Sponsored by Stewart Brewing, HD Sails and Coast to Coast Rigging
The final round of the Bluebell series was sailed at Forfar SC in very varied conditions.
Saturday
Wind WSW F4 to 5. Course: club marks: beat, reach to starboard, beat, reach to port, run
Race 1: A bias towards the pin prompted Gerry Goodfellow & Mike Lewis and Euan & Morven Dunn to attempt port end flyers. Charles Morrish & Alison coming down the line on starboard put a stop to that, however Gerry & Mike recovered to be first round the first windward mark with Charles & Alison disputing second place with Oli Boocock & Luke Hartshorn.
Meanwhile Paul Young & Emma Coleman along with Nicol Halcrow & Eilidh Morton had misread the course and gone the wrong way easing congestion at the first mark which was little more than a couple of boat lengths from the shore. Gerry & Mike were never headed while Charles & Alison lost the battle for second to Oli & Luke with Mhairi Ogilvie & Duncan Willoughby coming in fourth.
Race 2: The wind eased a little but the bias was still there. Charles & Alison timed their approach to the pin, pulling away on starboard before tacking onto port and crossing the fleet. The first mark had been dragged away from the shore, they rounded ahead of the rest, planed way down the reach and built a substantial lead. Behind them Luke & Oli took second with Gerry & Mike third and Paul & Emma fourth.
Race 3: The wind strength returned to race 1 levels. Again Charles & Alison got away to lead but by lap three age was beginning to tell! Oli & Luke came through to win while Gerry & Mike pulled through to second on the final beat with Peter Middlemiss & Beccy Oosterhoorn taking fourth.
In the evening Forfar SC provided its usual wonderful hospitality. The evening's ceilidh was complemented by a great variety of delicious home-made dishes along with a very cheap bar.
Special thanks to HD Sails for providing a voucher towards the purchase of a new sail. The winner of the voucher was decided by a draw, to be eligible competitors had to sail 5 of the 6 Bluebell events, 'grandad' Charles was the lucky winner!
Sunday
Race 4: Wind: South, calm/F1; course: club marks; running/reaching with only a short beat possible.
The heralded F4 gusting F5 had not yet arrived and in its place was a light and shifty southerly, particularly shifty as it attempted to blow over and through the trees that border the south side of the loch. Only a reaching start was possible and Gerry & Mike got their timing just right to pull away from the rest of the fleet.
Behind them there was much changing of places caused by the variable breeze along with patches of weed to trap the unwary. Charles & Alison were in second for much of the race but then on the long run on lap 2 Paul & Emma rode a helpful puff along the clubhouse shore to take second while Oli & Luke pulled through to third.
Race 5: Wind SE F1/2
The shift in the breeze meant a little more beating along the course but still with a reaching start. Race 5 was all about the start. In the last few seconds boats were running gently along the line, aiming to harden up onto starboard at the gun. An extra puff of breeze had them accelerating towards the shore putting paid to all their plans!
With nowhere to go the leading four all crossed early and had to return. A boat length behind them Charles was unsure while Alison thought they were good to go. They went and lead all the way to the finish to discover that it was one of those rare occasions when Alison was mistaken! As the starting mayhem had developed Oli & Luke made the wise decision to gybe out early and come in to the line again, timing it almost perfectly.
Gerry & Mike had been one of the returners and were never able to get clear of the pack so Oli & Luke won the race and in so doing they took the event overall; behind them Paul & Emma came in second with Morven & Euan third and Nicol & Eilidh fourth.
Congratulations to Oli & Luke on winning the event, their first open win away from home! Thank you to Forfar S C for their generous prizes for the first three overall.
Congratulations also to Mhairi Ogilvie for winning the Ladies Trophy and to Morven Dunn for taking the Junior Trophy.
Special thanks to sponsors Stewart Brewing and Coast to Coast Rigging for their end of season prizes distributed around the fleet.
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