Fife Regatta

[Robert Wilson]

Well, safely home after a great adventure, and a thrilling experience. 555 nm from Loch Ewe as far down as Sanda Island (had spare time, so mooched around for four days) - and back. Two days with 70nm runsSome great sailing (all s/h) and a few motoring days. Weather was iffy at times, great "SW F5-7 rounding" Adnamurchan Point on the way home. Khamsin got horribly scratched in the Crinan Canal, even with asisted passage (good system).
The Fife boats were spectacular, large and small- particularly Saskia and Solway Maid. Saturday saw too little wind and gloomy skies, Sunday very wet and windy, but the "fleet" enjoyed it. Monday, sunshine and a v good wind, was "cruise-day" from Rothsey to Tighnabruaich via the narrows at The Burnt Isles where four Fifes and Khamsin went through together - and I mean together Moored with the fleet
Tuesday forecast terrible - and it was correct, so I left the fleet and went "north". Had a pod of acrobatic dolphins with me for ten minutes off Longa Island (Gairloch) - what a thrill.

I hope all you others who followed the fleet/racing enjoyed it as much as I did. And thank you to all who offered advice and assistance.

Sadly photos were rubbish due to the weather. And I can THOROUGHLY recommend the Cumbrae Watersports Centre - great people, great facilities and just across the water from Largs YH.
See y'all in five

 

[Philiz]

I was there for a long weekend stay on a mates gaffer, also called Saskia. Weather could've been kinder but thoroughly enjoyable and stunning yachts.

 

[OGITD]

Sorry I missed you all

Tried & almost failed!
I had to take SWMBO to the airport on the Sunday, so sailing Friday or early Saturday to be amongst the start & the Saturday race was out of the question. Contractors appeared on the Monday closing off the road at the front of the house which was a contributing factor to our departure time which eventually became 17:00. Not a very pleasant passage to the CWSC and I didn’t want to chance arriving at Kames in the early hours, in the dark and looking for an anchorage. As we know Tuesday was horrendous weather so we were ‘stormbound’ at the CWSC. Wednesday our (Doc & myself) choice was to sail up Loch Fyne to join the Fifers at Portavadie .... but the wind was on the nose so motor it was. The layout at Portavadie had changed and all the small-ish pontoons on the left had been removed and many (almost all) of the pontoons marked with reserved notices. Went ashore (along the pontoons) to see the boats & joined the Germans (best group for hospitality) drinking German Beer with sausage & pretzels. Thursday the forecast was (as usual) totally wrong .... with the ‘gust-o-meter’ showing 40 on the odd squall and the ‘hang-on-o-gauge’ also displaying 40 - 40 ..... I was so glad to get into the Kyles. Almost catching up with something big (almost everything’s bigger than me) but I was motor-sailing. Found the East Kyle quite squally (nothing unusual there) & we had SOG 7.2 with 6.8 through the water just under Genny! Rothesay overnight to be out at the ‘mark’ for a great photo opportunity, but everything conspired against us & we missed everyone, so we found ourselves back at the CWSC. Saturday Forenoon-ish the weather was totally wrong for Troon so! ...... yet again we found ourselves back at Rothesay for a Club muster, Esplanade for a meal then on to the Galatea & The Golfer, then back down the boat for ‘french-connections’ & ‘rusty-nails’, returning to Troon on the Sunday.

 

[OGITD]

And not a 'Classic Yacht' in sight ..... we were too busy drinking Beer with the Germans at Portavadie: