Four Club boats were joined by Six visitors from as far afield as Lancashire and Shetland for the event, which was a part of the 2022 Closing Regatta with K1, Hawk 20 and Keelboat handicap fleets.

Saturdays forecast of fresh North Westerlies allowed the Race Officer to take advantage of the whole bay in front of the Club to set a sizeable course, with the promise of 3 exciting races.
Race 1 had to be shortened after just a Sausage and Triangle due to a sizeable wind shift and dragging windward mark.                             

The Race team attempted to get race 2 started but were forced to abandon the sequence 15 seconds before the start due to the persistent shifts, causing a lengthy delay as the RO and Mark teams struggled to reposition a true course, oh the joy of laying marks in 20 Fathoms!

For race 2 the wind stayed steady, allowing 3 full laps during which the positions changed throughout the fleet as contestants found good pressure areas to extract maximum speeds.

Steady wind direction allowed a rapid turn round for race 3 during which the wind built from a steady force 4 to a very gusty force 6,  providing exciting conditions for the extended 4 lap race. Windward slogs were followed by exhilarating runs and reaches. Positions again changed frequently dependant on who could stay at maximum speed the longest.

Competitors retired to shore to enjoy a well-earned refreshment, followed by an excellent meal and social evening in the Clubhouse.

Sunday morning saw the same wind direction, but down a notch or so, offering different challenges to the competitors.

Race 4 ran the planned 3 laps, again with plenty of positional changes as Competitors searched for the optimum routes around the course. A close finish of both the 15’s and K1’s allowed a quick turn round.
Race 5 again over 3 laps, came with an increasing wind and more high speed activity and positional changes.                          

Competitors were back on shore before 14.00 for soup and sandwiches before derigging and the prize ceremony.

At the prize giving the RO Paddy Adler thanked all competitors for their patience after race 1 and more so, for the spirit in which all the racing was carried out, especially for the keenly contested starts without any recalls !

Results
First,  3297 John Thornley and Christian Barns from Ullswater.
Second,  2803 Glen Fullarton and Craig McKracken from the Clyde.
Third, 3398 Kenny and Ross Leask from Shetland.

John responded for the Competitors and congratulated both the Race and the Shore teams for their input to a great weekend.

A review of the results showed 3 crews gaining Bullets, 10 points covering the top 4 places and 8 different boats achieved a top 5 finish.                   

The event showed that the Loch is a great place to sail a 15, and once again 15’s demonstrated that despite their differing ages, they provide exciting, competitive racing and look after their crews even when things do not go as expected!

All the competitors looked forward to returning for the 2023 event on the 7/8 October at our rather unique location. This will be a part of the closing Regatta of the 150^th anniversary season of LLSC. As the oldest visiting Fleet to our Club Open event, starting in the early 60’s,  we look forward to welcoming as many visiting 15s as possible next year.   

BOOK THE DATE !
Steve Lee FF3685          
LLSC Fleet Captain