Loch Ard Sailing Club - News Archive

(latest items appear first)

2024 Trophy Winners, 4th November 2024

Trophy winners for the 2024 sailing season include the following:

Altskeith Cup: Will Barrett
Autumn Points: Paul Farish
Drennan Trophy: Robert Signer
Founders Shield: Paul Farish
Gartmore Cup: Paul Farish
Marathon Cup: Paul Farish
President's Plate: Will Barrett
Round The Island: Dick Arnold
Spring Points: Will Barrett
Trossachs cup: Nigel Orr
Uffa Quaich: Paul Farish

Drennan Trophy, 13th October 2024

As the last race of the season, the Drennan Trophy was sailed on 13th October. Due to light winds, some competitors had difficulty reaching even the first mark. However Robert and Sue Signer (Flying Fifteen) managed to come in first, closely followed by Paul Farish (Flying Fifteen Classic).

Drennan Winner

The club is now closed for the winter.

Autumn Series Race, 29th September 2024

The Autumn Series races continued on 29th September. Although the day started sunny and calm, a pleasant breeze built up and allowed an interesting race. Some photos of the day are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Tranquil Loch	Race in Progress

Fun Sailing Day, 21st September 2024

A number of dinghies got out on the water for the Fun Sailing Day. A moderate and at times gusting wind made for interesting sailing for the experienced sailors, and also the young solo helms improving their skills. Impromptu racing added to the enjoyment. There were short 'taster' sessions in one of the club's larger training dinghies, with smiles all round from the participants.

Some photos of the day are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Fun Sailing	Taster Sail

Couligartan Bay Cruise, 14th August 2024

There was a great turnout at the club for a cruise to Couligartan Bay. A fleet of ten dinghies, two canoes and a kayak set off in glorious summer sunshine to try to get to the picnic spot on the south shore of Couligartan Bay. Due to very light (and for a lot of the time non-existent) winds, only five of the dinghies managed to cross the bar into the bay. However, a very nice light Easterly wind back out on the main loch allowed some superb sailing. The club was very busy with family groups, as well as a visit from some of the club's longest serving social members.

Some photos of the cruise are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)

Entrance to Couligartan Bay

Cruising on Couligartan Bay

Club Regatta, 4th August 2024

Club members took to the water for the annual regatta despite light and variable winds and somewhat cloudy weather. Three races were sailed during the course of the afternoon. The top placings were 1st Will Barrett (Flying 15 Classic), 2nd Paul Farish (Flying 15 Classic), 3rd Mitch Roger (Kestrel) and 4th Jim Bedwell (Topper).

The winning boat is shown below. (Click to see a larger version of the photograph.)

Regatta Winner

Fun Day, 22nd June 2024

The Fun Day was a big success with around 20 children (plus parents) taking part. A large variety of activities kept everyone occupied, both onshore and on the water. The Almost Credible String Band played in the club house to an appreciative audience.

Some photos of the event are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Water Balloon Volleyball	Fun Day on The Water

Spring Race Results, 9th June 2024

The Spring Series, sailed over 12 races, has now been completed with a good number of entrants. The overall winners were Robert and Sue Signer (Flying Fifteen), with Paul Farish (Flying Fifteen) coming in second and Will Barrett (Flying Fifteen) coming in third.

The Winners

Opening Day Race, 21st April 2024

There was a good turnout for the opening race of the season (the President's Plate). With a mix of sunshine and light winds, the results were fairly close. The main placings were: 1st Will Barrett (Flying Fiteen), 2nd Paul Farish (Flying Fifteen), and 3rd David Kohn (Laser).

Club Readied for Sailing, 23rd March 2024

The club was readied for sailing on 23rd March, including getting the site neat and deploying the racing marks. One young member also took the opportunity for a first sail. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Deploying Marks	A First Sail

Loch Ard on YouTube, 31st December 2023

A time-lapse video of the Loch in 2023 is now available on YouTube. This combines photographs taken by the Loch Ard web camera at 12.00 each day.

Web Cam Photographs, 31st December 2023

Some of the nicer photos taken by the webcam in 2023 are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Noon 01/01/23	Sunrise 19/01/23

Sunset 24/02/23	Mid-Afternoon 07/03/23

2023 Racing Results, 16th October 2023

Racing results for the whole season have now been announced. Detailed results are available to members, while a summary is available online.

Club Closed for Winter, 7th October 2023

The club is now closed for the winter, restarting in Spring 2024.

Racing, 27th August 2023

Racing continues at the club, most recently for the Admirals and Founders series. Robert and Sue Signer took first place in both races on 27th August. Some photos of the races are as follows. (Click to see a larger version of the photographs.)


Flying Fifteen Racing 27/08/23	Solo Racing 27/08/23

Our Ukrainian friends continue to develop their sailing skills in Flying Fifteens and enjoyed the afternoon's racing.

Sailing Training, 18th June 2023

The club held a sailing training day on 18th June, with a combination of sunny weather and a good breeze. The club was pleased to welcome two Ukrainian youngsters who wished to learn sailing. We look forward to seeing them come back and develop their skills further.


Sailing Training 23/06/23	Sailing Training 23/06/23

Drascombe Sailing, 20th-21st May 2023

The club was pleased to welcome members of the Drascombe Association with visitors from St Mary's loch, Edinburgh and Conway north Wales.

Eight boats arrived on Friday evening so they were ready to make the most of the weekend’s activities. On Saturday our visitors enjoyed a treasure hunt down the loch, even though much was done by rowing due to a lack of wind. The evening meal was followed by an impromptu jam session in the clubhouse session, with recorder, guitar, violin and two small accordions.

Sunday brought a nice easterly breeze that gave all our visitors a chance to enjoy the delights of the loch. Everyone thought we lived up to our motto as ‘the friendly club’. It was great to see so many of these unusual boats and their characterful crews.