As the nerves start to creep into the equation on the penultimate day’s races, and – for some – perhaps even the after effects of the traditional Sunday evening crew dinners, today proved a critical stage in the The Bell Lawrie Scottish Series regatta on Loch Fyne as several leading campaigns foundered as they pursue not only overall class wins, but the Scottish Series Trophy itself.

IRC Class 1, the big boat division, remains tight at the top but the front runners on points are now Keith Miller’s new Swan 45 Crackerjack and Roy Dickson’s Corby 40 Cracklin Rosie. Crackerjack lead both races and was often able to largely dictate their own plays as the scratch boat in the division, but Cracklin Rosie made two time consuming transgressions which looked to have threatened her chances of overall victory, and did cost her the class lead.

In the first heat they rounded the leeward mark cleanly but a hundred metres later snagged a loose, trailing line which was attached to one of the start-line markers. Stuck fast for several minutes they struggled free and had to stage a major recovery to get back to third in the light, shifty southerly breeze.

Rosie’s crew protested the race officer for leaving the line down during the race, seeking redress since they looked to be reasonably clear of the buoy which was not a mark of the course after the start.

In what might have appeared to the outsider as a stage-managed comedy of errors, as the new First 47.7 Playing FTSE of three times Scottish Series Trophy winner Jonathan Anderson, sailed past the stuck fast Rosie, their mainsail halyard parted. The main glided gently to the deck in a heap and they were unable to continue.

But Cracklin Rosie refused to lie down and not only came back to score a very useful third in that first contest, but repeated the phoenix act again in the afternoon after they had to take two penalty turns for separate infringements at the weather mark.

Having been deep in the pack they came back to fourth and share the same 15 points tally as Crackerjack going into Tuesday’s last race of the regatta.

With owner Miller steering and Murray Findlay calling the moves, Crackerjack posted a 2-2 for the day. Racing the Race1/ Ker 11.3 Blue Belle, bidding to win the Scottish Series Trophy for an unprecedented third time in a row, Hamish MacKay and his team lie fourth, locked on 19 points with Gloves Off. Blue Belle won the first race by only three seconds, but a fifth in the 13 boat class could prove weighty.

In Class 2 Chris Bonar’s Bateleur scored a 4-1 to lead overall. They read the shifts well in the building breeze of the second race and the 1997 built Iain Murray-designed BH36 was well clear on the water After three successive wins in the 20-boat Cork 1720 sportsboat class, local Tarbert helmsman Ruairidh Scott dropped to second overall in King Quick after posting a fifth and a sixth yesterday while Mike Budd’s Gul escaped with two first places to lead the class. ” The winds were very shifty and difficult and we just did not get it right. In the first race we were well down and were actually quite pleased to get back to where we finished. It is very hard because there are probably 12 boats in the class which can win races and sail at the same speed, so when you make mistakes you can end up way back in the fleet.” said Scott.

With a six-point cushion over third-placed Red/Green (Shaun Douglas, Ulster) the class should be decided between Gul and King Quick. The local boat has finished runner up twice at their home regatta but has yet to win overall.

The Sigma 33 class looks well wrapped up after Alan Milton’s dominant Pepsi scored back to back wins to earn a seven point lead going into their final two scheduled races.

Results (after four days)

Henri Lloyd Fleet: IRC Class 1: Race 1: 1 Blue Belle (H Mackay) 2hrs 12mins 46secs, 2 Crackerjack (K Miller) 2:12.49, 3 Cracklin’ Rosie (R Dickson) 2:13.33, Race 2: 1 Gloves Off (C Barrington) 1hr 45mins 5secs, 2 Crackerjack 1:46.21, 3 Nimmo (J Kileen) 1:46.45, Overall: 1 Crackerjack (K Miller), 2 Cracklin’Rosie (R Dickson), 3 Gloves Off (C Barrington), IRC

Class 2: Race 1: 1 Animula (D Grant) 2hrs 12mins 2secs, 2 Aztec, 2 (P Beamish) 2:18.37, 3 Kylidh (G Spurr) 2:18.44, Race 2: 1 Bateleur 97 (C Bonar) 1hr 44mins 44secs, 2 Jacana (B Douglas) 1:46.01, 3 Tiger (T Oliver Sheehy), Overall: 1 Bateleur 97 (C Bonar), 2 Animula (D Grant), 3 Jacana (B Douglas)

IRC Class 3: Race 1: 1 Salamander XVI (J Corson) 1hr 36mins, 2 Enigma (H Morrison) 1:37.48, 3 Thornoxon (A MacIntyre) 1:38.36, Race 2: 1 Hops (I McLean) 1hr 43mins 11secs, 2 Enigma 1:44.07, 3 Tundra (D Sharp) 1:45.35, Overall: 1 Salamander (J Corson), 2 Hops (I McLean), 3 Enigma (H Morrison)

