Loch Lomond Keel Boat Weekend
By Secretary. Filed in Race reports |
Westerly force 7 to severe gale force 9 for Saturday 3rd the chap from the Met Office said and, by golly, that is exactly what we got. Spectacular white horses and glorious spindrift, with the keelboats straining at their moorings, made RO Alistair Colvin’s “no racing today” a straightforward decision. The early call off allowed the troops to find their own entertainment before returning to the clubhouse for the evening social.
The programme was quickly amended to allow up to four races on the Sunday.
Typically, Sunday dawned with the loch and mountains in glorious technicolour but, alas, no wind. Undeterred, 24 fifteens took to the water and, as promised again by the weatherman, a force 2/3 Westerly arrived in time for a 10.45 start. Although fitful at times, the breeze persisted through the morning and excellent race management allowed four good back-to-back races.
Race 1 saw Terry Crumpton and John Mathie establish an early lead which they comfortably maintained to the finish. Nigel and Gavin Tullet finished second with John Hardisty and Roger Errington third.
In the second race Craig and Iain Hepplewhite lead until the final beat where the Tullets squeezed past to take first with the Hepplewhites second and John Hardisty third.
A win for Simon Robinson and David Vasey in Race three, with John Hardisty second and James and Eric Gerrard third, meant the fourth race would be crucial. The Tullets, Hepplewhites, John Hardisty and Simon Robinson were all potential overall winners.
With the wind dropping, the last beat of a closely fought final race developed into a tremendous tussle with John Hardisty just edging out the Hepplewhites on the finishing line with Simon Robinson a further nanosecond behind in third.
Overall, a good day’s racing and an excellent weekend for John Hardisty whose first overall was supplemented by a bottle of Loch Lomond malt as reward for his 25 year perfect attendance at the event.
First place in the classic fleet went to Bobby Salmond and Robert Till in their beautifully restored No 627, Vamoose.