Cadet Week 2026 at Solway Yacht Club
by Ian Purkis 3 Aug 16:31 UTC
Lots of sea, wind, mud and fun!
The wind and fun started before Cadet week proper even got under way with the serious young racers getting plenty of practice in on the previous Sunday. It was windy and challenging but with a broken mast to report on a Club boat, it was good practice, nevertheless.
With a packed clubhouse on Sunday evening, the Commodore, Scott Train, welcomed more than fifty young Cadets, their parents, friends and the thirty-five adult volunteers needed to run the event. Handing over to RYA Training Principal, Emma McRobert, she introduced Senior Instructor James Bishop and his team of instructors.
In turn she passed to the Club's new Cadet Officer, Rosie Mackay who outlined the plan for the week and to loud applause, introduced the four Cadet Captains, Lucy Leyshon, Toby Iglehart, James Colbeck and Jack Johnstone who's duties are to lead their their teams of younger cadets and ensure they are getting the most from their week, on and off the water.
Once the main briefing was over, the separate racing and training groups went to their separate briefings; red caps, absolute beginners, year 1, red caps year 2, the white caps improvers group, the blue caps coached racers, then the racers; black caps years 1-2, green caps are years 3-4, finally the hot shot gold caps years 5+, the most experienced racers, all set for a great week.
Bright and early to catch the tide on Monday and despite a poor forecast, the weather held good with a pleasant wind and while mostly overcast, racing and training all got under way. Out in the bay arch rivals Toby Iglehart and Finn Harris were the two to beat in the main fleet with Finn now sailing with a full ILCA 7 rig, Toby sticking to his proven albeit smaller ILCA 6 rig. In the first race line honours went to Finn but Toby wasn't far behind so won after handicap correction.
Race 2 had a welcome new winner Katie Brown with Murray McKendrick second, both sailing ILCA 4 rigged boats, Toby coming home third, so getting an early series lead. In the double handed HCP2 fleet, the RS Feva XL of Elise Reilly and Frazer McFadzean were enjoying a very competitive sail with rivals Hannah O'Dwyer and Maria McMiken in identical boats, Elise and Frazer coming out on top in both races.
After a Cadets' meal prepared by Hilary O'Dwyer and her enthusiastic galley team, it was quiz night led by the Cadet Captains with questions that baffled several of the adult teams there, shown up by the younger ones!
Day 2, Tuesday, it was soon clear why the Club is so very grateful to several members and RYA Scotland for the generous loan of their RIBs, supplementing the Club's own three, as without these as safety boats, an event on this scale couldn't be run; they were soon being put to good use. The forecast strong winds had arrived but the initial risk assessment by Race Officer Stewart Biggar and Assistant Willie Patterson still showed it was safe to launch.
Around half of the racing fleet safely make it out to the Committee boat and starting area in the bay, but those still sailing out were having increasing difficulty with stronger gusts causing several capsizes and keeping the safety crews busy.
Despite a forecast of the wind dropping, more fierce gusts arrived and soon several out in the bay had capsizes too. The Club's Risk Assessment procedure requires a second start line assessment, and with that result, it was reluctantly decided to abandon the scheduled racing.
With everyone safely back ashore, thoughts turned to how to make the best of the remaining day. After discussion between competitors and the Race Committee, and the wind easing, it was agreed to have a fun pursuit race in the comparative shelter up river, not included as part of the main Cadet Week competition. Once the racers were up river out of sight, the training fleet took to the water with reefed mainsails, enjoying a lively experience.
Half the beginners' group was given a ride in a RIB while the other half went for a sail in the Club's Bahia training boat with an instructor on the helm. The wind increased again, and the beginners got their first experience of a capsize. With safety boats on hand, far from being a fright, this turned into a fun lesson with many smiling faces.
Still out of sight from the pier, at the end of the timed one-hour duration, the pursuit racers had a very close finish with Finn and Toby neck and neck, the result just going to Toby with Lucy Leyshon third.
The fun wasn't over; Tuesday was the night of the Cadet Dinner and Disco so, served by the Flag Officers, the VIP Cadets were treated to a delicious meal before the dance floor was cleared and the music started. By pick up time, parents and guardians collected some very tired Cadets, ready for a good night's sleep.
