YOUNG sailors took to the water at the Holy Loch Sailing Club for a weekend of competition at the Polaris Regatta.
Twelve junior members from Holy Loch Sailing Club (HLSC) and Toward Seasports Club (TSC) turned out for the cadet event on September 12 and 13, competing in Taz, Pico, Topper and Optimist dinghies.
Strong winds initially put paid to Saturday’s racing, with the young sailors instead taking part in an A-Z scavenger hunt, games and practising their hiking technique while waiting for conditions to improve.
They eventually made it out to the racing area, negotiating a few capsizes along the way, but the strength of the wind and gusts proved too much and the decision was made to return to shore.
Conditions were much kinder on Sunday, allowing the cadets to demonstrate their skills over four races.
Several were competing for the first time, with organisers praising the standard of sailing throughout the fleet.
In the Taz/Pico class, Scarlett Gaze of Toward Seasports Club took first place in her Pico, with HLSC’s Niamh Wilson and Zoe finishing second in a Taz.
Ruth Williams led a strong Holy Loch contingent in the Topper class, taking first place in Raspberry Ripple.
She was followed by clubmates Oscar Cameron in Aqua and Ghillie Campbell in Racing Rascal, who finished second and third respectively.
Also competing in the Topper fleet were Finlay Ramage of HLSC in Raptor, Callum Draper of TSC in Kite, Niamh Wilson of HLSC in Topper 5, and Lauren McIntyre and Anna White of HLSC in Topper 9.
Toward Seasports Club claimed all three podium places in the Optimist class.
James McLean-Morton took first place in Kittiwake, ahead of Caol McCowan in Fulmer and Gethyn Philips in Puffin.
James was also presented with the trophy for the top performance of the regatta after an outstanding clean sweep which saw him finish first in all four races.
Organisers congratulated all 12 young sailors who took part, particularly those experiencing competitive racing for the first time.
Thanks were also extended to the clubhouse team who kept the cadets fed throughout the weekend, the safety boat crews from both clubs who supported the sailors on the water, and the shore team at Lazaretto Point who recorded the results.
