Bell Lawrie Scottish Series - Inshore Day One

After the rain and light winds of the opening offshore race Loch Fyne returned to its best for the first Olympic and Windward-Leeward races today offering up a perfect 6-12 knots of breeze and sunshine to produce the kind of racing the Series is best remembered for.

Not that it was to be too straightforward; the first race saw the breeze clock through the best part of 180 degrees, turning some of the courses inside out.

After winning the overnight feeder race from Bangor Bob Stewart's new Dubois 40 Azure still holds the edge in Class 1 after posting a second and a third today, but the most consistent performer of the class today was Colm Barrington's Corby 38 Gloves Off.

Gloves won the first race as they pulled through Azure by making better use of the shifting breeze at the top end of the second beat and generally looking sharper than Azure which was only launched last weekend. The Corby design took line honours in the first race a boat length of the slippery looking navy blue and white Dubois boat which corrected out at a handsome four and a half minute margin.

Keith Lawrence's BH36 Playback took a well earned victory in the second, sailign steadily and making. The faster rated BH sistership Bateleur (Chris Bonar) was right up, hard on the heels of both Gloves and the class' scratch boat Azure on the first circuit of the second race but faded slightly on the final downwind leg when the breeze faded down their side of the track. Playback pulled up in the best of the breeze on the last leg to win by just 28 seconds from Gloves Off.

Joe English steered Ian Paterson's Buddy 11 to a handsome win in the first race of the 30 strong 1720 class, going left early and flicking over on the first big windshift to build a lead which they just extended as the chasing pack jousted with each other. Steve Goacher took the second race in Goacher Sails but a fifth in the second race ensures Buddy is the overnight leader.

IRC Class 3 is lead by Donald Sharp's X332 Tundra which sailed consistently to record a fourth and second. In the first start of the day their attempt to duck back across the start line with twenty seconds to go drew three boats over the line, and all had to return to re-start. Tundra came off lightly with a fourth but the Elan 362 of Richard MacKenzie, Silver Darling was forced to fight from the front of Class 4 and pulled back to sixth. Added to their win in the second race Silver Darling, which is steered by Hamish Mackay, is second in class.

Most dramatic moment of the day was when the Beneteau 40.7 Toucan wrapped a stray halyard round the rig of the Toledo and dragged her sideways for some distance

Overall Results after Day 2:

IRC Class 1: 1, Azure 6pts; 2, Gloves Off 6; 3, Playback 8.
IRC Class 2: 1, Bengal Magic 6; 2, Jacana 7; 3, Wing and a Prayer 8.
IRC Class 3: 1, Tundra 7; 2, Silver Darling 10; 3, Salamander XV 10.
IRC Class 4: 1, Material Gain 8; 2, Flash II 10; 3, Moonlighter 11.
Cork 1720 Class: 1, Buddy II 6; 2, Yachtsandyachting.com 8; 3, King Quick
10.
Sportsboat Class: 1, Eh! 5; 2, Lord of the Isles 6; 3, Activator 7.
Sigma 33 Class: 1, Rupert 11; 2, Pepsi 11; 3, Carmen 14.
Sonata Class: 1, Jammie Dodger 7; 2, Well Kooshtie 15; 3, Pied Piper 16.
CYCA Class 5: 1, Troy 9; 2, Cara of Kip 9; 3, Tyger 12.
CYCA Class 6: 1, Upstart 7; 2, Hot 'n' Tot 9; 3, Eureka 10.
CYCA Class 7: 1, Micheal 7; 2, Sundancer 8; 3, Sula 10.

More Information:

• Clyde Cruising Club