Two prestigious sailing trophies have been added to the silverware collection of a keen Cumbrian yachtsman after he took on a high seas Atlantic challenge.
Boyd Holmes, 72, of Hayton, near was presented with the cups at special award ceremonies organised by the Clyde Cruising Club and the Royal Cruising Club.
It was an eventful six-day cruise to Denmark’s Faroe Islands which won the awards for Boyd, accompanied by his three-man crew of retired Keswick Mountain Rescue Team members.
The Faroes’ exposed location in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland makes the islands notorious for strong winds, heavy seas and fierce tides, all of which skipper Boyd and his team had to battle.
Boyd’s log of his Faroe adventures, starting from Ardfern on the West Coast of Scotland in his 45-foot yacht Blue Damsel, persuaded the clubs’ judges to make their awards.
From the Clyde Cruising Club, Boyd – who is a qualified yachtmaster – was presented with the Best Cruise of the Season award, known as the Coats Challenge Cup.
Meanwhile, the Royal Cruising Club, formed in 1880 and in which Boyd holds the senior rank of honorary captain, commemorated his voyage with its Claymore Cup.
Since retiring as managing partner of Carlisle law firm Cartmell Shepherd in 2011, former solicitor Boyd has combined voluntary legal work with his passion for sailing.
He and his wife Kitty, a former Carlisle GP, have sailed waters around the coast of Scotland and embarked on longer voyages in sometimes perilous conditions.
His log of a cruise to Norway in which his yacht was battered by bruising waves also won him various cups including one for special endeavour from the Royal Highland Yacht Club.
Boyd is a long-time member of the Royal Highland YC, one of Britain’s oldest and most revered sailing clubs, and for two years until 2017 held the senior position of Commodore.
His two most recent cups were presented to Boyd earlier this year at the annual dinners of the Clyde Cruising Club in Glasgow, and the Royal Cruising Club in London’s Knightsbridge.
Boyd said he had no current plans for cruises to more distant waters, but was enjoying introducing he and Kitty’s three young grandchildren to offshore sailing aboard Blue Damsel.
