75th Anniversary Loch Long Week on the Clyde - Days 3 and 4
by Fiona Holland 6 Jul 2012 07:09 BST
2-6 July 2012
75th Anniversary Loch Long Week day 3 © Shona Shields
With a single day's racing remaining of the 75th anniversary Loch Long Week, it would be tricky to see how Mark Bradshaw and Pamina could fail to take the overall title.
On paper, it is apparently possible, but on performance to date, it would seem unlikely that anyone else is going to sneak in there and swipe it out from under their nose.
It has not been the most straightforward regatta conditions-wise. Racing on day two of the Cove Sailing Club hosted competition was abandoned and just a single race was run on Wednesday, though the committee made up for some of the shortfall today with four races.
Bradshaw, however, with his two bullets on Monday tucked safely onto the scoresheet, has, amongst others, added another three firsts to that tally today.
Again, as has been its wont this week, the Clyde dished up light and frequently fickle airs, but the trick was to spot the shifts and do your best to make sure you were on the right side of them - and few would disagree that there was some element of luck thrown in for good measure.
Consistently chasing Pamina, has been Duncan Farquhar and crew aboard Sula, and, although they have played a good game, which has paid off in terms of putting them in second overall after one discard, they are some distance adrift of Bradshaw.
A further gaggle of yachts from the host club have displayed good form, most notably Alan Harper with Capricorn and Murray Caldwell aboard Sonara, which are both snapping at the heels of Farquhar in third and fourth respectively. Some hot competition to determine places two to five can be expected.
Of the nine visiting boats, it is Jonathon Evans in Tantrum, the newest of the Loch Longs in the fleet built in 2003, from Aldeburgh who has managed to make the most of it all in overall ninth going into tomorrow's final decider.
Race 3 Results:
1 Pied Piper (E Maconochie/A Macleod)
2 Igitur (T Robinson)
3 Sonara (M Caldwell)
4 Pamina (M Bradshaw)
5 Electra (A DeVenny)
Race 4 Results:
1 Pamina
2. Capricorn (A Harper)
3 Tantrum (J Evans)
4 Moonshine (A Burden)
5 Sula (D Farquhar)
Race 5 Results:
1 Moonshine
2 Pippin (J Robinson)
3 Sula
4 Pied Piper
5 Slioch (E&J McNeilage - helmed by 14-yr-old Murdo McNeilage)
Race 6
1 Pamina
2 Capricorn
3 Sula
4 Bora (E Robertson)
5 Sonara
Race 7
1 Pamina
2 Sonara
3 Hussar (B Johnson)
4 Carousel (D Trower)
5 Bora
Results after Day 4: (seven races, 1 discard)
1 Pamina 9pts
2 Sula 21pts
3 Capricorn 24pts
4 Sonara 26pts
5 Pied Piper 36pts
Highest visiting boat, 9 Tanturm (Aldeburgh) 56pts