Campbell's Trophy

It didn't look promising, the morning of 11th August. Windless, and looking like that for the day. An urgent appeal to SEPA's representative on earth, Paul Copestake, elicited a gloomy response so it was left to the Rev Alastair to say an impromptu prayer and lo, the wind began to blow; not a lot, because the Almighty was aware of the many transgressions made by the wickeder members of the LBSC, but enough to get the boats moving.

At the start - thanks Chris, Neil and Diane in the RIB - it was Paul and Tim on Thembi who made the best of it, closer in to the pier to stretch away with Hope, Martin Shairp's fine old Standfast on her transom. A split of tacks, Thembi going inshore out of the tide, and Hope further out in better breeze, and the latter was away, never to be challenged seriously again, to post a comfortable lead at the pontoon on Isle Martin, followed by Kumairi, then Thembi and Twister and Alastair's new Westerly with the former owner, a retired doctor from Lochcarron,  aboard. Rumour has it that a spinnaker was flown, as was an assymetric on Hope round the back side of the island.

Miraculously Mairi Bhan, having caught a private breeze, was awaiting the fleet at the finish, the lure of cake no doubt spurring them to feats of sailing that were the envy of the fleet.

The Rev Macdonald, after summoning up a breeze,  decides that walking on water is perhaps a step too far...

After the finish it was all aboard Hope's spacious cockpit, followed by a barbecue on the pontoon to keep the midges - which have been lying low for much of the summer - at bay.

All but Hope, Thembi and Mairi Bhan left for home. And that night, and next morning all awoke with hangovers to a gale from the east, and a hard beat back to Ullapool.

And the winner? We live in Hope... but it's all in the lap of the Osbornes, (as usual).