Galloway Activity Centre hosts 21st edition of Five Castles Regatta

School pupils from across the region took part in the 21st anniversary edition of the Five Castles Regatta recently at Galloway Activity Centre on Loch Ken.

The collaborative event involved volunteers and resources from Annandale Sailing Club and Kippford-based Solway Yacht Club, with staff and equipment from GAC and sponsorship by the Common Thread Group.

The regatta has long been an important event at the end of the summer term. It enables young people from schools across Dumfries and Galloway to come together to compete in a team-racing sailing championship or to enjoy other activities and games, on and off the water.

Young people from Stranraer Academy, Dalbeattie High School, Dumfries Academy, Dumfries High School, St Joseph’s College and Lockerbie Academy came together to compete in teams of three sailors in single-handed Pico racing dinghies in a round-robin regatta.

The weather forecasts had predicted a good southerly breeze and the race officer’s team were out on the water early setting out a suitable course to test the young sailor’s skills. They were lucky with the weather and the wind did indeed stay fairly steady all day, with winds varying between 10mph and 18mph.

The winds fully tested the young people’s boat-handling skills and even the most experienced were sometimes pushed. There were several capsizes but very few which required support from the powered rescue boats in attendance to watch over the young people’s safety.

In a tribute to their courage and determination, all of those who capsized carried on and completed their races.

Generally, the standard of sailing was high with the ability to read the small wind shifts when tacking upwind being at a premium, resulting in some very