Swell Times Ahead at Port Edgar Yacht Club

The beginning of the yacht and dinghy racing season is a time when there is a flurry of activity supporting learning and development at Port Edgar Yacht Club, South Queensferry. New sailors, new boats and new hopes dominate the atmosphere alongside the amazing new Forth crossing which is to be inaugurated mid summer this year. Racing around and under it will be fun and challenging in the tidal currents which dominate this section of the Firth of Forth. In addition there will be a number of customary regattas in 2017 but most significantly this year the 707 National Championships will be held at Port Edgar YC in June.

Rachel Alvarado is once again a champion of the club, for members old and new, who want to learn all the manoeuvres, spinnaker hoists and rules of the racing game. She offers the chance to practice skills and gain experience outside of the race environment. For several years Rachel has been training race crews on boats from the club’s Hunter 707 keelboat fleet. Her 6 week Spring Tues night 707 race training course has proved so popular that it is often over-subscribed, but it’s still worth checking if there is a place if you are keen to sign up this year (see www.peyc.org.uk). The course is designed for those who already know how to sail but you don’t have to be an expert. It is open to all members, and targets new members who can join the club for just £70.

Graham McAslan is one of many new recruits who joined the club and signed up to Rachel’s race training course in 2016. Graham said “On a recent trip to New Zealand, I was invited to go sailing on Auckland Harbour.  It was my first time sailing, and I loved it.  As soon as I got home, I booked up and completed a few RYA training courses.  The courses were great, but it wasn’t until I joined PEYC that I really started to sail regularly and that has allowed me to learn and improve. The encouragement and support I have received from PEYC has been tremendous and my newly-found confidence led me to enter my first race at the end of last season.  I have now signed up to the PEYC Race Training Course and already entered a few events for the 2017 season. I can’t wait to get going this season to put my new skills into practice”.

Graham is one of many new members to the PEYC. Over the past two years more than 100 people of all ages and sailing ability have joined the club which boasts a +320 strong membership. Hannah Shields is one of those who joined in 2016 and having recently moved to Edinburgh she has quickly found her feet on the deck of Moonstruck Too, owned and skippered by Gordon Lawson. Hannah said “I have sailed all my life and although I am a qualified sailing instructor I have found getting involved in regular racing through the club’s Crew Finder scheme to be a welcoming experience as a new member. The crews are high competitive but friendly and the waters around the Forth bridges provide for the exciting racing.”