It may have been freezing outside with a bitterly cold onshore wind but it didn’t stop the sailors of the Solway Yacht Club enjoy an evening of celebration in the warmth of the Kippford Village Hall on Saturday.
Earlier in the day many club members had enjoyed the local RNLI’s SOS lunch before returning to the hall for their annual prizegiving for the club racing winners of 2022, welcoming the post-Covid return of the popular off-season social.
First the commodore, Scott Train, gave a brief overview of the 2022 season followed by video films of both Cadet and Kippford Weeks recalling lots of warm sunshine and fair winds, almost every day. He then handed over to John Broadbent, the club’s sailing secretary who announced the winners of the various club racing series and individual events.
This led up to the overall 2022 club champions. Stewart Mitchell from Dumfries won the Tordoff Cup for the seniors and Palnackie’s Toby Iglehart won the Lotus Cup for the cadet championship.
Another very popular winner was Mary Dinwiddie, who was the 2022 recipient of the “Sailing By” vase, awarded to the member who, not on the committee, had made the greatest contribution to club life over the year.
Once the formalities were over, members enjoyed a superb meal expertly prepared and served by Poppa and Dom, the club’s star volunteer chef and his able assistant.
The 2023 season proper starts over Good Friday and Easter Day, before the club’s annual open day on May 21, which provides the opportunity for visitors to come and get afloat in many various boat types, sail or power.
In June the club is honoured, once again, to be hosting the Scottish Flying Fifteen Championship having previously run this prestigious event in 2016.
Everyone is looking forward to another great season.