IRC Class 4: Race 1: Tigger (Cassidy/Markey) 1hr 37mins 21secs, 2 Eauvation 4 (D Clark) 1:38.31, 3 Orrkid (A Orr) 1:39.23, Race 2: 1 Rapparee (Hyde/Boulter/Woods) 1hr 17mins 13secs, 2 Blue Berret Pi (S Moran) 1:17.32, 3 Jezebel (P & S Howell) 1:17.43, Overall: 1 Vaila (P Watt), 2 Rapparee (Hyde/Boulter/Woods), 3 Eauvation 4 (D Clark)

Tunnocks Fleet: CYCA Class 5: Race 1: 1 Scanne (G Aikman) I hr 16mins 26secs, 2 Swedish Lady (I Harris) 1:16.35, 3 Border Reiver (Scott/Wilson), Race 2: 1 Swedish Lady I hr 29mins 29secs, 2 Border Reiver 1:29.36, 3 Scanne 1:30.24, Overall: 1 Scanne (G Aikman), 2 Swedish Lady (I Harris), 3 Border Revier (Scott/Wilson)

CYCA Class 6: Race 1: 1 Ailish II (W Malone) 53mins 45secs , 2 Trillian (I Laidlaw) 52.48, 3 Highpointer (L Shellock) 52.54, Race 2: 1 Valhalla of Ashton (F Dunnet) 1hr 30mins 59secs, 2 Ailish II (W Malone) 1:34.22, 3 Mosika Alma (M Goodwin) 1:34.54, Overall: 1 Ailish II (W Malone), 2 Valhalla of Ashton (F Dunnet), 3 Mosika Alma (M Goodwin)

CYCA Class 7: Race 1: 1 Upstart (E Thomas) 50mins 53secs, 2 Mo Ming (R Clegg) 52.18, 3 Maji (G Kirk) 52.57, Race 2: 1 Upstart 56mins 51secs, 2 Mow Ming 57.42, 3 Maji 1:00.11, Overall: Upstart (E Thomas), 2 Mow Ming (R Clegg), 3 Mellow Moment (A Rodger)

CYCA Class 8: Race 1: 1 Aztec (J & H Connelly) 1hr 18mins 59secs, 2 Sea-Quin (M Broadbent) 1:19.43, 3 Skerryvore II (E Buchanan) 1:21.20, Race 2: 1 Sea-Quin 1hr 32mins 39secs, 2 Aztec 1;33.44, 3 Zubenubi (B Waugh) 1;36.27, Overall: 1 Aztec (J & H Connelly), 2 Sea-Quin (M Broadbent), 3 Skerryvore II (E Buchanan)

Talisker Fleet: Sigma 33 Class: Race 1: 1 Pepsi (A Milton) 1hr 20mins 52secs, 2 Carmen (P Scutt) 1:21.19, 3 Sigmatic (D Mclaren) 1:23.24, Race 2: Pepsi (1hr 31mins 19secs), 2 Carmen 1:31.51, 3 Sigmatic 1:32.49, Overall: 1 Pepsi (A Milton), 2 Sigmatic (D Mclaren), 3 The White Tub (J McDonald)

National Sonata Class: Race 1: 1 So (McLure/Stewart) 1hr 46mins 5secs, 2 Pied Piper (A Harper) 1:46.36, 2 Scruples (C Tait) 1:46.37, Race 2: 1 Pied Piper 54mins 55secs, 2 Saraband (M Taylor) 56.07, 3 So 57.42 Overall: 1 So (McLure/Stewart), 2 Scruples (C Tait), 3 Pied Piper (A Harper), Cork 1720

Class: Race 1: 1 Gul (Budd/Woosey) 1hr 9mins 36secs, 2 Corwynt IV (S Evans) 1:09.52, 3 The Big L (C Frize) 1:10.04, Race 2: 1 Gul 1hr 26mins 51secs, 2 Red Green (S Douglas) 1:29.18, 3 STBD (S McLean) 1:29.45, Overall: 1 Gul (Bud/Woosey), 2 King Quick (R & G Scott), 3 Red Green (S Douglas)

Sportboat Class: Race 1: 1 Off Limits (A Burgess) 43mins 26secs, 2 Impetuous (N Morton) 44.02, 3 No Limit (G Edmondson) 44.20, Race 2: 1 Impetuous 1hr 21mins 12secs, 2 No Limit 1:21.38, 3 Off Limits 1:21.39, Overall: 1 Impetuous (N Morton), 2 Off Limits (A Burgess), 3 No Limit (G Edmondson)

Laser SB3: Race 1: 1 Cardinal Puff (R Beaman) 1hr 41mins 18secs, 2 Baloo (L Ross) 1:41.58, 3 Richardson Development (Bell/McKinny) 1:42.28, Race 2: 1 Laser Scottish Office (S McPhail) 1hr 21mins 5 secs, 2 Carolyn (N Ross) 1:22.04, 3 Hot Property (P Thallon) 1:22.20, Overall: 1 Carolyn (N Rosie), 2 Laser Scottish Office (S Mc Phail), 3 Hot Property (P Thallon)