Solway Yacht Club held the annual Palnackie Pursuit Race on Saturday.
For one race only, boats headed in the opposite direction rather than out to sea – up past Black Rock to the elbow then navigating the Devil’s Reach before rounding up towards Palnackie Harbour, then back down stream to Kippford. The course sounds simple but with muddy shallows, deceptive channels and the ficklest of winds, it’s a challenge for even the most experienced.
As a 60 minute pursuit race, the slowest rated boats start first with staggered intervals until the fastest, starting last. This has the effect of bunching the fleet up, just as they are likely to reach the narrows at Palnackie, making for the closest of racing, and with the tide flowing it gets very competitive.
