Cranberry Regatta – Heckman’s Island Nova Scotia
July 4, 2010

On Sunday July 4 the first annual Cranberry Regatta for Solings was held at the Terra Beatta Cranberry Farm on Heckman’s Island, just outside Lunenburg. The Cranberry farm graciously allows local Soling skippers to race on their water containment pond. The pond is ideal for sailing, clear edge to chase your boat up and down the pond, steep drop off for launching boats, and most importantly, no weeds. The pond is located in an open area with no large trees or buildings, so the winds are typically predicable and steady.

The day of the regatta was bright and breezy and we attracted eight boats to compete.
The pre-race tuning etc was hampered by strong winds but as the afternoon wore on the wind lessened and an excellent day of racing was completed.

During the pre-race period, the dangers of high winds were highlighted when skipper Bill Traill was rounded up by a gust and into the path of another boat. The result was a punctured hull and a sunken boat. Bill will be investigating the various flotation devises available for his boat in the future. The boat was recovered after two days under water and is being repaired – good excuse for building a new boat!! The only other casualty of the day was a lost rudder by Brian Wilmshurst sail number 50.

The regatta was won by Ben Rusi, followed closely by Tom Kenney.