Solway Yacht Club Cadet Week 2025; great fun learning and close competition

by Ian Purkis 29 Jul 06:14 UTC 21-26 July 2025

With an unusually late Tuesday start, necessitated by tide times, almost seventy young people gathered at the Solway Yacht Club for the annual Cadet Week.

Monday was spent with onshore activities before the evening briefing covering the activities afloat to follow. Cadet Officer Jo Harris led the session while Training Officer, Emma McRobert, introduced the Senior Instructor, young James Bishop, supported by his team of Dinghy Instructors, nearly all of whom had been SYC Cadets themselves in recent years. It was then the turn of the four Cadet Captains to stand up for introduction. All fifty plus Cadets were divided into teams, led by their Cadet Captain, for fun on and off the water but also to ensure their needs were being met, particularly acting as role models for the younger ones.

As in previous years, Cadets were gathered in six groups ranging from absolute beginners (the red caps), year two beginners, (the burgundy caps), next the improvers, (the white caps), then the coached racers (the blue caps) and leading to the year 1 & 2 racers (the black caps), finally the green caps, the third year plus, the "out and out" experienced racers. The value of the Club's progression scheme is immediately obvious when nearly all the racers had been trained and coached through the various ability levels over previous years.

With an early start on Tuesday, the black and green caps set off to the race area out in the bay while others started or resumed their training from previous years. In near perfect weather, warm but not hot, a 15mph wind, and bright skies, Race Officer Stewart Biggar set a figure of eight course and the serious business got under way. Elsewhere capsize drill was demonstrated before trainees ventured out under sail.

Out in the bay, the racers were having their own private battles, fast handicap (HCP1) leaders Finn Harris and Toby Iglehart were in close contention throughout, first one, then the other ahead. At the final turning buoy, it was Finn who got the better and led to win race 1. Further down multiple rivalries were being played out leading to exciting racing throughout the fleet. Race two was similar, again with Finn getting the win. The first and second medium handicap (HCP2) races were won by Lucy Leyshon and Katie Brown respectively, with both slow handicap (HCP3) wins going to Ida Iglehart.

Day two and similar near ideal conditions had the competition resume. In a reversal of fortunes, Toby got the wins in both races in the HCP1 with Finn second. In HCP2, Thomas McKendrick won race three, Lucy having to settle for second but restored her winning ways with Jess Brown second in Race four.

The evening highlight was the annual Cadet Dinner with participants dressed in their finest, served by the Club's Flag Officers. Once the meal was cleared away, caller Ross Kennedy led another great Ceilidh ensuring dancing and fun until time was called to end a great day.

With the TV camera present on Thursday, James Bishop, the Senior Instructor, and two more young instructors, Sally Mackay and Katie Harris, were interviewed while the fleet was busy getting rigged. With safety boats on the water, launching started, then short tacking out against the flood tide to the race area was all caught on film. This was the day of the single Scauronian long distance race and Toby Iglehart reestablished his winning run while Finn Harris had to settle for second. In HCP2 Katie Brown got the win with Lucy Leyshon second, while in HCP3 Ida maintained her 100% wins record so far with Murray McKendrick second again.

In contrast to the previous evening's formalities, it was "Mudlarks" night. Low water had the mudbanks and gulleys all exposed as fifty Cadets, instructors and even a few slightly reluctant Club officers took to the mud for tug o' war, capture the flag and more. A great Solway YC Cadet Week tradition where enthusiasm (and the mud) never wavers!

Back to the sailing, coaching and instruction and the battle between Toby and Finn in HCP1 couldn't have been closer. Toby won the first race of the day, Finn second. Race two and again placings reversed. In HCP2, Katie Brown won the first race, but Thomas McKendrick got his first win of the week in the second. Ida continued her dominance in HCP3.

While all this had been going on, the Blue Caps (Coached Racers) had been developing their race craft under the guidance of Pip Benson, herself a highly experience racing sailor. They had been holding their own series of races with Abi Farrel winning three times and Alex Andrews and Marissa Farrel winning the second race of the series. Similarly, the Red and Burgundy caps had been learning the ropes and building their confidence every day, thanks to their instructors and assistants.

The final day and still everything to race for in both HCP 1 and 2. With only one race, the battle between Toby and Finn was as close as ever; whoever won the race, won the week. When it really mattered, Finn got the win and so congratulations to him. In HCP2 while Katie Brown was only third in the final race, her three wins earlier got her the overall HCP2 fleet win. Jess Brown came good and won the final race, giving her fourth overall and with all four of the top sailors getting one or more wins, HCP2 was the most widely competitive fleet. While Ida had already won HCP3, she completed her clean sweep, winning every race during the whole week.

During the week, the Blue Caps (coached racers) had their own races from the Committee Boat giving them race starting and tactics experience. On the final day, the White Caps too, (the Improvers) had several short races run from the Club Race Officer's Box, "The Starting Hut", teaching them the starting procedure and signals, adding to their experience.

Racing Fleet Results: (Green caps and Black caps)

Handicap 1 (all ILCA 6 boats)
1st Finn Harris
2nd Toby Iglehart
3rd Murray Wilson
4th Anastasia Yaoyao
5th James Colbeck
6th Callum McRobert
7th Connor Rennie
8th Jack Johnstone

Handicap 2 (all ILCA 4 boats)
1st Katie Brown
2nd Lucy Leyshon
3rd Thomas McKendrick
4th Jess Brown
5th Breagha Johnstone
6th Callum McRobert (changed to HCP1 after two races)

Handicap 3
1st Ida Iglehart (Topper)
2nd Murray McKendrick (Topper)
3rd Maria McMiken and Hannah O'Dwyer (RS Feva XL)
4th Elise Reilly and Frazer McFadzean (RS Feva XL)

Blue Caps Coached Racers Short Series
1st Abi Farrel (ILCA 6)
2nd Alexander Andrews and Marissa Farrel (RS Feva XL)
3rd Liam McMiken (Topper)
4th Henry Farrant (Pico)
5th Heidi Farrel & Charlotte Andrews (RS Feva XL)
6th Lachlan Ross (Pico)
7th Darcy Gibson and Abbie McRobert (RS Feva XL)

White Caps (Improvers) Races
Race winners:

• Thomas Barton and Lucy Johnstone,
• Lili Cowan,
• Eddie Carter and Lacy Paterson

Racers: Leah Malloy, Thomas Farrant, Caitlin Ferrier, Elsbeth Dorian,
Katie Gascoigne, Erin McKendrick, Oliver Bell, Clementine Greaves,
Bertie Carter and Orla O'Dwyer.