Solway Yacht Club's Cadet Week begins in Kippford

After a weekend of near gales that forced the cancellation of the Hestan Island Race and the final races in the spring series, the situation improved for Cadet Week in Kippford.

The wind dropped, the sun came out and 55 smiling young faces from eight to 21 arrived to join in the annual event at Solway Yacht Club.

As now well established, participants were split into complete beginners, improvers groups, coached racers and the hot-shot racing fleet.

The club’s cadet officer, Joanne Harris, briefed cadets, parents and volunteers with the plans for the week.

Monday morning and first call was to collect their brunch munch bags from the team of galley volunteers led by Hilary O’Dwyer, before tuition started for the beginners, while the experienced were rigging their boats, ready for launching.

Racing got underway and first win went to the Tamsin Wallace/Keiran Ganeri crew and race two, Finn Harris in the fast handicap one fleet, with Toby Iglehart winning both handicap two races.

Low tide in early evening and the traditional “mud larks” had the cadets and the cadet officer joined by training officer Emma McRobert, and a few other intrepid parents, take to the mud for the annual tug-o’-war and other fun and games, getting covered in the sticky stuff.

An advance adult party carrying out the risk assessment had identified unsafe soft mud further out, so sliding down the far mud bank into the water was out of bounds; nevertheless, joined by several young ones at the edge, now 60+ cadets had a great time in mud, glorious mud. Ending the day being hosed down on the pier before warm showers and an early night had them all back on Tuesday morning ready for day two.

Spring Series results:

1 Colin Filer and Jamie