One of those days

 The Fife Regatta Rothesay Race was due to start at 10:30 at Largs.

Our plan was to meet a friend at Kip and sail up to Cloch Point to meet other local OGA members sailing down from the Gareloch and then head to Toward Point and meet another friend sailing from the Kyles.

But the sea state was much worse than we had hoped. A deep Atlantic low was making its way from Ireland to Wales bringing strong southerly winds.

We motored north, planning to raise sail when we turned round.

Moyra and Lavinia Rose were heading past Kilcreggan to meet us.

We saw them in the distance and decided to go head to wind to raise sail. It was getting very bouncy.

We got the main up with a reef and turned the engine off. We were able to head south but slowly.

We hoped the race would use the long course which would bring it towards us. This was likely as the short course would be a single beam reach.

The wind built and the waves got bigger too. It was really too much for little Robinetta.

Shane messaged us not to wait for him and then that they were turning back.

Michelle, our guest for the day, was unflappable. But we decided that it would be safer to head home.

This would be a dead run in big seas. We haven't yet set Robinetta to be able to set a preventer when reefed. So we dropped the main and motored.

© Michael Deveney

Once past the path of the Western Ferries, the sea state calmed down. We put the main back up with lots more reef in and sailed.

We managed to sail almost to the sugar boat. It was a really nice sail and we caught up Moyra who had also turned back.

The wind was building again, but without the fetch of the Firth. We hit 6 knots and it was getting too much, so we dropped the main for the last time and motored back to the mooring, passing Moyra as she turned towards her own mooring in Castle Bay.

© John Aston

Back on our mooring we had lunch and rowed ashore.

Sometimes it's best to go where the wind wants to take you.