Fun on the Solway with Easter Eggstravaganza and challenging River Races
by Jo Harris (Solway YC Cadet Officer) and Ian Purkis 22 Apr 05:24 UTC
18-20 April 2025
Three days of sailing in wind, rain and sun made Easter 2025 a great one for all Solway Yacht Club sailors while the powerboaters joined in the Easter Day sunshine, one returning on Sunday after a particularly successful fishing trip.
Good Friday hatched the Easter Eggstravaganza with twenty young Cadets, supported by three youth members and a team of adults manning the safety and support boats. First job was a refresher in rigging and preparing the boats after being laid up over the winter. Once launched the plan was to race around a short course gathering prizes and inflatables enroute. Starting in damp conditions, light winds made this tricky before the race was cut short with crews swimming to steal prizes from one another. With heavy rain now dampening the support crews, by this time it didn't matter to the cadets, all returning to the pier to claim their prizes. Great fun was had by all. Rather more serious sailing for the Cadets continued over the weekend with two days coaching and race training by the Club's team of instructors.
Given the neap tides and late High Water, the Sailing Committee had decided Saturday and Sunday's Easter Series would be four river races, saving time sailing out into the bay. The unusual format included two races each day, starting just off the Club pier with competition in full view of Kippford's Easter visitors on the waterfront and bars. After a briefing by Race Officer, Ian Purkis, and in a gusty Easterly swirling around the estuary, a reaching start had the fleet heading downstream against the tide to round the notorious G buoy. The fickle wind had the fleet in all sorts of frustrations, one moment gusty, the next windless, then gusty in the opposite direction, conditions to challenge everyone. Nevertheless, the Flying Fifteen of Scott Train and Anne Stewart led the fleet back upstream to a turning mark just off the Black Stone. Never far behind, Toby Iglehart (ILCA 6) was heading for the race win after handicap corrections, with Dewi Williams not far behind in another ILCA 6, demoting the Flying Fifteen to third.
Race 2 and another reaching start, this time in the opposite direction. A few yards short of the Black Stone mark, Steve Gaughan and Paul Bannister in the Osprey had a big moment and capsized while the rest of the fleet rounded and sailed off downstream. The Train/Stewart Flying Fifteen again lead with an increasing margin while Iglehart also had a capsize, recovering in lightening time to continue the chase, catching and passing Williams. To avoid G buoy, the course had been shortened with a turning mark in full view of the many village visitors. The recovering Osprey helm was confused and sailed past the mark losing more time, meanwhile the Flying Fifteen stretched her lead to win.
Easter Day and completely different conditions; warm sunshine and a very pleasant sea breeze from the South. Richard Colbeck, Race Office set a similar course and race three started. The lighter wind and neap tide had all the fleet trying to avoid the incoming flood tide, but the low water level caught most out touching the Kippford mud, several more than once. This time it was the Finn of Scott McColm's turn to chase the Train/Stewart Flying Fifteen with the next three never far behind leading to a very close result after handicap corrections, five seconds separating third and fifth in an hour-long race. The final race of the Easter series saw the Osprey come good, Steve Gaughan sailing with Lynda his wife, taking line honours but still the Flying Fifteen won on handicap. Further back the mud certainly won with Ian Purkis and Philippa Kos throwing away a good start and upwind leg, sailing straight into the sticky stuff, necessitating Ian to go in to push the Firefly off, not once but twice, result, last place! However, a lovely sail in beautiful conditions to round off the Easter events.
Easter Series River Races Results:
1st Scott Train and Anne Stewart (Flying Fifteen)
2nd Dewi Williams (ILCA6)
3rd Scott McColm (Finn)
4th Toby Iglehart (ILCA6)
5th Steve Gaughan and Paul Bannister / Lynda Gaughan (Osprey)
6th Ian Purkis and Philippa Kos (Firefly)