The Clyde
Can there be a better place than the Clyde for owning and sailing a Sonata? Well yes there may be but the Clyde has so much to offer.
The largest fleet for racing is formed from the combined fleets of Helensburgh Sailing Club and the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club which race together under the auspicious title of The East Patch Racing Committee. This arrangement has worked well for almost 20 years. Racing takes place on Wednesday evenings during May- August and on Sundays during April and September and October. Sonata numbers are usually between 10 and 15.
Royal Gourock Yacht Club and Cove Sailing Club also come together for racing, not surprisingly under the umbrella of the West Patch. Sonata numbers here usually reach 5 to 8.
Regattas
The Clyde Yacht clubs all combine to produce a well-organised series of regattas under the control of the Clyde Yacht Clubs Association. Each club usually organises one regatta per season towards this overall championship. The main event that is run on the Clyde during the year is the Scottish Series. This very popular event starts with an overnight race from Gourock around the Clyde and ending at Tarbert on Loch Fyne. There is then a series of round the cans racing in Loch Fyne during the following four days. This event is organised by the Clyde Cruising Club and takes place during an extended holiday weekend at the end of May. The beautiful natural harbour of Tarbert with its many pubs and restaurants is an excellent venue for this event.
Cruising
The Clyde also has good marina facilities, excellent cruising areas with Arran, Bute and the Kyles of Bute the Ayrshire coast and Argyll all being popular with yachtsmen and well capable within the reach of a weekends sailing for a Sonata. Several passages across the Irish Sea are made each year and of course through the Crinan canal or around The Mull of Kintyre gives you access to the fantastic West of Scotland and the islands of the inner and outer Hebrides.
Yes—a Sonata can be a wonderful investment in the Clyde.
Peter Booth