Solway Yacht Club holds annual Palnackie Pursuit Race

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.

After the competitors’ briefing by race officer, Duncan Gillespie, he first starter was the indomitable Dewi Williams in his trusty Mirror dinghy. Next off were most of the Cadets in their Toppers followed by the rest until the powerful dinghies started last.

Leading light airs struggle for the lead with Palnackie harbour backdrop (Tom Iglehart)

As forecast, the wind was light but a pleasant southerly carrying the fleet downwind, much in starting order to the elbow. The change in direction to the upwind Devil’s Reach saw the first changes with the faster boats catching and passing the first few slower boats. Given the light wind, the race committee set the Palnackie turning buoy slightly short of the harbour, but still in view of the spectators gathered on the bank at the harbour entrance.

Williams continued to hold his lead round the mark with the first cadet, Toby Iglehart (Topper) not far behind with Ian and his cadet crew Oliver Purkis (Firefly) rounding next, John and Val Broadbent (GP14), and Stewart Biggar (Laser ILCA 7) all closing in, with Richard and James Colbeck (Buzz) not far behind.

Despite briefly going aground at one point and as the minutes ticked down, the masterly technique of the Broadbent crew showed with the GP14 passing the Williams’ Mirror in the final moments, the only boat to catch him.

Results

1 John & Val Broadbent (GP14); 2 Dewi Williams (Mirror s/h); 3 Stewart Biggar (Laser ILCA 7); 4 Ian & Oliver Purkis (Firefly); 5 Richard and James Colbeck (Buzz); 6 and first Cadet Toby Iglehart (Topper); 7 Hamish MacDonald (Laser Radial ILCA 6); 8 Scott & Nicola McColm (RS400); 9 Stephen & Lynda Gaughan (Osprey); 10 Ida Iglehart (Topper); 11 Lucy Leyshon (Topper); 12 Jack Johnstone (Topper); 13 Oliver Sykes (Laser 4.7 ILCA 4); 14 Katie Bishop and Lilli Bell (GP14).