Will Cushendall come and conquer?
In 2016 seven Cushendall crews proved to be commanders of Campbeltown loch in a yacht race round the bouys during the annual exchange visit. This year’s home leg is next Friday June 23.
Training
With the possible addition of some young Campbeltown sailors, who have been training in dinghies on Wednesday evenings, Cushendall could face tougher opposition this year. Many youth organisations are signed up to the Kintyre Seasports Project including Youth Impact, run by Phil Edwards. Youth Impact has just heard that keen sailor Nick Ferguson, the chairman of Argyll and Bute’s Economic Forum, is to support its work through his Kilfinnan Trust. Next Wednesday, perhaps some Youth Impact members will join the dinghy training, which runs from 7pm to 9pm, meeting at Campbeltown Sailing Club from about 6.30pm. The Cushendall boats arrive from next Friday afternoon onwards and crews meet informally in town bars. On Saturday lunchtime there are soup and sandwiches at the sailing club, before yacht racing in the afternoon followed by an evening barbecue. The Dip for Dosh event on New Year’s Day is a tiny part of Kintyre Seasports Project.
Welcome
All who take part in that event are equally welcome at any Campbeltown Sailing Club activity. The whole project is about promoting inclusivity. Last week the Seasports chairman Campbell Fox said: ‘We didn’t start out to break new ground, but the feedback we are getting suggests that our approach is both unusual and attractive to funders, because we have combined community and sports groups in a single, inclusive organisation.’