The Fife Regatta has attracted entries from New Zealand and the US
This summer a fleet of magnificent wooden yachts will be casting the spotlight on a little-known corner of the west coast of Scotland.
Fife classic yachts from across the globe will be
coming to ‘Argyll’s secret coast’ to compete in the Fife Regatta 2013 from 28 June to 5 July.
The
boats, ranging from 20 to 100ft in length, will be a striking sight as they
race through the sea lochs.
This invitation only event invites the famous Fife Yachts to return
to their birthplace on the Clyde and to participate in a unique regatta, held
every five years.
It’s as much a homecoming and a celebration of great Scottish
sailing as it is a competition.
The Fifes were designed and built by one of
Scotland’s most famous boat builders, William Fife, in Fairlie in the Clyde
Estuary during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Boats
will be travelling from as far afield as New Zealand and the US to take part in
the event. Two boats, Kentra
and Astor, celebrate their 90th
birthdays this year.
Kentra, an
80ft Fife that’s been stored in Fairlie for nearly seven years, is being
re-launched for the regatta and Astor will be coming all the way from California for the occasion.
Local people are organising viewpoints and onshore festivities, sponsored by
EventScotland.
Paul Bush, chief operating officer for EventScotland,
said: ‘In 2013, the Year of Natural Scotland, the Fife Regatta will showcase
Scotland’s beautiful landscapes as yachts sail along Argyll’s Secret Coast.
‘Scotland is the perfect stage for events and the setting will certainly lend
itself to what will undoubtedly be a spectacular gathering of boats.’
The boats will spend three days of the regatta – from the
1 to 3 July – on the little known south-west tip of the Cowal Peninsula.
There will be a host of celebrations, including a street
party with local food, a pipe band and a Scottish skiff
rowing race.
The Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world, will be attending.
The Tighnabruaich Art Gallery is running a
photography competition this summer with the theme ‘sailing on Argyll’s Secret
Coast’ and there will be a special category for photos of Fifes.
The gallery
will also be showing an exhibition of art inspired by the west coast landscape
as part of the regatta celebrations.
To find out more visit www.argyllsecretcoast.co.uk/fife/
Click here for the Fife Regatta website
(Picture: Altair, a 108ft topsail schooner built in Fairlie by William Fife & Sons in 1931, sets sail from Kames to Largs in the 2008 Fife Regatta. Credit: Marc Turner)