Scene set for Black Isle boat race as RNLI Ness Cup up for grabs in Fortrose to North Kessock dash under auspices of Chanonry Sailing Club

Sunday, August 28 will see many boats take to the waters between Fortrose and North Kessock for the annual RNLI Ness Cup.

The RNLI Ness Cup is a highlight of the Chanonry Sailing Club calendar and is sailed over a longer distance using the wider expanse of the Inverness Firth. The race is a little bit different as it pits the wits of the "seat of the pants" dinghy sailors with the seamanship skills of the yachts.

The race is also open to other sailing clubs and given the larger course in more open water, is normally suitable to the more experienced dinghy racer. There are sometimes opportunities for less experienced sailors to crew onboard one of the participating boats.

The Ness Cup Trophy dates back to the 1930s and was originally provided by Oliver H Gossip, a dentist who lived in Inverness donated the Trophy to Inverness Boat Club. He was a founder member of the Beauly Firth Yacht Club in 1937 and their Commodore in 1940. It is a sterling silver cup (value approx. £5000-£6000) with beautiful engraving.

The first winner was J Stuart Oliver in 1938. No events were held between 1939 and 1946 due to the Second World War and for the following few years due to the shortage of petrol.

The Beauly Firth Yacht and the Inverness Boat Club amalgamated in 1951 to become the Highland Cruising Club and in 1967, after the Highland Cruising Club was wound up, all their assets including trophies were freely given to Chanonry Sailing Club.

In May 1967 the club agreed that the Ness Cup be used for competition by club members in a race to Kessock (in one direction) to be held on Sunday, July 23 according to the tide. The first winner was Frank Gale in his GP 14 called Yarrum and the first cruiser to win the Ness Cup outright was Ronnie Wilson in his Sonata called Harmony in 1979.

The format of the race has continued over the years and has always provides a great spectacle in the Moray Firth.

Full race details can be found on the club website https://www.chanonry.org.uk/ness-cup.html

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