A leading member of Solway Yacht Club is to receive a prestigious award from the Royal Yachting Association.
Willie Patterson from Dumfries will receive the organisation’s outstanding contribution award at a glittering London ceremony later in the year.
Founder of the hugely successful inter-schools Five Castle Regatta and previously an accomplished GP14 sailor, Willie moved from dinghies to larger yachts and joined Solway Yacht Club around 15 years ago. He quickly became both a leading racing helm and highly active committee member, taking on the vital role of cadet officer.
The club’s Cadet Week entries had been dwindling and RYA training had ended, leaving only racing. Willie re-energised the committee, becoming one of the key drivers, his charisma so appealing to the young. He engaged with the existing cadets, parents and others, reversing the decline.
Over a three year period RYA training was reintroduced and multiple off-the-water events organised, spreading enthusiasm far and wide, all contributing to increasing attendances.
He then introduced the Kepis Blancs group, an interim improvers stage between the trainees and the racers. This overcame the persistent problem of cadets doing training one year, little in between, then returning to the same training the year later, limiting their progress and blocking new trainees.
Next, he lent is much loved yacht, Hunca Munca to the Hunca Hunnies – an all-female cadet crew including one exceptional young skipper – for the Kippford Regatta. They won, presented him a Hunca Hero shirt, creating an electrifying effect on the younger cadets.
Devised by another member, a senior professional in social services, the club introduced its sailing scholarship programme. It awarded suitable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds a fully funded opportunity to learn to sail, build their confidence and self-esteem. Willie is instrumental in the team that continues its delivery, recognised as a hugely valuable contribution to those where mainstream education may have had limited success.
At the 2016 Flying Fifteen Scottish Championships, Willie recruited teams of cadets into the Shore Fforce. The tidal estuary requires very efficient launching and recovery to ensure races start promptly. With another cadet lookout further out of the estuary, on the fleet’s return trailers were prearranged in order and to the crews’ astonishment, boats were whisked up the slipway and returned to their berths. The Shore Fforce is now a regular cadet fixture, repeated at recent challenger regattas, of even greater valuable to the disabled sailor.
Willie continued to develop the Cadet Week format, introducing further improvements; the Blue Caps (coached racers), the Red Caps (beginners) while the racers became the Black Caps. In 2019 there were more than 60 participants in Cadet Week, which included beach parties and continuous fun as well as reaching the club’s current capacity. Willie passed the cadet officer mantle to a younger committee member for the 2018 season but continues as mentor and, with increased capacity, its growing success.
He then volunteered to fill the social secretary position. Already one half of volunteer chef duo Poppa and Dom, he has revitalised club social life. Willie was a major part in the club achieving the 2018 RYA Scotland Club of the Year award, reflecting the wonderful team effort.
With successive coronavirus lockdowns, Willie has been one of the team instrumental in keeping the club’s online activities vibrant. He enthusiastically joined the SYC team who successfully “exhibited” at the RYA 2021 Virtual Dinghy Show, the only Scottish club present, delivering a high number of membership enquiries and new members. Despite continuing Covid restrictions, the club successfully delivered the 2021 Cadet Week, Willie again playing a vital part, both in supporting the cadet officer as well as in the race management team.
The club and all its members warmly congratulate Willie on this hugely deserved award.