Day 3, Wednesday dawned dull with occasional spells of drizzle but a good sailing breeze. The racing fleet sailed well out into the bay, barely visible to those at the pier while the training groups were soon afloat developing their skills completing the various sailing exercises before it was capsize and "man overboard" drill. Out in the bay it was another win for Toby with Callum McRobert second, Finn third.
By the second race Toby got the win, but Finn was now really getting to grips with his bigger rig finishing second, again after handicap corrections. In the HCP2 fleet Elise and Frazer won again but lost out to Hannah and Maria in the second race by just three seconds.
With boats put away and after tea in the Clubhouse, it was low tide and time for the Solway Yacht Club's Cadet Week speciality: Mudlarks. Bravely, past Commodore Richard Colbeck got the job of surveying the safe areas before sounding the starting horn for fifty cadets and several adults, the safety team, hit the mud. Our gallant Cadet Officer Rosie Mackay managed to get herself temporarily stuck but was soon rescued to much hilarity and even more mud.
Then it was several rounds of Tug o' War across a gulley with Senior Instructor James Bishop swapping sides to prolong the battle. Next a muddy walk across to the steep mud bank for slides down into the low water, the fun going on for well over an hour. In previous years it was a return to the slipway for cold water hosing down, but this year all the "mudlarkers", half wading and half swimming, returned to the slipway tired but relatively mud-free.
Thursday arrived with a much better forecast, warm sunshine and favourable winds. The coached racers were now joining the main race fleet so in near perfect conditions the enlarged racing fleet launched for a long sail out into the bay. Racing got under way in a brisk breeze with lots of sun and spray. The Toby / Finn competition continued with a win for Toby in the first race of the day, but Finn came back strongly in the second with his first win of the week.
Showing great consistency Lucy Leyshon was third in both races but as the wind freshened, there was a flurry of retirements, Abi Farrell breaking her tiller before Jack Johnstone broke his mast. A bung from an ILCA found on the dinghy park spelled trouble for one competitor and it was the unfortunate James Colbeck who retired with a very waterlogged boat.
In the double handed HCP2 fleet, it had become an America's Cup style match racing contest between the two boats, Elise and Frazer first in the first race, but Hannah and Maria crossed the finish line first in the second one. Once ashore and refreshed, it was barbecue time with Assistant Race Officer Willie Patterson, now with his chef's hat on, servicing up a delicious selection of goodies.
Final day, Friday, and with a change in the Sailing Instructions to include a second race to catch up on lost races on Tuesday, there were still places to be settled across both fleets. While Toby had already got an unassailable lead in the ILCA fleet, in HCP2 two wins for Hannah and Maria would give them the series win. It was still much to sail for! In the end Toby won both races in the main fleet with Finn second in the first and Katie Brown second in the final race of the series.
Back on the pier and with boats put away, it was time for the traditional Cadet Week splashdown off the pontoon before a quick change back in the Clubhouse for prize-giving. Not just prizes for the winners but RYA Certificates for all the many successful trainees.
HCP1 ILCA Fleet:
1 st Toby Iglehart (ILCA 6)
2 nd Finn Harris (ILCA 7)
3 rd Katie Brown (ILCA 4)
4 th Murray McKendrick (ILCA 4)
5 th Callum McRobert (ILCA 6)
6 th Lucy Leyshon (ILCA 4)
7 th Ida Iglehart (ILCA 4)
8 th Anastasia Yaoyao (ILCA 6)
9 th Thomas McKendrick (ILCA 6)
10 th Jessica Brown (ILCA 4)
11 th James Colbeck (ILCA 6)
12 th Murray Wilson (ILCA 6)
13 th Jack Johnstone (ILCA 6)
14 th Abi Farrell (ILCA 6)
15 th Connor Rennie (ILCA 6)
HCP2 RS Feva XL Fleet:
1st Elise Reilly and Frazer McFadzean
2nd Hannah O'Dwyer and Maria McMiken
Coached Racers:
1st Thomas Barton (Laser Pico)
2nd Lily Cowan (Byte C1)
3rd Liam McMiken (Topper)
4th Erin McKendrick (Topper)
5th Charlotte Andrews and Alexander Andrews (RS Feva XL)
6th Heidi Farrell and Marissa Farrell (RS Feva XL)