CCC Closing Muster

We joined the Clyde Cruising Club in the spring. CCC produces the cruising guides for Scotland and has events and log and photographic competitions. We didn’t know if it would be something that would work for us. None of the events earlier in the year fitted our availability but the Closing Muster looked possible. We registered earlier this week. The event consisted of a race from Rothesay to East Loch Tarbert and an invitation for any boats not wanting to race to converge on Tarbert for a reception and prize giving. The event started on Friday with a get together in a pub in Rothesay.

When we thought we might get into the Clyde on Wednesday the pub event looked possible, but a day later meant we would only be able to get to the Saturday reception.

Getting to Lochranza was perfect. If we didn’t go to the CCC event we were in the right place to head for home. If we did, we were only 10 miles from Tarbert.

Then we looked at the weather. There was a force 8 gale due Sunday afternoon when we would be on our way from Tarbert to Rosneath.

I was keen to meet the people from the CCC so we decided to go to Tarbert. If we got stuck there I could work from the Marina on Monday, or even for longer.

As we came out of Lochranza at 10am there seemed to be very little wind and all of it in the wrong direction. After trying to sail for about 5 minutes I put the engine on and headed straight for Tarbert. Alison had other ideas. She took over and got

Robinetta sailing nicely over to the Kintyre shore on a course that would allow us to beat up Loch Fyne.

Sometimes, one of us is just having a better day than the other.  In this case, I think the wind had picked up a bit and it was taking me a little longer to get going for the day than it was taking Alison. It’s great if when one person isn’t feeling on top of things that the other one can take the lead.

We did one long board over to the Kintyre coast and then another one towards the western end of the Kyles of Bute but the next tack went badly wrong. I was helming and discovered that after the tack we were going exactly back on our track. The wind had back to the west. We couldn’t work out if it happened just as we tacked, or if it had happened a little earlier and I hadn’t noticed.

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So I tacked again and found we could go due north. Before it had been north-east. This new tack got us out of Kilbrannan Sound and into Loch Fyne proper.

There was a race coming down Loch Fyne. They turned near the entrance to the western Kyle and came back across our path. We had to give a couple of yachts water and then we were following this fleet up the loch.

Soon we were joined by another race coming from the southern end of Bute - we thought “this must be the CCC race.”
 

Of course all these big modern yachts were faster and could point nearer the wind than Robinetta. We persevered and made several more tacks and got to within 3 miles of East Loch Tarbert before deciding that we would be late for the reception unless we motored.

When we arrived, the area allocated to the CCC had just one spot left Robinetta could fit in. A space on the long pontoon which would not have been big enough for many boats, but was just right for us. We tied Worm alongside and slid gently into the available space.

We just had time to tidy the boat and go to the Co-Op to get some drinks and snacks to bring to the reception.

We had a great time and made some really useful contacts.