After weeks of early summer sunshine and balmy winds, all seemed promising for one of Scotland’s premier yachting events, The Scottish Flying Fifteen Championships, at Solway Yacht Club.
The fleet of fast elegant keelboats arrived in Kippford from all over the UK and Ireland ready for an early start on the tide on Saturday.
The weather had different ideas and gone was the sunshine and ideal wind, instead an overcast clammy heat and no wind at all.
Despite this, the fleet was towed out into the Solway in the hope that a sea breeze might pick up.
A couple of zephyrs wafting across the start line gave cause for optimism but came to nothing.
After three hours drifting, waiting, and watching little more than a few jellyfish, race officer Willie Patterson had no option but to abandon racing for the day. The highlight feature of the event then appeared; the team of enthusiastic Solway Yacht Club cadets and young friends, led by cadet captain, James Bishop, who formed the appropriately named “Shore fforce”, all set to haul the yachts on their trailers up the slipway and back to their berths, saving the crews all the hard work.
The Saturday social evening made up for earlier disappointment with a delicious meal cooked by the volunteer galley team followed by a very happy few hours in the clubhouse.
After overnight rain, Sunday morning dawned much fresher with the prospect of going racing, with the competition sponsored by Sulwath Brewers from Castle Douglas.
The fleet was again launched and as they reached the Solway, a steady ten knot south easterly was blowing. With an Olympic triangle course set, racing at last got under way.
A great tactical port-end start in race one by Mike Preston and Keith Jamieson had them leading the entire fleet early on but it wasn’t to last.
The finish was as close as it gets, David McKee and Mal Hartland from Dovestones Sailing Club just taking the win from Andy Tunnicliffe and Ian Hopwood of Bassenthwaite SC with the Preston/Jamieson crew of Royal Windermere YC third. Best placed local crew was Colin Filer and Jamie Gascoigne, ninth.
Race two was a repeat win for McKee/Hartland but third went to the rapidly improving Irish crew of Shane McCarthy and Richard Riggs from Greystones SC, South of Dublin.
Sadly, that was it for the racing but again the fleet were treated to another great haul-out performance by an even larger “Shore fforce” team, now including some very young ones, all hauling away, determined to do their bit for the visiting crews and their home club.
Prizegiving concluded the event with trophies and generously provided Sulwath beers for all the winners, plus a special Concours D’Elegance award won by the beautiful all wood varnished ff485, built in the 1950s.
She had been restored by Graham Sharp and crewed by Frank Tindall from Plockton Small Boat Club, finishing 10th overall.
Overall result: 1 David McKee and Mal Hartland, Dovestones SC; 2 Andy Tunnicliffe and Ian Hopwood, Bassenthwaite SC; 3 Mike Preston and Keith Jamieson, Royal Windermere YC; 4 Shane McCarthy and Richard Riggs, Greystones SC; 5 Andy McKee and Richard Jones, Dovestones SC; 6 Julian Clarke and Nick Hampson, Royal Windermere YC; 7 Neil Currie and Rory Yardley, Bassenthwaite SC; 8 Colin Filer and Jamie Gascoigne, Solway YC; 9 Christian Barnes and Nicholas Barnes, Ullswater SC; 10 & Classic fleet winner: Graham Sharp and Frank Tindall, Plockton Small Boat Club; 11 Peter Mountain and David Guite, Blackpool & Fleetwood SC; 12 Michael Harris and Sarah Harris, Blackpool & Fleetwood SC; 13 Glen Fullerton and Craig McCracken, Cardwell Bay SC; 14 Tim O’Brien and Colin Burns, Grafham Water SC; 15 & Silver Fleet winner: Scott Train and Anne Stewart, Solway YC; 16 Andrew Johnston and Alice Johnston, Solway YC; 17 Pete Hammond and John Sproat, Solway YC; 18 Steve Gaughan and Christine Benson, Solway YC; 19 David Heron and Peter Wright, Royal Windermere YC.
