before midday and we would have a nice force 2-3 for the racing. Nobody believed him, but we waited anyway. Then, as predicted, at 11.45 the wind picked up and we set off in a nice force 2-3 for the first of the three races. Cove took the first race before Aldeburgh regrouped to take the second. A short break for Steak Pie and liquid refreshments and we were all back on the water for the showdown. Some nasty team tactics on the first round by Aldeburgh were avenged on the second by Cove with only one slight collision between visiting Tantrum and Cove boat, Electra. It was Cove that lifted the trophy, but with 31 points to Aldeburgh against 32 this was no push over.

Another breathless morning put a stop to the idea of a 10am start for today's racing. Fortunately, when the breeze did fill in about an hour later, it remained constant for the rest of the day allowing the race committee to give us four reasonable races.

A biased line in race 3 of the day caused a few problems for the starters with a couple of general recalls. But, when the race officer hoisted flag India during the 3rd start the racers calmed down and manage to get away cleanly. Ian Harris in Iceni showed well today with two seconds Evans in Tantrum returned to his ways of last year and got the last gun in race 4. The big story of the day was Eric Robertson in Bora taking second place in race seven. Patti and Shalom hovered around the middle of the fleet all week Forbes Ferguson joined Ann Bray in Manda for his thirty third consecutive Loch Long week.

It was a mixed bag for most of the competitors today, although series leader, Alan DeVenny, managed to hold his nerve with two wins and a second; he is discarding a 4th from the first race. Defending champions, the Campbell brothers, have it all to do on Friday. They trail Electra by only 9 points, so if the scheduled 3 races take place they could still retain their title. You have to look down to 8th place for the first Aldeburgh boat, where Jimmy Robinson is sitting on 34 points. A couple of good results on the last day could easily see him into the top 5. With light winds and rain forecast for the Friday, it looked like being a damp end to what has been a gloriously sunny week.

Light winds meant another delay and it rained. Eventually we got away for the first of three races, very shifty and turning very light. Bradshaw wins his second race, the Campbells second and Alan Harper got it right and got his first gun this week in third. Devenny fourth and Boomerang, back from retirement 4 years ago, came home fifth. The Hardie family in Celeano 2 had to leave early to get back to the other side of the country.

The race officer, Marion Harris, agonised as any wind we had died away and we sat for one and a half hours before she fired three guns and that was Loch Long week over.Alan DeVenny wins the 2006 Loch Long World Championship in his recently refurbished boat, Electra. The now official results put Royal Gourock's Aurora in 2nd place with Coves Mark Bradshaw, in Sonara, in 3rd. On equal points with Sonara is Duncan Farquhar in Sula, but count-back puts him into 4th place. The first Aldeburgh boat was Robinson in Pippin back in eigth.Many thanks to everyone that took part, either on the water or helping ashore, your efforts ensure the event continues to be the great success that it is. A big thank you goes to all of our sponsors and in particular our two main sponsors Douglas Gill, and J. F. Marine.

Overall Results:

1. Electra, Alan Devenny
2. Aurora, Douggie Campbell
3. Sonara, Mark Bradshaw
4. Sula, Duncan Farquhar
5. Iceni, Ian Harris