Teams turned out on Saturday for the annual boat building competition which is always a favourite feature of Peel Traditional Boat weekend.

The competition was sponsored by Qualtrough’s of Castletown. Each team was supplied with a fixed, limited amount of materials to design and build craft to their own design, followed by a race across the harbour, traditionally involving many capsizes and sinkings, all under the watchful eyes of the rescue boat. All the teams paid a £40 fee to enter, which all goes to charity.

This year’s event was affected by the strong winds as organiser Mike Clark explained: ’The weekend weather was atrocious, preventing the usual parade of sail around the bay on Saturday afternoon but nine boat-building teams worked away in the relative shelter of the Fenella Beach car-park, thanks to the very obliging Peel Town Commissioners.

’However, by the scheduled race time, the wind was too strong to chance these flimsy craft "at sea", so it was postponed to Sunday afternoon. In the design competition, best boat was judged to be Sink or Swim, built by the team led by Ian Chambers, and the race was easily won by Tom Babb’s regular Purple Monkey team.

’Roy Moore did a great job commentating on this rather slower race than he’s used to - and yes, a third of the fleet capsized and had to swim for it!’

Mike added: ’The tides indicate that the 2019 Peel Traditional Boat Weekend will coincide with Peel Carnival as happens every other year. We all hope the unseasonal wind and rain keeps away next year.’