While the French team headed ashore, enjoying the strong sunshine which is bathing the picture postcard Kintyre village this evening, they could reflect on another two victories in the 14 boat IRC Class 1 which extend their overall lead to four points, but knowing their performance was not entirely faultless.
A slight breakdown in communication between owner-helm Trentesaux and tactician Christophe Clevenot lead to them fouling a smaller, slower Class 4 back-marker mid-way up the first leg of the day‚s first race.
Lady Courrier made their required two turns penalty but they lost at least 45 seconds as they paid for their aberration.
They fought back quickly and were able to win Race 3 of the series, which was contested in 13-18 knots of SE‚ly breeze, by just less than a minute from Marinerscove.ie, the Crosshaven, Cork based Mills 39 of David Dwyer.
Lady Courrier was back at full bore on the second race and added their fourth win from four starts by 1 minute and 32 seconds from Marinerscove.ie.
With Andy Beadsworth calling tactics, North Sails‚ Simon Fry trimming and Guy Barron running the pit, Marinerscove.ie, the Irish IRC champions, have strung together four consecutive second places, while the Clyde based Beneteau First 47.7 Playing FTSE skippered by three times Scottish Series champion Jonathan Anderson now lies third overall after a third and fourth today
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After two wins on Friday, the Class 2 favourite Rosie, the Howth based Corby 36, made a costly mistake at the windward mark on the second race today when they dropped their gennaker in the water as they hoisted round the spreader mark on the first round. Sailing over the stricken sail it cost them at least two minutes.
After winning the first race today, beating John Corson and the Clyde crew on the Corby 33 Salamander XX, by 33 seconds, the Rosie crew‚s error was compounded when the breeze died and split.
With close to 20 knots on the first beat of the second race, it was typically Loch Fyne when it went softer and the south westerly tried to make its presence felt.
Double Scottish Series Trophy winner Hamish Mackay and the crew of Exaltation, David Macfarland‚s Carrickfergus based X35, read the changes best and scored their first win of the regatta, narrowly beating Nigel Biggs and crew on the J109 Sail4cancer. Rosie still lead the 22 boat class comfortably with three firsts and a sixth scored to date.
In IRC Class 3 it was the regatta organising Clyde Cruising Club‚s commodore Howard Morrison who triumphed in the first race. The 1991 Scottish Series Trophy winner steered his Sigma 38 Enigma to win, while in the second it was the Forth crew on the J92S niJinsky steered by Andy Marshall who prevailed. Overall the Class 3 leader remains unchanged as Carmen II, the Beneteau 36.7 of Paul Scutt and Alan Jeffrey.
Bell Lawrie Scottish Series, Tarbert Loch Fyne, Scotland. Day 2: Standings after four races: IRC Class 1: 1 Lady Courrier (G Trentesaux, France) 4pts, 2 Marinerscove.ie (D Dwyer, Ireland) 3 Playing FTSE (J Anderson, Clyde) 15pts. IRC Class 2: 1 Rosie (R Dickson, Ireland) 9pts, 2 Premier Flair (J Macgregor, England) 14pts, 3 Salamander XX (J Corson, Clyde) 18pts, IRC Class 3: 1 Carmen II (Scutt/Jeffery, Clyde) 12pts, 2 Mumbo.ie (D Cronin, Ireland) 12pts, 3 Bengal Magic (Moorhead/Ferres, N Ireland) 13pts, IRC Class 4: 1 Antix (J Allen, England) 8pts, 2 Shadowfax (B Fortieth, West Highlands) 11pts, 3 Molissa (P Atkinson, Wales), CYCA Class 6, after 3 races: 1 Respite (C Mclachlan, Clyde) 6pts, 2 Micky Finn IV (M Forbes, Clyde) 6pts, 3 AeRo (G Bowerman, Forth) 10pts, CYCA Class 7: 1 Misjif (Angus/Tear, Clyde) 4pts, 2 Valhalla of Ashton (A Dunnet, Clyde) 8pts, 3 Shoki (J McDougal, Forth) 11pts, CYCA Class 8: 1 Blue Ark (I Hards, Forth) 10pts, 2 Obsession (E Sim, Clyde) 10pts, 3 Stevie B (K Andrew, Clyde) 11pts, Class 9: 1 Scanne (G Aikman, Clyde) 4pts, 2 Lorca J (A Mill, Clyde) 10pts, 3 Loonautics (Cameron/McKechnie, Clyde) 14pt, Class 10: 1 Mellow Moment (A Rodger, Clyde) 4pts, 2 Mallie (K McLelland, Clyde), After 6 races,Sigma 33: 1 Sigmatic (D Mclarean, Clyde) 7pts, 2 Rascal (F Crawford, Clyde) 13pts, 3 Sea Pie of Cultra (J Colman, Isle of Man) 15pts, Sonata Class: 1 Pied Piper (A Harper, Clyde) 7pts, 2 So (McLure/Stewart, Forth) 9pts, 3 Blue Tack (D Boatman, England) 14pts, Sportboat 1: 1 Tabula Rasa (C M Frize, Clyde) 6pts, 2 Buddy Ell (C Frize, Clyde) 6pts, 3 YKNot (Wilson/Ellis, Isle of Man) 15pts, Sportboat 2: 1 Haggis (E Mackay, Clyde) 5pts, 2 ASBOat (G Whyte, Clyde) 10pts, 3 Prelude (Manuel/Burke, Clyde) 15pts.
